Ten Things Your Child Care Provider Should Expect From You
1. Open communication. Explain clearly your wishes and expectations about how your child will be cared for. Also provide updates on problems and progress your child is making.
2. Agreement on terms or arrangements. You should fully understand the expectations of the provider and what you as a parent are agreeing to.
3. Honesty and trust. This includes being honest about how you believe the arrangement is working - whether your child is happy with the provider and whether you are.
4. Advance notice of and agreement to any changes. Providers have to earn a living too, so they deserve advance notice if you are going to stop using their service, take a vacation, or change hours.
5. Pick up on time and follow through on all agreements. Providers have personal lives too, and they should be able to expect that you will pick up your child on the agreed upon time.
6. Not to send sick, hungry, or overly tired kids. Agree with your child care provider in advance about when you can and cannot bring a sick child.
7. Payment on time and no "rubber" checks. Child Care providers have to pay the rent and buy food too, so make arrangements to see that they get their pay on time.
8. Respect. Realize that taking care of children is a job and the child care provider is a worker - often a working parent - just as you are. Recognize also that this is not an easy job. A child care provider is not "just a baby sitter". she is one of the most important eople in your childs life and in yours too.
9. No jealousy. Try not to be jealous of your childs attachment to the provider. Children who spend hours every day with a provider come to love that person. That love though, doesn't diminish the love the child feels for you.
10. No surprises. Your provider shouldn't learn on Friday that you have decided to take next week off from work so you won't need her. Child Care providers don't like surprises any more than parents do.