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Source |
Quote |
Carol interviewed for the newspaper
article, "Nursery tales" by Madeleine Bunting of The Guardian (Britain)
8-Jul-04 |
Carol had misgivings (about placing her
daughter in daycare) from the start. "I've worked in nurseries (daycares) so
you can see what goes on; they don't always provide the care they should. It
makes me really sad that people like that go into that kind of job. It's not
about bad abuse, but about not responding to the children in the way they
should.
"My daughter's development doesn't match up with where I think she should
be. At the nursery, they haven't drawn her out and it took her a long time
to settle in. The staff at the nursery don't know her as well as I think
they should.
Category =
Development, Quality |
e-mail to this website
31-Jul-04
(Name withheld by request) |
I am a former day care worker and I
wouldn't put my kid in daycare for any reason at all.
...I am shocked how stupid I was to believe the other workers when they said
kids were difficult, when really they were just wanting love.
....When I first started at the job I was told not to pick up the toddlers
when they fell over and cried, and to never pick up kids older than a
toddler. I was warned that such attention would "spoil" the kids. Two of the
babies around age 5-7 months were labeled "criers" and "problem babies'
because they didn't just keep their mouths shut all day and lay in their
cribs or on the floor. At one time I worked in the "sick room" where I
cared for about 12 kids, ages 4 months to twelve years old. The older
kids ran around playing while the babies crawled on the floor. At one time
almost all of the kids in the 9-month old room had the same eye infection.
Most of teachers made fun of a baby who everyone thought was "funny
looking."
My supervisor said the only thing we could hope for was to keep the kids
safe, dry and fed. There was no time for individual learning or nurturing.
There were cases of kids being given the wrong
lunch, being dressed in other kids' clothes, toddlers being put
in front of a small TV for as long as they would sit still and be quiet.
I was called "Mommy" by many of the kids. We were told not to
encourage this, but some of the kids had no attachment to their parents
whatsoever. Some of these kids saw me 12 hours a
day 5 days a week. I fed them, potty trained them, read to them,
hugged them, played with them, changed them and carried them around. Then
after three months I was gone. One toddler broke down and begged me not to
leave. She, up to that point, was a screamer who seemed to hate everyone she
came in contact with. Now she was begging for me to stay and calling me
"Mommy."
Parents may see a daycare as a great place of loving people, but no one
can be paid enough to love your child as you do.
Remember, daycare workers keep secrets. If they give
your kid the wrong food, the wrong vitamins, or forget a dose of medicine,
you aren't likely to ever find out. I had no medical or child
training, not even child/infant CPR, but I was in charge of a child with
severe heart problems. The nurse in the center quit, but I doubt the parents
were ever notified there was no longer an RN on staff. Often we were allowed
to disobey parent's orders because we believed we knew better than the
parents. We skipped diaper rash cream, never washed our hands between diaper
changes, overfed kids, and put diapers on one kid his mom strictly ordered
us not to. We were always on the look out for parents to make an appearance
because it meant getting the kids presentable before the parents made it
back to our room. And this was a loving center where the workers really did
care about the kids. I shudder to think of how the "bad" places were.
Category =
Behavior, Caregiver, Quality, Regulations |
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(There are many other quotes
by daycare workers and teachers found throughout this website.
To find these quotes, go to the Search Page and
enter the word, "Caregiver". |
Last Updated
September 27, 2008
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