I would like to start this article off by saying "Thank you" to all childcare providers. As a new mom, I'm very thankful for all the wonderful help I have received. I often drop my daughter off and think to myself "boy I wish I could be with her all day". I'm aware that all mothers don't think this way. Some of us enjoy our careers and don't want to be full time stay at home mothers. I often battle with the balance of it all myself.
One of the things that I love about being a new mother and blogger is the fact that I have created a platform to give myself a voice. While driving to work this morning I thought about the difference between the childcare worker vs the childcare connection. In this fast pace world we live in we often don't know the difference between the two. So often we choose a facility by word of mouth or just a visit.
I would like to challenge all that read this to take into account a few of the statements that I'm about to make. Let's take a moment to examine the connection, relationship and responsible of the childcare provider. I have learned that connection is intentional.
Although, this is business but the little ones they serve aren't a product or a number. Most childcare workers won't notice something as important like a child's arms being cold, the child has become withdrawn and changes in eating patterns. No matter what these changes are, if you are passionate, love what you do, rarely will you miss anything when it comes to the children in your facility.
Establishing a relationship between the childcare provider, child and parent are very important. So often we forget that "It takes a village to raise a child". The word "raise" here takes on many transitive verbs like; awaken, arouse, incite and elevate. Once the childcare provider consciously sees their role as relationship oriented things will change in our communities. As parents we must make a shift in our consciousness to bring about a communicable approach for the well-being of our children. Except it or not. The person that cares for our children from four to eight hours a day has a lot of influence and impact in their development.
It would be wise to make sure that these individuals are connected, relationship driven and responsible for their part in the lives of our little ones. Whether we are conscious of our decision making or not. These individuals can be instrumental or determinable to our children's developing brains. Too often we have workers that aren't intuited because they themselves were or aren't intuited with the physical and emotional needs of their own children.
Under the tutelage of these types of individuals our children are often limited, dumb downed and abused at the hands of adults that don't properly engage their needs holistically. It's time out of childcare centers that see our children as commodity because we pay them with tangible money but our children aren't being touched or given what they need. Most of all "connection". The money we receive is only a tool and with it comes a great responsibility.
A childcare owner must work hard to provide the best care for their children by hiring the best, paying their staff well and increasing the moral of the center by creating a place that is conducive to learning for everyone. There is a difference between baby sitting and developing young minds. We have to challenge business owners with facilities that are run down, non creative, lack technology and innovation. There is no excuse when you can find ways to make things work on a budget but still be effective. Our children are our greatest asset and investing in them is our greatest gift to them and the world in which they live.
Xoxo
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