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By
Catherine M. Pruissen
It's
an all too familiar situation. Your child care provider
phones in sick, or quits without a moment's notice.
Your child becomes ill and they will not accept her
at the daycare centre. Or, your family day home Mom
has a bad case of the flu and cannot look after any
children for a few days. What are you to do?
According
to a study conducted by the Work and Family Institute
(U.S.), in a typical three month period, 40 percent
of all working parents experience some sort of breakdown
in their child care arrangements. Recognizing the
potential for such problems and establishing an alternate
or backup care plan can save you a lot of stress and
worry which can actually cause you to be less productive
on the job.
Here
are a few suggestions to help you establish backup
child care arrangements.
- Discuss
the situation with your family and see if any of
your relatives can help you out in a pinch. You
might want to be certain they will look after your
child even if he or she is mildly ill.
- Talk
to some of the stay-at-home Moms in your neighbourhood.
Perhaps one of them can substitute on occasion.
- Look
around for another family day home provider who
can offer you assistance on a moment's notice.
- Call
your local child care resource and referral agency
(listed in your Yellow Pages under child or day
care) to obtain a list of caregivers who provide
sick child care, last minute care, or even casual
care.
- Talk
to fellow employees about their backup arrangements.
Perhaps you could share providers.
- Ask
your regular provider if she can recommend a substitute.
Once
your alternate arrangements are established, you should
take the time to visit with the provider. This is
important for a number of reasons.
- First,
you don't ever want to leave your child in the care
of someone you are unfamiliar with. It is simply
too upsetting for your child and too dangerous.
- Second,
it gives you a chance to see how the provider gets
along with the other children in her care and how
well she cares for them. Even if your child is only
in her care on occasion, you will want to feel comfortable
with the arrangements. Your child's safety and well-being
must take precedence over any quickly-found arrangements,
no matter how badly they are needed.
- It
gives you and the provider a chance to get to know
each other, to discuss child rearing techniques
such as toilet training, discipline, manners and
the likes. The better you communicate the better
the provider can look after your child.
But
what do you do if your provider calls you at work
and tells you your child is ill and should be taken
home, or that she herself is ill and unable to fulfill
her duties for the day? What do you do then?
You
should discuss the situation with your spouse and
perhaps decide ahead of time who will take on the
responsibility. Perhaps your mother or sister could
pick up your child on these occasions. A child who
is ill will feel much better with someone who loves
them and will have the time to cuddle them.
These
are definitely tough decisions to make but they are
much easier to make now than when you are in a panic.
Unfortunately there are no easy solutions to child
care problems. Being prepared to handle the unexpectancies
will make life easier though. So if you haven't yet
got one, now is the time to work out your backup plan.
Care
for the Holidays
Finding
care for your older children when school holidays
roll around can be difficult, so grab your calendar,
mark off the days you and your spouse will be home
to care for the kids, then grab the phone book and
contact your local YM/YWCA, Boys & Girls Club,
4H Cooperative Extensions, Parks Department, temporary
child care agency, local daycare centre, or resource
and referral agency to find out what programs they
offer for the holidays, then decide which one will
best suit your child. Perhaps you can share providers,
find a qualified ECE or college student, or even bring
your child to work with you.
Resources
The
Daycare Alternative By Catherine M. Pruissen,
CanDan Publishing Co., 1992
Choosing With Care By Brenda L. Sissons &
Heather McDowall Black, Addison Wesley, 1991
The Daycare Handbook By Barbara Kaiser &
Judy Sklar Rasminski, Little Brown & Co., 1991
Visit our Child Care Registry
for your local child care resource and referral agency.
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