Salute to my CoWorkers

 A Labor Day salute to my fellow child care providers! 

 We do so much...

We are providing environments that are setting foundation for future academic success

We are providing opportunities and equipping children to become good citizens of our society

We are trained para nurses caring for falls, scrapes and more.

We are lawyers double checking our paperwork and being liable for every choice we make.

We are therapists for not just children who are learning social problem solving, but also to parents who come to us in tears for personal advice.

We are advocates for our children and our communities.

We place ourselves in multiple positions at a time, hardly every sitting down for a break.

We cannot dress nice because we leave covered in paint, glue, and boogers.

We allow a huge percentage of families to go to work and contribute to our economy.

We are at work before families even wake up so that they can be at work on time, and we are still there after their work has ended and they have commuted back to pick up their child. 

We have the honor of being chosen by parents to care for what they care most for.

So even if our check doesn't reflect it and the education community don't give us the respect we deserve,  even when a parent brings their kids in the door without saying good morning, or only focuses on the lost shoe, our society needs us, and today is a day for you to reflect on your importance.

*borrowed in part by Maplewood Children's Center

I was reminded yesterday how important it is not to make gender assumptions, especially with children.  A sweet 8 year old girl came in for her first day at Summer Care at You're Invited and my immediate response to her was "oh we have several girls your age to play with."  As I listened to her talk and watched her body language I thought that perhaps she wouldn't want to play just with girls and I quickly added, "yes, lots of girls or boys your age to play with."  (trying to recover from my lack of sensitivity)  Later in the day I watched this girl compete in an intense, competitive tetherball match with a boy a few years older and saw other boys lined up to play the winner.  They were all having a great time.  I reminded myself not to make assumptions about people based on their gender, that we can easily make children feel bad, sorry, guilty, confused, etc about their natural predilections when we decide what they will like based on our assumptions and stereotypes.

More activities for the Color Blue...