Tina A.

“ Most childcare providers have valuable experience, but few actually have a calling in providing that care. I home schooled my own 2 daughters (and 3 step-children), and am now the ridiculously proud granny of 3! My background includes nursery/daycare as well as teaching all ages in Sunday School through the years, K-4 at an Evangelical Christian School before I had my own children, and a literal lifetime of...

Most childcare providers have valuable experience, but few actually have a calling in providing that care. I home schooled my own 2 daughters (and 3 step-children), and am now the ridiculously proud granny of 3! My background includes nursery/daycare as well as teaching all ages in Sunday School through the years, K-4 at an Evangelical Christian School before I had my own children, and a literal lifetime of child care in the truest sense of the word. With that experience came the stark realization that may be extremely difficult for readers of this particular statement to hear: there are only 2 kinds of childcare providers in the world. One kind sees it as a "sit-on-your- rear-all-day-easiest-way-to-end-up-with-a-paycheck-at-the- end-of-the-week" job (those who can claim to have "experience"). Then there are the ones who recognize that every child has a different life-story, with vastly different needs; spending the hours they get with the child(ren) discovering what their individual needs are and then investing their time and energy nurturing the child(ren) on a deeper level, leading them to self-discovery as well as discovery of the beauty of the world God has created for all of us to enjoy, leaving the wonder and innocence of childhood intact. In completing the blanks below this dialogue box, questions pertaining to "paid experience, hourly rate, and # of children I feel comfortable watching at a time" are all relative variables, depending on age(s) and number of children. For example, 'paid' experience is important for obvious reasons, but experience gained as a volunteer, minus any compensation, speaks volumes as well. Rate depends on the hours of need, distance to be traveled, and other factors such as light housekeeping, pick-up/drop-off for school, tutoring,( which is a separate fee) and/or extra-curricular activities, etc.
What is it worth to hear your child squeal with delight and go racing out the door to greet their caregiver when she pulls into your driveway each and every day?
Something else my experience has taught me is that everyone claims to want the very best care for their child(ren) but then offer wages that clearly indicate what is really most important to them. To those I would simply say, "The inconvenience (or in this case, heartache) of poor quality lingers long after the thrill of the bargain is gone".

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