Be a Good Child Care Parent

Parents looking for a child care provider usually use checklists or brochures designed to give them tips and information about what to consider when choosing a child care. Is the facility/home clean? What type of training have the providers had? Will my child be happy here? Safe here?  

Finding this special person (or center) can be key to your happiness on the job. It is stress-relieving to know children are in a safe and nurturing environment while a parent is at work. Just as the child care provider nurtures a child, the parent needs to nurture their relationship with the child care provider.

How the child care provider is treated will most likely affect how long the relationship lasts, how positive the interactions are, and ultimately, how happy the child is in the setting.

A survey was conducted of some Idaho child care providers. They were asked for tips to share with parents that would make for a better child care experience overall for everyone involved. As you will see from the following tips, they ranged from payment issues to discipline and health and safety issues.

The surveys indicate a majority of the misunderstandings between child care providers and parents could be resolved if parents would carefully read the Policy and Procedure guidelines and registration packets.

It is important to remember that even though most child care providers choose the profession because of their love of children, it is still a “business,” and bills must be paid. Another issue relates to dressing children for the weather. Numerous comments were received on this issue and the difficulty it causes if a child is unable to participate in a group outing.

According to a provider at Parents Blessing Learning Center in Moscow, Idaho, “Nothing is worse than to tell a child they can’t go outside to play in the snow because their parents didn’t bring proper clothing.”  Here are some additional tips for being a good child care parent:

Payment Related Issues

Give two weeks notice if removing a child from child care. This allows the center to replace the child without the budget suffering. 

• Pay on time, the same time each month, and without being asked. Child care budgets rely on parent tuition to pay employees. Write down and keep track of your payment arrangements.
   
• Expect tuition increases. Sometimes this is the only way to give a quality teacher the raise they deserve. Check prices of other providers if you have concerns.

 

Safety or Health Related Issues

Properly dress your child for the weather. Parents sometimes let children wear sandal-like shoes when it is snowing outside. Make sure the child has boots, gloves, and coats to wear when it is cold. Also remember to pin mittens (with large, sturdy diaper pins) to coat sleeves.

• Give all medication to the teachers (don’t leave it in lunch boxes). Always bring a doctor’s note for prescription medications and instructions for over the counter drugs (dosage and how often to be given).  
• Always follow the center’s sick policy, it is there for a reason — to help keep teachers and other children healthy. It is best for the child to be home with mom or dad when they are sick. Have a back-up plan for the children when they are ill. 
• Don’t give medication to a sick child to bring a fever down and then send the sick child to school.

Discipline-Related Issues

• Work with the child care provider to be consistent with discipline issues. If the parent(s) and care provider are working together, it will encourage the child to learn positive behavior.
   
• Do not teach your child to hit back. We focus on using our words, teacher help, etc.
   
• Tell providers what is going on at home or changes occurring in the family (divorce, death, illness, etc.). this may explain why the child is sleepy, needs more food, anything that relates to how they act.

Rules-Related Issues

• READ the registration packet. The information there is for a purpose!
   
• Work out custody issues outside our school turf. We do not want to be in middle. No separate bills.
   
• Don’t send toys to school. They could get lost or broken. 
• Give the center the child’s schedule ASAP so providers will know how to staff.
   
• Inform the provider if the child will be picked up by someone else, who and when. Remember also, let your child care provider know if your child will not be at the center due to illness or vacation. 
• When children are dropped off at school, make sure they are with a teacher when you leave. 

Communication Related Issues

• Communication is the key. My daycare just experienced a death concerning one of the children’s parents. By our working with counselors and the other parent it helped the child because everybody was counseling the child the same way.
   
• If address or telephone numbers change, let provider know right away.
   
• If you are asked to meet for a conference it is very helpful if you attend and work out an agreeable compromise with your child’s teacher over the issue.
   
• Understand that we are involved emotionally with these children. We love most of them too much, if that is possible.
   
• Relax with your child a few minutes at pick up time. Play a little, see what they like to do at school. Our best “adjusted” happiest kids have parents who spend a few minutes at the center each night.