Daycare desperation

1. Posted by Mia T on Sun, May 18, 2008

Your timing of this post could not be more apt! When my daughter was one and I had to go back to work I was very lucky to find someone who was wonderful. Our daycare provider loves my daughter as she does her own children. Two years later I am looking again...can one hit gold twice? As parents we stuggle and struggle. I live with some much worry and guilt everyday. Searching for daycare is actually invading my everyday. I don't sleep I don't eat. People would say I overreact, but really this is the health and happiness of my two year old! It's so hard to find someone who has a spot, and shares the same parentig values I do. I've considered a center but my daughter's been so sick over the past few years it's just not feasible! Here I am backed into a corner again. It seems to me that familes in this country and the people who care for them (daycare providers and teachers) and really respected. I leave you with these few questions...why do most centers start taking babies at 18mths but mat. leave ends at 12 months? Why does good childcare cost up to $75 a day? Why are there so few part time spots? Why do parents have to lie to take a day off with their sick child? Where is the support in terms of flex hours/days etc....other countries have mandates about 1/2 time options, flex days sick leaves for kids....no support

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2. Posted by anndouglas on Sat, May 24, 2008

Mia, I wish I had the answers to those questions. I know large numbers of parents have been asking those very same types of questions for as long as I have been a parent -- 20 years! And, where I live, parents at one school are speaking out angrily about a proposal to change the school day start time to 9:20 am. As a parent who tries to juggle work/daycare, you know what a huge curve-ball that is to throw in the laps of an entire school community. Sometimes I wonder how "the people in charge" can be so out of touch with the needs of real parents. It is shocking and infuriating to me as a mother and a taxpayer. I am encouraged, however, to see some grassroots protests organized by groups of parents who are refusing to be placated by token "consultations". They want a real voice in changes that have far-reaching consequences for their families. Politicians and public officials would be wise to wake up and sense the changing mood amongst parents. They are sick of being stuck between a rock and a hard place -- and then being blamed for not finding solutions to "their" childcare problems. What I hear parents saying is enough is enough.

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3. Posted by Jason on Wed, May 28, 2008

Canada has to get back to it's "roots" of families looking after their own children. I live in Asia and over here it's done the old way. Grandparents live in the same home or nearby and look after the little ones, or mothers have their own small shop and the little kids area at "work" with mom. Canadians have been led astray by big BIG government, having mom AND dad go off to work so that BOTH can pay taxes and big ol' government can "take care" of everyone. Say "NO" to the nanny state. Create your own income from home. It's not hard anymore due to the Internet.

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4. Posted by sylvanfire on Wed, May 28, 2008

I know from my friend who owns her own home daycare that it's hard to cater to everyone in need. She has one kid being dropped off at 6:30am... and the last kid leaves at 6... that's a 12 hour day, because unlike everyone else who work's an office job she can't take 15 minute breaks and hour lunches. If she tries to have a holiday all her parents complain that she's not open, and where they are going to put their kids, and it's hard because our daycare providers are SEVERELY underpaid making and average of $160/week/kid... so in a home daycare she can only have 5 children at once, being she has her own child she counts as 1... so that's 4 kids... 640 a week... and 2560 a month. But now she needs to pay to feed the kids, diapers(if their in them), equipment upkeep, morgage payments, insurance, and of course she doesn't have medical because she's "self employed". You can't complain that the people providing your care aren't trying, it's their support network that sucks! To ask them to try and take part time kids requires one of those spots to still be used... if parents wanting parttime found another parent wanting the off hours then they probably would but you forget that they still need to survive. You can't ask a care worker to push her bounds because although your family is important her's is more! They don't ever get raises... so appreciate your care worker! They're people who try everything they can... they need your help, as you need theirs!

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5. Posted by anndouglas on Wed, May 28, 2008

Our childcare providers are definitely underpaid. Even childcare providers who work in licensed childcare facilities (both non-profit and for-profit) rarely make a living wage. For a huge roundup of childcare studies and stats, visit http://www.childcarecanada.org Working from home isn't always everything that it's cracked up to be. It isn't easy to juggle work and family -- and you have to generate significant revenues to pay yourself a living wage. It's important to get the facts about what self-employment is really like (the good, the bad, and the ugly) in order to know if starting your own business is a good option for you and your family. Your local small business self-help center and other parent-entrepreneurs (and former parent-entrepreneurs) should be able to give you the lowdown on what self-employment is all about. Don't just rely on the very optimistic magazine success stories that make it seem super easy. It's hard work. Mia T: Thanks for your thoughtful post. I agree: we need to stand together rather than trashing one another's choices.

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6. Posted by whitmania@rogers.com on Mon, Jun 02, 2008

Did you have kids to raise them yourself or to let someone else do it? If you want childcare, your children should be in your care.

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