Anyways, it was cold enough that a lot of places were shut down for the day. Little man was excited about being able to spend the day with dad, since he wasn't scheduled to work last night, and with the temperatures plus wind chill, I opted to leave the other two home with them. Why take chances?
We ended up with about 1/2 of our expected children at The Center today. While it was nice to have an unexpectedly quiet day, what wasn't as nice about it was the several people who didn't call to let us know that their children were not coming in today. Now, I get that there are people out there who see child care professionals as 'baby- sitters'. But, we are in fact trained professionals, and we do care very much for your child as well as for the parent(s) who come with the children. Communication is such a huge part of what we do.
You might wonder why it bothers me that parents don't call in when their child will be late or won't be joining us for a fun-filled day of learning, play, and adventure. Isn't it simply easier to have fewer children in attendance? And to this, I have a two part answer.
The first part of that reason is, as I stated, that we care. We do worry when children don't arrive when they are scheduled to. Are you or your child sick? Have you been in an accident? Has something happened to you, your child, or a loved one? All of this and more may run through our heads, and in some cases there are things that we can or should do to help your child and family through something that is going on in your life outside of the time that your child is with us. It helps us to know that a loved one has passed away, whether it is a pet or a human family member. We are better able to provide the care your child needs if we have been told that your child has been under the weather. The more we know, the better we can provide the quality of care that you expect for your child when you choose a child care setting for them.
The second part of the reason is a bit more practical. Child care centers and homes are required to follow strict child to teacher ratios. If we don't know that you are planning to bring your child in today, and we send staff home because your child would make the difference in having that one more teacher in the building or room, we may not be able to accommodate having your child stay when you come in late. It is impractical for an employer to have an employee standing around, waiting for something to do. And in situations like we had today, the difference between having people out and driving in the cold and icy conditions that we had today can be significant.
It really doesn't take much to let your provider know that your child will be in late or not at all. To me, it is a little like sending out invitations to a party, and asking for an RSVP so that you know how much food and supplies you will need. If no one lets you know if they are coming to your party or not, you may suppose that no one is planning to come. So you have nothing ready, and then you are unprepared when they come.
This is what I call RSVP Allergy. Maybe not a true allergy, but it is hard for me to understand not taking a few minutes to let someone whom I know cares for my child know that we are ok (or not, if your child is sick and unable to attend), and that we will be back the next day or the one after that.
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