Home Hot Topics Articles Directors' Choice Awards About Us / Contact Us Activities & Curriculum Activities for Outcome-Based Learning Arts & Crafts Music for Learning Recommended Reading Sharing Boards: What Do YOU Think? NEWSlink Current National News Conference Calendar Topics In Early Childhood Education Art and Creativity in Early Childhood Education Job Sharing Board State Licensing Requirements Stay Connected! Each month we'll send you an email filled with articles and ideas for your classroom. Subscribe Now Date: 7/2/2003 4:37:00 AM Author: Daycare Provider Subject: State ratios I think a 6:1 ratio is crazy! I love my job. I love "my" babies. But if I were the primary caregiver for 6 at once I think I would lose my mind! I think about all of the help that is given to parents that have twins, triplets or more, but then people don't think twice about dropping their infant with a caregiver who already has 3 or 4 infants to care for. I realize that multiple births mean all the same age, but there have been more than once in our center that we have 3 or 4 the same age. People would not have dreamed of telling the parents of quints "Oh, you will be fine, a lot of states say 1 person can care for 5!" I just pray that people will see what is going on and put their children over the all mighty dollar. The first post talked about people working that do not need to--I realize that is everyones personal business, but if they only realized how fast their babies were going to grow up and be gone. Ten years from now it won't matter what brand of clothes they wore (they will be out of style) or what kind of car they bought (it will be old and rusty) or how many nice restaurants they went to (the food will have done it damage to arteries and hips) but the TIME they invested in their children will never be a waste, they will have the memories of watching them grow and the relationship that they developed. We had a parent who got off at noon everyday, but never picked up her infant until around 5:30 everyday--she said he was high-maintenance (he was the sweetest, most lovable, smart, happy baby we had) and she could not get her housework and shopping done! Then he stayed with a sitter 3 or 4 nights a week so she could spend time with her husband. It was sad to see...he missed her soooo much, he would only sleep at night if he was touching her, I think he knew that was the only time he had with her and he wouldn't let her go. I think a lot of parents truly think that since they are infants they do not know very much and they will never remember being in daycare so it won't matter. I, personally, can remember the daycare I went to when I was 2 years old--the most vivid memory: I laughed when a child wet the bed at nap and the caregiver rubbed my nose in the urine! My mom pulled me out immediately, but I am 36 and still remember how that felt physically and emotionally! Name: Email: Subject

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