Introduction
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.
Our ultimate wish for our children is
to grow wings while they are in our care,
so when they leave us, they can fly.