Our "homework" for this last week's class is to prepare a representation of ourselves, our program our life, our something. I've decided my representation will be my blog, along with a bit of a history lesson and how that relates to my trying to keep up with this blogging thing... So here goes:
This is my oldest daughter, Tyler when she was a baby. She was soooo cute!
(She's not a baby anymore, and she's not always so cute anymore (but is always beautiful); she's almost 14 and we've also added a couple other kids to this mix... Anyhoooooo.)
When Tyler was a baby, I worked full time in an office and she went to daycare. I didn't know a whole lot about what to expect from a daycare and if what I wanted was just way over the top, but she went to several daycares as we moved from one home to another and I continued to work. I wasn't ever upset with our daycare choices, there were no horrible incidents, the ladies that took care over Tyler were sweet, but I always felt like I was missing out. I had this beautiful baby and someone else took care of her all day long - I never knew what she did during her days, I didn't know what her caregivers observed from her, I didn't know how she related to the other kids, I didn't know her likes and dislikes of the things she did each day, I just got the few waking hours before drop off and after pick up to try to figure things out on my own - there was no team with the women I was trusting with the care of my child. But I accepted it because I didn't know it could be any different.
We continued on with this path until Tyler was about 3 and she had a little brother who was 3 months old. I had been working from home for about a year, and was able to keep Tyler and then Spencer and Tyler home with me while I worked. Then my position was cut in downsizing. I could not imagine going back to another job and finding another child care provider. It was at this point that I decided to start my own licensed child care business.
I got licensed and started bringing in kids; I started attending in-service trainings and realized that there can be more than just "babysitting" like I felt my family had received in the past. While I know my daughter was cared for and I never felt she was in danger during her time in child care, I now wanted to provide more for the kids in my community that I would be lucky enough to care for!
It was as my business grew and I started to implement learning activities and other concepts I was learning from my in-service trainings, that I realized that what would have meant the world to me when Tyler was in child care was to have better communication about her day, her life, her care. I started sending home daily notes, weekly menus, monthly newsletters. I wanted the families I worked with to have a good idea of what their child was doing, what they like, how each day went, my philosophies and plans and more. I wanted my families to feel like that had a support in me - that we could consider each other a part of a team that cares for their child, working together in the best interest of each child.
When we finally came into the digital age and got a digital camera, I started emailing pictures of each family's kiddos to them when I could. This took a lot of time and I didn't always keep up with it the best I could.
Then I started to read some other blogs and those blogs would link to other blogs and those blogs would link to other blogs and I could see that there were blogs out there about Everything! Gardening and cooking and teaching and families and crafting and home improvement and more. Why not?! I could blog, using the pictures I take anyway and share pictures and information with the families in my care, my friends, and my family. And I was off.
I've tried to keep pretty steady with posting on my blog for a little over a year now. I had a period where I just stopped and I realized I missed it - and so did the families I worked with. Now, through my blog - I can show the parents of the kiddos in my care little glimpses of their day through pictures we take during various activities, I can share special moments, I can share my plans for the future, like my hopes for my backyard playspace along with my "wish list" of supplies, I can show them their kids are happy and have friends and there is a purpose to their play and more!
I can share about my family...
I can share about fun, indoor play times and the friends they all have at daycare...
I can share the activities we do the parents might not otherwise believe - like mud!...
And shaving cream...
I can share the fun we have outside...
I can share special tributes to dads on Father's Day...
I can share special good-byes as kids grow up and leave me :o( ...
And so much more!
I am excited to continue to share my business with people that visit my blog and to continue to give "my" families that connection with their kids when they can't be with them.
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