Chopped Liver

Yes children; I know he's the fun guy. He makes you laugh. You love it when he peeks around the corner and sticks out his tongue and then disappears only to do it all over again a thousand more times. You giggle and laugh until your tummies hurt.

I also know that you hound him for cookies and snack cakes and little bits of breakfast bacon. And I also know that every single time he gives it to you. You know, I'm not ninety and I can hear you all whispering in collaboration with each other. I am aware of the conspiracy occurring right under my nose. You don't have to whisper - there is no real secret.

But have you ever noticed how he leaves the room when someone announces, "I smell something"? Have you ever seen him with a plastic bag, diaper and box of wipes, sleeved rolled up ready to take on Poop Master Mickey? No, I didn't think so. Or have you seen how quickly he can walk when shrill cries fill the room? Yes, that's him running away, far, far away while I run closer, closer, closer until I am in full contact with the snot ridden child who has cried himself hoarse.

I realize he is all things fun; a pony, a treat giver and a clown. I realize that he is more fun than an amusement park ride when he whirls you around in the air. Sadly, I have neither the strength or the time to play county fair roadie.

But it is me who is wiper of butts, dabber of noses, chef, maid, bottle washer, accountant, housekeeper and file clerk. Sure, he's fun but really, he's useless. He does not make this little daycare world you live in four days a week go round and round. Nope, that's me.

So please, children, cut me some slack. I'm tired and busy and have no time to be amusement park Tilt-A-Whirl or Ride-On-Pony. My back hurts from carrying the 50 pound 12 month old up and down the stairs and the oven is beeping at me. Can you give a gal a break?

I try to be fun, really I do. I could be more fun and if you want I too can try to spend my entire day making you laugh but there will be no lunch and Poop Master Mickey will be smelling up the entire room all day. I guess you get to choose.

Fun Guy is off to work now. Yes, children, sadly I am all that is left. Yep, the boring daycare lady who encourages you to eat your peas and makes you tidy up the playroom is all you have left to work with.

Now eat those peas, they're getting cold. Oh, and try using your fork.






or concerns, advice or suggestions I welcome your email at judytrickett@yahoo.ca

Top Five Secrets Of The Successful Daycare Provider

Every industry has them - secrets. These are those little tidbits or facts that make the industry jobs more efficient and easier to do. Often it is not only time that is saved by knowing and employing these insider tidbits but sanity as well. I often wonder who came up with products like Nibs - you know, those tiny little licorice ends. I can imagine some factory housekeeping staff was bitching to himself what a mess the pincher machine made when it finished the ends of the strings of licorice and then like a lightening bolt thought that if only the company realized their profit loss sitting there on the factory floor they could make so much more money and he would never again, have to clean up the damn Nibs. Well, two weeks later Nibs probably hit the shelf and he got his pink slip. Bet he wished he kept little nib of an idea to himself!

Industry secrets are everywhere. They save, time, money and movement. Good business owners know them too. Who doesn't want to save both time and money? I know I do. But my favourite savings will always fall into the sanity area. I don't have much sanity left and it is more important than ever to preserve that little bit that remains.

MP3s - My favourite sanity saver is pulled out of my junk drawer nearly every time I start a new child. Yes, I speak of the IPod. Was there ever a better invention for daycare providers? Hey, I am all for the extra cuddles, carrying and attention of a child who suddenly finds himself dropped into what he perceives as the depths of hell but even the most seasoned provider quickly reaches a pivotal point of both hearing loss and inability to tolerate a single minute more of the high pitched wailing that emanates from the twenty pound ball of tears in her living room. In goes the earphones, on goes the IPod and I am ready to take on the rest of the day. Yes, that's right newbie child I am smiling at you even though you have not stopped crying for the last six hours. Weird eh?

Food - I can make anything appear kid friendly. When mom and dad tell me that little Johnny won't eat cauliflower at home I know those parents lack imagination. Johnny eats cauliflower here all the time. Yeppers, I puree that sulfuric little crucifer like no tomorrow and toss it into any white sauce I can find. Johnny gobbles it up and asks for more. Yes, I am amazing, thanks! Even more amazing is that at my house he eat trees (broccoli) and pretty much anything else that I serve them. It's not rocket science really. Make nutritious foods kid-friendly and do not offer 13 choices for lunch and Johnny will eat anything.

Tidiness - Parents are always amazed at how tidy the house is when they pick up their child. I am certain some of them think I secretly cage their children for the day and carry on with my housework and laundry and let all the kids out five minutes prior to their arrival. Well, maybe I DO do that - that's my own personal secret - but I'll never tell! The secret I will share is that my house is not tidy because of me it is tidy because of the kids. From a very young age I teach all the kids in my care to clean up after themselves. No, I do not clean up their mess of toys or put all the Play-doh back in the tubs; the kids do all this themselves. Every child has an age appropriate task and they are asked to complete it. And (gasp) they actually complete it! Yes, it's a miracle! So parents, next time you come in and make passive aggressive comments about how clean my house is turn around and tell your children what a great job they did.

Two Swing Principle - Wanna know how to get children to learn how to dress themselves for outdoor play? The answer is simple; only have half as many swings as you do children. Seriously. The swing is the most sought after and popular back yard activity. The minute I announce we are going outside kids whose parents normally dress them at home time put on all of their outdoor gear INDEPENDENTLY and race out the door to commandeer one of those precious two swings hanging in the back yard. It's amazing what a little bit of incentive will do.

Awkward Silence - This is my favourite secret of all (thanks Pam!). Whenever any situation arises where in a parent questions the policies they signed and agreed upon at the onset of care just stand there and say nothing. Allow the silence to permeate the air.

"I know pay day is today but things are tight. Can I just pay you on Friday instead?" ....awkward silence........."Okay, I'll make sure I bring you the cheque tonight".

See? Now wasn't that easy? And you didn't even have to get your cranky pants on or anything!

There are so many secrets to being able to provide the level of care we do and maintain any shred of our sanity. Often, as providers, we are asked that familiar question, "how do you do it?". Every time we hear that question a little laugh erupts in our heads and we silently say to ourselves, "if only you knew". But do we really want them to know? I don't know about you but I like some things in life to remain a mystery. Besides, I'm taking a lesson from the Nibs guy. "Mums" the word.

Day 21 and still positive. Busy, busy but positive!

For concerns, advice or suggestions I welcome your email at judytrickett@yahoo.ca

Dirty Gum Stays Stuck

Talk to any daycare provider and the question as to why they decided to provide childcare will always come up. The most frequent answer to that question would be that they wanted to stay at home with their own children in their formative years but needed a second income. For the most part I believe these answers to be truthful if only on a superficial level. There is a secret of many daycare providers that is rarely ever divulged; many of us have a secret agenda and don't even know it.

I have had the great fortune to meet and know a lot of home daycare providers both in person and online. There are a number of small, intimate provider forums where in, over the years, relationships are forged and dark personal secrets are shared. We come to understand each other as people as opposed to daycare providers. At the core we are just people with biases, fears and anxieties, hopes and beliefs like anyone else. There is a reoccurring theme among many providers. That theme is childhood. It seems a large majority of home daycare providers had very unfortunate childhoods. I stand within their ranks.

A reader left a comment referring to another small but secret blog I have wherein I address some of those moments in my life that have stuck to the recesses of my memory like dirty gum to the sole of a shoe. It surprised me that someone, other than myself, had read those words and ascertained their translucency. It did not prompt inner reflection as I have had far too much time to do that in my life and have the great fortune of really knowing who I am, dirty gum and all, but it was a small relief to perceive an air of compassion in those words sitting on my computer screen begging me to click the 'approve' button.

It seems that those of us who share the ranks of the abused, unwanted, and unloved lost little girls find the provision of daycare as an amicable choice of careers. I wonder if it is our attempt to somehow right the wrongs of the past by ensuring that another child will not be forced to question theirs. Perhaps we strive to provide more than care but a soft, warm place in the Universe where a child feels wanted if even for a mere nine or ten hours a day.

If there is a presence of negativity within these posts it always shares a common theme - the lack of parental duty toward what should be their most valuable asset - their children. It is admittedly easy to become incensed with a parent who refuses to spend more time than absolutely necessary with a child. It brings on strong emotions from grown adult woman who, inside, feel the hurt and the rejection for the child who is clearly put in the position of being second place. We were there once ourselves and therefore it is impossible for us not to understand the scene from the child's perspective. Children feel. Children are far more in tune with the Universe than any other age group. They know because they are pure and are therefore connected. When mommy and daddy take the day off work but drop their child into our care on their birthday it sets off a raging tide of emotions and well placed resentment.

I would love to say I am just here for the money or for my own kids. It would be much easier to have no feelings, to not care, to accept my cheque and go about my life. But life and its experiences have a funny way of catching up with you when you least expect it. Just when you think you have finally shoved those demons under the bridge one last time they reappear, their red faces and raging eyes fiercer than before. I suspect I am not alone in visiting these demons. Many a provider friend admits to frequent visits with them too.

The world works in mysterious ways. Why cast women who have not had the benefit of wonderful childhood memories into positions responsible to create them? If anything it seems more of a cruel joke or social science experiment. Perhaps there is a purpose; to heal wounds and allow these women a second chance to be children themselves while protecting those they care for from every having to peel gum off the bottoms of their little shoes.

I provide daycare to heal my heart and protect the hearts and souls of others. If somewhere in the process I point fingers and say outloud what many think but lack the bravado to say then so be it. While those who oppose ponder my words I'll be with my daycare children chewing gum and blowing big, funny bubbles instead of spitting it on the ground to wait for someone to walk on it. No one likes peeling dirty gum off the bottom of their shoe.

Day twelve and still positive!

For concerns, advice or suggestions I welcome your email at judytrickett@yahoo.ca

Needed Versus Earned

Raises; everybody wants them. It matters not if you are a corporate executive, garbage collector or letter carrier every worker everywhere expects, anticipates, and in many cases demands wage increases. Every year there are stories of striking bus drivers, General Motors labourers and sometimes even school teachers. Some of us beg, some demand and others use force. Regardless, we all want raises in income.

It always astounds me how self-employed individuals are held to a different standard than big corporations. Every year I hear of daycare providers who increase their fees and are met with disgruntled replies from parents. The self-employed are viewed as greedy for raising fees for products and services. One must wonder however, if these same disgruntled parents share the sentiment when faced with an increase at the Tim Horton's drive-thru to procure their first cup of liquid heaven. Sure, they notice the increase but they don't dare do anything about it. Why is that? The answer is simple - complain to a corporation about price and you are likely to be ignored. It's all about the bottom line and as a consumer you are at the bottom of that line.

Somehow, being a human being standing in front of a parent, knowing full well that you, and not some old men sitting around a mahogany board room table, are responsible for a fee increase changes everything. Parents feel they have the right to question the increase. But worse than anything are those providers who are questioned due to a perceived lack of need. There are daycare providers who live in nice houses, perhaps drive the newest cars, wear designer fashions and take frequent vacations. Do these providers need to raise fees to increase their bottom line?

Every January I raise my fees. I don't need to in the dictionary definition of the word. But nonetheless, I raise them. Why? I raise my fees because first, the cost to supply daycare increases every year and second, because I deserve an increase just as much as the next person. No, I do not need the additional income. I do, however, earn it. There should be no difference in 'needed versus earned' when it comes to fee increases. I hardly think Donald Trump needs my $400 per night in hotel room rates at his luxury golf resorts but that in no way implies he didn't earn each and every one of those four hundred dollar bills. He put in the blood, the sweat and the tears - in short, he worked for it and therefore deserves to be paid accordingly. And I know the Walton family isn't living on hot dogs and macaroni and cheese so they don't need that increase they slapped on bread last month.

When I was young I knew a sweet old man who had one of those cheezie, lacquered signs hanging in his entry way. The sign read, "The only thing I know about money matters is that money MATTERS". The words on that sign have stuck with me all these years. I have thought about it many, many times. I now know that money is more than dollars and cents. Money places a value on services and products. The value I speak of has less to do with bills and coins but more concerned with psychology and perceived worth. I raise my fees because I am worthy of that increase. And, in my opinion worth can never be fully compensated.

I raised my fees effective January 1st. Not a single parent batted an eye. Last week they all wrote out their cheques for the correct amount and handed them over with a smile. They "get it". My worth is important to them - and it should be.

Here is to day eleven and still positive!





For concerns, advice or suggestions I welcome your email at judytrickett@yahoo.ca

Hardly Happenstance

Today I wrote out tax receipts for all those families who attended in 2009. As I tallied up each child's expenses it was like going down (sometimes bad) memory lane. I thought of all the children I cared for throughout the last year of the decade. Ten children in all were included in my thoughts. And while I was thinking of those ten children something occurred to me; the first half of 2009 was hell, the last half heaven.

The fact alone that ten different children were cared for in my home last year should be a testament to the aforementioned hell. I now understand why this blog came to fruition. You see, it was just a few of those ten children who made life, and daycare, a miserable existence. Luckily for me and the new children who took the place of some of those I terminated the second half of 2009 was a much happier time.

Last year I said good-bye to a long time family of five years that I had mistakenly assumed cared about me and my daughter. Their daughter and mine played together at daycare for five years and grew up from iddy-bitty twelve month olds, shared toddlerhood, toilet training and the first days of school. But when push came to shove it was apparent that all the history was meaningless. I was just the babysitter. And so they went leaving a space for two other children.

It's remarkable how a present situation can cast doom and gloom. If we all had the luxury of a crystal ball we would never spend a moment of our lives stressing over the concerns of now. Instead, we would have everlasting faith that all would work out for the best; and it did. I traded two spoiled, manipulative children for two wonderful toddlers who love to play and laugh and interact. I only wish that I knew then what it is I know now - that there is no room here for children who do not wish to partake in the fun, interactive and loving environment I provide. But there are plenty of parents and children waiting for those spaces.

As I finished up writing each and every receipt I realized something I had overlooked. Right now, in this present moment, I have the very best set of daycare children and daycare parents I have ever had in all my years of providing care. The children, for the most part, interact and behave themselves while in my care. The parents pay on time and rarely need to be reprimanded for dismissing the terms of our contract together. Yes, as far as daycare goes, this is heaven.

Of course, I also realize none of this is happenstance. Every time I have been duped, disrespected and fooled I learned to never allow it to happen again. I am better now at hand picking families and asserting my expectations than ever before. Simply put - I ask and I receive.

So, here we are, day two and still positive. If I had that crystal ball I could tell you how long it will last. But for today, I'll take it.



For concerns, advice or suggestions I welcome your email at judytrickett@yahoo.ca

New Beginnings

We waited for it. It came. Now it's gone. Yes, I am talking about New Year's Day. As many of us took some much anticipated time off over the holidays we looked forward to New Year's with both excitement and dismay. The new year is a time of renewal, of setting things right but it is also a time to get back to work. After nearly two weeks of vacation time settling back into routine is anything but easy. Alas, here we are, another year in the world of daycare.

Every year, like millions of others, I make resolutions pertaining to different areas of my life. For the most part I stick with them if only in spirit. Some resolutions are easier than others. A few resolutions are kicked to the curb with the first garbage pick up of the year; others are still around mulling about my head this time next year.

I have made one daycare resolution this year. It is an all encompassing resolution. I feared that breaking it down might cause me to come to the realization of what it is I am actually asking myself to do. That in and of itself would be reason enough for me to not even get started in the first place. My resolution is to be positive. It sounds pretty simple. If you know anything about me you will also understand that I am a realist. I do not sugar coat things. Positivity is pretty hard to muster up when you are faced with some of the challenges of daycare we all find ourselves in the thick of each and every day. I am curious to see how much positivity fortitude I can muster when The Princess freaks out at the door at pick up simply because her easily manipulated robot parents have arrived. Perhaps I can find some positivity when I am changing Johnny who has pooped up his backside for the third time in a week. I could be positive and thankful he didn't eat beans the night before. I guess we'll see.

I am thinking of creating one of those giant thermometers that are so popular at school fundraisers to chart my positivity progress. In January the mercury level would be so high we could all wear capris and flip flops. By February we would all be in jeans and T-shirts, and no doubt, by April when parents have arrived late for the tenth time and the three year olds are still not potty trained the mercury will have dipped down to parka wearing sub-zero numbers.

Ah, who am I kidding? That cardboard cut out thermometer will make me want to scream. It would be a constant reminder that I am, once again, not the Norman Rockwell, rosy cheeked stereotype of caregivers everywhere. Forget it. I'm just gonna try. And really, can anyone fault me for trying?

So, here we go. Day one and still positive. I'll let you know if it all goes to hell tomorrow.

For concerns, advice or suggestions I welcome your email at judytrickett@yahoo.ca