Daycare Advice Needed… HELP!

Hi E.,

It kind of sounds like your boys are in a facility that has a sort of preschool mentality. I know at our preschool we are asked to volunteer, take part in teacher appreciation activities, bring lunch for the teacher monthly, bring snack/plates/goodies for parties, donate to certain causes (i.e., book drives, canned food drives). And, while I think to a point it's fine to ask parents to volunteer/donate/help out, I don't think it should be so often that it becomes a burden to the parents. Odds are, you aren't the only one who feels this way. But, even though you don't want to seem like a stick in the mud parent who doesn't want to be involved, the school needs to know they are asking too much. I think it's perfectly acceptable for you to choose not to partake of everything you are asked to. You can become overstretched and after a while it wears on you. Do you have a close relationship with the director so you can talk to him?

Good luck. C.

My very blunt reply is this - you are paying for childcare and if the facility needs money to support their teachers, etc, then they should apply for assistance, charge more money or find a way to cut back on extras that are not relavant to the childcare they are providing. My daughter was in day care for years and NEVER did they ask for donations or solicitations. We did have parents who sold things host fundraisers and the money was donated to the school to use for gifts for teachers at the end of the year. But this was something parents took upon themselves to do.

Quite frankly, I suggest you decided what you want to contribute and how...then say "no" to the rest of the requests.

C.

Wow, I thought my DD school was pushing the limit on parent responsibility, & donations financial and otherwise! I think I would have to change schools if mine was as bad as yours and the other moms! OUCH!!!

Well, my DD (she's 4) recently did a fundraiser for the school and I was really taken aback by it. I'm thinking where is my hundreds going every month if NOW I have to fundraise too! They have also asked for help soliciting local donations for an auction that benefitted some local charity (I didn't have a problem with that). They (the teachers in each room) have also occasionally (maybe 4 times a year) asked for supplies like paper sacks, cotton balls etc for crafts, but that's about it. Or should I say that's ALL I choose to participate in.

I feel since I'm paying a hefty tuition each month AND I work full-time at work AND home, my time is MY time and I will share it as I see fit. If a director was demanding I bring in a teacher's lunch, OR offer gifts for teacher appreciation day, OR demand that I attend a weekly meeting for some party of theirs, I would tell them thanks, but NO thanks. I'm in the NFW/Keller area, email me if you'd like to know the name of my center!

Ok, having worked in SEVERAL daycares we never asked parents for help!!!! I now run a inhome child care and do not ask my paretns for help. I do have good parents, and they have donated some items to the daycare, and some have loaned them to me, to be only used with thier child. As far as teacher appr. day, I don't expect anything, and would never ask such. As much as you are paying is almost as much as I earn for all 4 of my familys children, so they are earning enought to take care of things. You need to just say no, or find another place that is not so demanding of its parents! Good luck!

With what you are paying a week for only 2 kids there should be no reason for needing all this extra fund raising. The only time I was asked to do any fund raising was when they wanted to get new play equipment for outside. Just simply tell them you appreciate all they do for your kids but that you have a life at home that needs attention more than the fundraisers they are constantly doing. Sounds as if they may need to re-access their budget, and maybe cut down on some of the extras they are doing.

My daughter attends a Children's Courtyard, and I don't feel nickel-and-dimed at all. There are no fundraisers, like selling cookie dough. There are no parent meetings. We pay a yearly registration fee and a summer activity fee. Once a year, we have teacher appreciation week, where parents are asked to bring small gifts for teachers and/or food, and around the holidays, parents are asked to bring food for in-class parties. Each time someone brings food, though, it costs very little, as everyone is contributing something.

So it does seem like you're paying more than most people!