1 of 2 (Part 1)
My wife and I are first-time parents of a son who is almost a year old. Like many parents, we stayed out of work with our son as long as we could and dreaded the inevitable return to work and the thought of someone else having to care for our child. With the negative media surrounding some childcare facilities, we wondered if we would ever come across a childcare facility capable enough to care for our child according to our standards. We wondered if the care of the child would be as much of a priority as the money the facilities required to not only operate the facilities, but to pay the bills of the staff members who they employ. We further wondered if we would ever meet staff members who stayed abreast of not only State laws, but who could learn each individual child in a way to be able to facilitate each child’s unique needs. We, again like many parents, had our minds made up that no one would be as concerned for our child as we would- especially considering that ALL children within that facility required the same amount of love, attention and affection.
Prior to deciding to enroll our child with Childcare Network (#246), we toured other facilities, thinking that the “glitz and glamour” (i.e., the “ratings” or the outer appearance of the facility, etc.). I mean, after all, Childcare Network #246 was “in the cut”- hidden in a quaint location on what appears to be an “offshore” road, if you will. But, just as one should not judge a book by its cover, a parent should NOT judge any facility by its location, appearance or any other superficial standard. We ultimately discovered that we could not have been more wrong than to wait so long to choose to enroll our child with Childcare Network #246. We have not only been provided with peace of mind, but we were also met with such a high standard, that we doubt that any other facility would be able to match it! When we first toured the facility, we were introduced by a director and/or assistant director (Mrs. Donna Luper) who had such a warm presence and DIRECT CARE AND CONCERN for wanting to KNOW (not just MEET, BUT KNOW) our son. She maintained a level of professionalism, but also took a “down-to-Earth” approach with us by sharing her personal knowledge in childcare; because- she not only worked in a childcare facility, but had a child, children and/or grandchildren of her own. She welcomed us in and not only tried to “sell” us her facility, but she welcomed us back to stay for a while to allow our child to play and obtain a “feel” for this facility. (Because we trust that our child, even at such his young age, can sense good or bad energy just as well, if not better than we can). We toured the facility 2- 3 times on consecutive days and we were met with a similar warmth and welcome by our son’s prospective teachers. Not only did this give us comfort, but a final re-assurance (or confirmation) came about when we departed the facility and were met by a random parent who inquired if we were considering this facility for our child. Now, we (as parents) usually perform our “due diligence” by obtaining some assessments from parents at random; simply to have a feel for how various parents view the facility. However, before we could even approach a sample audience, this woman re-assured us that we would NOT be disappointed by selecting this facility. She could not have been any more accurate! We believe that childcare facilities have 3 primary jobs or structures (i.e., responsibilities) within their facility: the children, the parents and the staff. The facility is there to care for our child(ren), but the well-being of the staff as well as the support to the parents are just as important.
V/R,
The Cochrans