How to Get the Most out of your Relationship with your Daycare Provider
Last time I looked, daycare prices were rising, and will continue to rise as staffing costs continue to increase, making it one of the largest line-items on your family’s budget per month, and a huge investment. Quite frankly, it’s an important time in your child’s life, and I believe that the investment is quite worthwhile. So very much of the brain is developed during the ages 0-5. Finding a child care arrangement that fits with your family’s philosophy of learning and development, in my opinion, is not a waste of money, but rather, a worthwhile expense for developing the future potential of your child. And thus, you should take advantage of it. Here are two ways to get the most out of your relationship with your daycare provider.
Don’t treat those Teachers as Caregivers; They are Brain Developers.
I have yet to meet a teacher who comes to work everyday because it is fun. This job is tough, demanding, and often I meet teachers who put in hours upon hours outside of the classroom to develop the best environments, the most engaging activities, and does it for free. This is a job that requires love. These folks think about your kids often. This is a job that is as challenging as teaching K-12, but requires summers, evenings, vomit, and poop. The best relationship you will develop with them is as a partner in the journey of rearing your child. And yes, this is what they want too. Ask them questions, learn their names, talk to them about what you are seeing your child do at home. Read their newsletters, come to their parents-teacher conferences, and write them a card on Teacher Appreciation Day (I promise, it’s the best gift). Come to parent’s night (We know you are tired; we are too!). These folks, they hold such insightful knowledge on trends in development, and often have helped me deal with some of the parenting questions that I have had in my own parenting.
Love them. Know them. Talk to them. Ask them. They are valuable in your journey of parenting.
Voice your feelings, good ones and bad.
Besides your relationship with your children’s teachers, forming bonds with the Director, Administrator, and Assistant Director, or other leadership staff (in our case, Curriculum Director) are just as important. These folks oversee the quality of the program that your child is enrolled in and can help you get what you need when the Brain Developers can’t. Never, I repeat, NEVER feel silly or stupid calling to check to see how your child’s day is going (even five times)! NEVER feel silly or stupid catching one of these leadership folks to ask a question about something you saw that might feel uncomfortable. Some of the best relationships I have formed with parents start with a concern, often expressed professionally and as a question. Advocating for your child is an effort that should be shared by a community, including these folks who serve as the key to quality of the program that your child is enrolled in. In addition,
THESE folks often have years of experience and advanced degrees, offering you valuable parenting advice and empathy as well! You should expect empathy, a listening ear, and some sort of resolution or check in after the issue has been addressed.
All in all, this experience is a combination of advocating for your child, feeling comfortable with your own voice and expressing your feelings, and forming relationships with those who you are trusting to begin educating your child from a very young age. This very human experience is something that you can enhance by being an active part of your daycare community. Getting the most out of your relationship with your daycare provider is a reciprocal relationship, one you won’t regret investing your time in.
At Leap Academy we value the relationships we build with our families.Collaborating as a team on developing the whole child is something we foster in all our relationships. Give Leap Academy a call and let us talk with you about our team of teachers and how we can assist you. We have two locations to choose from: Waunakee (608.850.9696) and Madison (608.204.9696).
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