Daycare Diaries: Unlocking the Secrets and Dispelling Myths Through TRUE STORIES of Daycare Experiences

by Rebecca McLaughlin, Rita Palashewski

Overview

n the United States, nearly 11 million children are in daycare each day, yet it’s surprising how uninformed many parents are about what really goes on while they are away. How do you find the right daycare or know that the one you have chosen is indeed the best choice? Every parent wants peace of mind knowing their children are in good hands but how can they ever really be sure.

Imagine that you were given a magic crystal ball that allowed you to see what your kids were actually experiencing at daycare

Daycare Diaries will take you through the doors of in-home daycares and childcare centers and provide a “behind the scenes” peek into the daycare world many never get to see. Written by two daycare providers with over 30 years of combined childcare experience, Daycare Diaries is a unique collection of true daycare stories, each providing an important lesson. Whether you are a first time parent or have used daycare for years, these stories will leave you feeling more confident knowing what the ideal daycare should look like for your child

Let our experience be your guide on this exciting journey into the childcare world. . .you just might be surprised.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781630473150
Publisher:	Morgan James Publishing
Publication date:	12/02/2014
Pages:	190
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Rebecca McLaughlin grew up in Watertown, CT in a large family. She moved to Minnesota in 1993 and started working at a large corporate daycare center where as a Teacher, then as Assistant Director, then Director. For the past 15 years she has been running a home daycare which allowed her to make a living while raising her own 7 children.

Rita Palashewski grew up in Los Angeles, California, then moved to Minnesota after getting married. After having her first of four children, she opened her first childcare center, licensed for 90 children. Along with a staff of 13, she has been operating her daycare center for the past 14 years, serving hundreds of families through the years and helping their children grow and flourish.

Read an Excerpt

As parents, what do we all want and hope for our children? When they are little, we want them to enjoy their innocence and youth as much as possible and to experience a carefree life for as long as they can. As they grow, we strive to instill in them a strong sense of morals and values while helping them discover their own unique strengths and talents. We hope to fill them with love and security and instill within them a sense of self-love and self-pride that will create a strong foundation and an unwavering confidence to tackle life’s challenges. Finally, we attempt to surround them with positive role models with good character and integrity who will assist us in raising them and bringing out their best. We choose and allow others into our children’s lives to partner with us and walk alongside us on this journey. Particularly influential will be their early caregivers and teachers, whose hard work and dedication will help us mold and shape our children into the adults they will become.

To these early caregivers, we want to give a voice. We want to acknowledge all the daycare providers who do an outstanding job everyday but go unnoticed, and bring notice to the ones who may be in the wrong field, possibly causing more harm than good. We recognize and commend the providers who give their heart and soul each day in caring for and teaching children. Through this recognition, we hope they realize the magnitude of responsibility they have been given in choosing this field of work. We want daycare providers to consider the safety and well-being of the children they care for as they’ve never considered before and be more aware of the level of care they are currently providing. We also hope to be that voice that will open parents' eyes to the realities that exist in some daycare settings and help prevent even one more avoidable tragedy from occurring.

From the beginning, we have had a much larger vision for this book than just a career accomplishment or a goal to achieve. Throughout the course of our careers in the childcare business, we have seen the many and repeated obstacles both parents and providers face, and felt education and awareness in these areas were long overdue. With our extensive experience in both home and center daycares, we can clearly see where changes are so desperately needed. We have seen firsthand not only the joy that a quality childcare experience can offer but also the mistakes and misconceptions that are continually made.

We know parents strive to make the best decisions for their children, and many make those decisions based on information provided. Our goal is to provide parents with information that could only be acquired by being on the inside of a childcare center and home daycare for many years. We want to give hope to parents that daycare can be a wonderful experience, but open their eyes to things they would never know or consider, but should know. Our children deserve to be loved, to feel secure and to be cared for by providers that are passionate about working with children. They deserve the best, and it’s time for us to step up and make sure that the best is what we are providing them with the choices we make.

We hope the valuable lessons that have been relayed to you through this collection of true stories will allow you to gain new insight, make you laugh as well as cry, and cause you to see things in a whole new light. We hope you walk away with a greater understanding of not only your child but the little world that they spend so much time in…the little world of daycare.

Table of Contents

Section I: The Parents

1. The Journey Begins

The Insurance Plan

Just Around the Corner

Check the Check

Pop-In

2. It Never Hurts to Ask

Baby Bottle Blues

Time to Vent

Beware of the Stairs

Don’t Feel Bad

3. When to Wonder, When to Worry

Finger-Painting Without Paint

Guess Who I Ran Into

An Unpleasant Surprise

Haircut Day

4. Shocking Realities

Field Trip for One

Big Scare Under the Big Top

In a Split Second

Daily Sheet Disaster

5. Daycares Don’t Have Drive-Thrus

Honk Honk

The Teeny Weeny Little Diapereeny

No, We Do Not Deliver

The Haircut That Never Happened

6. At Last

Momma in Tears

Bumps” In the Road

The Last Minute Phone Call

Monkeying Around

Section II: The Childcare Providers

7. All That Glitters Is Not Gold

Culture Shock

Tell-Tale Signs

Not the Place for My Child

While Cameras Roll

8. The Job of a Superhero

Daycare Diva Saves the Day

Field Trip to the Emergency Room

All Aboard the Vomit Express

Just In Time

9. It Drives Us Nuts

Can I Have Your Number

Panic on Payday

No Cell Phone Zone

All’s Fair in Love and Donuts

Keep It Away

Skinny Jeans Are Not for Everyone

10. A Little Appreciation Goes A Long Way

What’s the Word

Potty Training…Who’s Training Who

A Little Text with a Big Message

Closet Full of Surprises

11. Eye-Opening Admissions

Home Alone

Are All Buckles Buckled

The One Left Behind

The Backup Plan

12. Behind Closed Doors

Singing in the Rain

Social Hour

Where Did Everyone Go

What’s in the “Pot”

Section III: The Child

13. You Just Might be Surprised

Daycare Dilemma

I Need Holding

One Size Doesn’t Fit All

Giving it Time

14. It’s the Little Things That Matter Most

Baby Blues

Messy Madness

Brrrrrrr

15. Bonds and Bridges

Love Connection

Gone too Soon

My “Honey”

Building a Bridge

16. Home Away From Home

A Kiss for Everyone

No, Not Yet

The Wish

Turbulent Times

17. Memories and Milestones

One of the Firsts

Season of Memories

Where is my Sister

Pride on the High Dive

18. What Your Child Walks Away With

BFF’S

Please Stop, I Don’t Like That

Queen of the Daycare

Give Him Space

Testimonials