Concerns about Childcare Owner/Staff
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Concerns about Childcare Owner/Staff
Aug 2009
We have a 3-month old baby who just started daycare. One of the
teachers that handles/carries her on a regular basis has bad
body odor and/or perfume. Our baby comes home each day with the
teacher's body odor in her hair, on her body, and on her
clothes, and eventually on us! Changing my baby's clothes and
giving her a sink bath every evening have not helped. Any
advice? We don't want to offend anyone, but it is becoming
unbearable.
Up in Arms Parent
Prepare an anonymous letter to the director of the school,
stating exactly what you just said. I worked with someone that
this was a problem with once. Finally a parent said something,
the directors said whatever they did to her, and it was never an
issue again. You're not in the wrong, do what you need to do.
anon
This would bother me too. I once turned down an otherwise
excellent babysitter because she reeked of garlic. I just
knew it would drive me crazy to smell that on my kid. I
would say something to the director. We had an issue
at my office with someone (a lawyer!) and the HR person
had to deal with it. People were laughing at her behind her
back because she smelled so bad. Really, you will be
doing the person a favor by speaking up. I'm sure you
are not the only person who has a problem with this.
yuck. find another day care provider, just say you found
someone closer, cheaper whatever but there are so many choices
out there, find another day care.
erin
June 2004
Recently some of the teachers at my son's family daycare have
confided in me that they are very unhappy with ''their boss'',
the woman who runs and has the daycare in her home. After
staff and owner have been working together for many years, the
owner now has a new boyfriend and this boyfriend, although a
nice guy, is not very sensitive. He has been fingerprinted,
etc. He interacts with the children some, playing ball and
offering them snacks (some inappropriate, like peanuts) that he
is eating. He is around the house a lot during the day. He
does not seem to respect the daycare staff; they have confided
that he leaves a mess and expects them to clean up, that he is
noisy during naptime, and generally seems to consider himself
their boss. They are so unhappy that they are considering
leaving their jobs at the daycare. This really worries me,
because my son's bond is entirely with them. I was planning to
have my son stay another year at this daycare (he just turned
2), but now am not sure how to proceed. I am thinking of
talking to the daycare owner, but don't want to get the staff
in trouble. Since this boyfriend arrived, she has tried to get
them to sign a contract (first one ever) saying that they will
not talk to parents about things going on at daycare. This
seems odd to me, too. In general the owner tries hard to
address parent concerns, but also tends to get defensive. It
seems to me that she is not setting appropriate boundaries for
her boyfriend in her home daycare business, but this is a hard
thing to talk about with her!
My main concern, obviously, is for my son's well being and
happiness. The daycare staff are wonderful loving women and he
is very attached to them. What is your advice on handling this
situation?
Want a win-win solution
Oh boy, this sets off all my warning lights! I would want my child
away
from him! If the staff go, I would definitely leave, and I might even
leave
if they stay and he does too...
Many preschools do start children at 2, and there are often last-minute
spots available when parents decide not to send their children for
whatever reason.
Karen
Get your child out of the daycare NOW! The situation sounds
unhealthy and potentially dangerous. ''Boyfriend'' has no
business being around the children being cared for. And
indiscriminately handing out food to young children is
unacceptable.
Your child is 2 and will quickly adapt to a new situation.
We were in a similar situation and we moved our daughter out
before the situation became too untenable.
ACT NOW
Similar questions were raised at our daycare. Would you be
willing to email me?
I think you summed up the problem when you said ''It seems to me
that she is not setting appropriate boundaries for
her boyfriend in her home daycare business.'' Difficult as it is,
you need to have a frank discussion with the director about
this. If she puts her new boyfriend above what's best for the
children, then this certainly is not where you want your child.
I would strongly suggest you find another day care now for your
child. He is almost old enough that a transition to another day
care wouldn't be so ! hard. Having your daycare provider make you
sign a contract that you wouldn't talk about this situation
sounds very illegal to me, and I would even report incidents to
the appropriate authorities. I wouldn't trust a daycare in which
I didn't trust even just one member.
mom of a 19 mo old
Have you noticed if your son acts differently or wierd when the
owner's boyfriend is present? If so, I wouldn't trust it. The
fact that all the workers are thinking about quitting has to mean
something to you. I wouldn't let my little girl keep going there.
The boyfriend seems like he's not kid-friendly. I know you want a
win-win answer to this problem but I don't think that's possible.
Daycares shouldn't have people there that are not qualified in
childcare. You can't confront her about it because the workers
confided in you, but you can talk to her and ask her questions
about him (like is he qualified in childcare). I hope this helps.
You were going to take him out anyway, right?
Good luck. I hope everything goes well.
zena
This sounds EXACTLY like the daycare I had my daughter
in. A number of parents took some steps, but then efforts to
restore harmony fizzled, and pretty soon the children
graduated to preschools and left the daycare altogether. I
spoke with the daycare owner a few months later when I
decided against using her daycare for my younger son. I told
her I was not comfortable about the presence of her
''boyfriend.'' It was not an easy conversation to have, but I
was very glad I brought it up. What I learned is that all the
parents had been talking amongst themselves and no one
had every talked to her about the ''boyfriend.'' She believed
that everyone was perfectly happy with him. I am also still in
touch with the caretakers, and I hear a lot from them. It's a
complicated situation. If you would like to talk on the phone
feel free to email or call me. Even if it is not the same
daycare, I can tell you what the families I knew tried to do to
improve their situation.
Been in your shoes
Feb 2003
I need advise! My 15 month old son is in daycare and has been
since he was 4 months (part-time the first year). He loved his
daycare and gets lots of positive love from caregivers and
peers. He is very bonded with one caregiver. Let's call her Dee.
I have been alarmed about a certain behavior for some time but I
keep putting off having a discussion with her about it. I want
to make sure I own my part of it and calm down first. I visit my
son every day at lunch and I treasure these visits. He is always
exceedingly happy to see me. Many months ago, I noticed that
quite often she would hold on to him after I arrived while he
struggled to get free to run over to me. She would joke that
about him hurting her feelings, or say things like ''oh now
that ''the mom'' is here, you forget about me.'' Or, I would arrive
when he was crying and rather than pass him to me, she would
totally ignore me, snuggling him so he couldn't see me while I
stood directly in front of them. I had to ask her to pass him to
me.
Lately (I went full time three months ago) there is a new
tone to things. Maybe it's harder because he is getting more and
more bonded with her the longer he is in full time care and he
is asserting his independence more as well and of course that
hurts me-- a little. Mostly I want him to be healthy and happy
and however that happens is fine. But this doesn't seem healthy.
Yesterday, I had just arrived and she was on the other side of
the room with another baby while my son and I played with a
train set. We were just about to go on our daily walk that we
both look forward to. She suddenly came across the room and
started to cuddle up to him from behind and pull him on her lap.
I only have 45 minutes all day to be with him and she knows
this. With the other caregiver, I feel like a collaborator, and
when I talk to her about my son's day she gives me info about
him. (I don't have anger in me when they are being close. It
makes me happy.) Dee on the other hand will give me only one
type of feedback: stories that show how much he loves her, like
how much he cried when she went on her lunch or left for the
day, etc. I try to validate her relationship with him all the
time. I say things like ''Yes, he loves you very much''
and ''there's your beloved Dee'' etc., telling her how I show him
the class picture and point to her when we are at home, thinking
that she just needs this acknowledgement and validation. But now
I don't feel so disposed and plus it doesn't seem to be enough.
Not only does it hurts to have someone else spend her days with
him and not me, but she seems to be in an active competition
with me for his love. I expect her to support my relationship
with my son, not interfere with it. Yes, I am jealous of the
time she spends with my son, but she seems to have an agenda of
making him love her more and seems totally unconscious of there
being problem with this behavior. In fact, today, she totally
denied her behavior, when she interrupted me by taking him in
her arms while I was trying to wash his hands. I kind of lost it
and said, ''do you want me to leave?'' She said, ''No this is
prime
parent time, no no.'' But her behavior said something else. I
can't have these sorts of interactions going on in front of my
son again. Help.
the mom
When I read your post, it reminded me of what pediatrician Dr.
T. Berry Brazelton called ''gatekeeping''. If I remember
correctly, the mother is usually the gatekeeper and other
adults (like Dad) have to compete. I found a little blurb on
it here (about 1/4 down the page):
http://www.cnn.com/2001/fyi/news/05/03/chat.brazelton/
''We have a program called Touchpoints here at Children's
Hospital, where we're looking at what it would take to get
child care providers to work with parents, rather than
excluding them. The first thing arising is always the natural
competition for the child, which I call gatekeeping, which goes
on between any two adults in love with a child. It's
inevitable, but should be valuable, rather than letting it be a
threat. Then the parent and the childcare person become a team,
to foster that child's future. ''
Maybe you could get some of his books from the library and
learn more on this issue if it sounds relevant to you.
I hope this helps and I wish you the best.
J12
In my opinion this woman appears to have a very unhealthy
attachment to your child. If it were my son I would not let the
situation continue. I would remove him from the daycare
immediately. I would also report the behavior to the owner of
the daycare. If a pattern is discovered, this woman needs to be
removed from employment situations where she is in contact with
children.
anony
Speaking as a childcare provider (administrator) and parent, I can
tell you that a lot of people who work in childcare are wonderful,
creative, etc., but may not be able to see the big picture. Clearly
you understand the most important thing, that your son is safe, happy
and loved, but that doesn't matter if ''Dee'' is driving you so crazy
that you end up resenting her and the program every time you are
there.
My advice is to scedule some time to talk to her one-on-one away from
your son and the other children (even for a few minutes). Try telling
her that you NEED HER HELP to make you feel comfortable leaving him
there for such a long time. Then, without necessarily telling her to
stop doing something, give her examples of exactly what you would like
her to do (i.e. ''As soon as I arrive, please encourage him to give me
a big hug.'')
You want her to understand that it's difficult for you and that since
your son has such a special relationship w/ her, that she is the one
who can best help. When you ask for her help, you are again
validating her need to feel important, but this time you are telling
her that you are the one who needs her help, as well as your son.
I hope that this works, but based on her previous reaction, you may
need to get help from her supervisor. If this is the case, try
sitting down w/ both of them and, again, asking for her help. When it
comes down to it, you are the parent and you get to make the decisions
that affect your child and his relationships. If they cannot support
your needs, then maybe that school/program isn't a good match. Don't
feel bad about asking for what you want. Good luck.
paula
I don't know if you projected any uneasiness or guilt upon leaving
your son at first, but I know that sometimes daycare providers
tell the parent how much the kid loves the daycare provider so
that the parent will feel better. It's almost as if by saying,
''Oh, he loves me SO MUCH!'' and so on, they are reassuring you that
the child is happy. Perhaps Dee has gone a bit too far (her
behavior does sound weird to me), but my daughter's preschool
teacher is always telling me that my daughter told her that she
loved her, or wanted to sit only in her lap, or cried when she
went on break, and so on. She does not do this as a form of
competition, though. She really seems to want me to know that my
daughter has bonded with her, and she is proud of that fact and
wants to share her feelings with me. I think the difference is
that she does not make me uncomfortable, and Dee does make you
uncomfortable. I would have trouble leaving my child in a place
where I am not comfortable, despite the fact that he is. I know
that what really matters is that the child is happy, but I think
too often we as mothers ignore or playdown our instincts that
something is just not quite right.
Tuned In
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