15-11-2008 - Daycare

My mood while writing this blog: peaceful

I made a pretty tough decision this past week, even though it shouldn't have been so hard on me it still was. I work in a daycare, as the pre-k teacher. I started this job when my maternity leave was up. The center has infants (6 weeks) to pre-k, but it being a brand new center it is expensive. I was bringing Joey with me M-W-F and loved that he was right down the hall. I could always peek in on him and see how he was. But paying this daycare hasn't allowed Joe and I to catch up from my maternity leave on bills. We have been paying $650 a month in daycare, and that is only 3 days a week with an employee discount!

I have been going back and forth with Joe for awhile as to if it made sense for him to be there or not. He works 3-11 so he has him on T-TH while my mom comes one day and his another until I get home at 5:15. I haven't been very happy with the care he has gotten and I am TOO nice to say anything to his teachers in a mean way. I mean, I say things to them about what I expect and want him to be doing but when they don't follow I am not tough enough to be a beast about it.

About 6 weeks ago I went in and he was jumping in the rainforest jumperoo, I took him out and he had blood all over his foot. He had blisters on both his big and little toe that popped and were bleeding everywhere. It wasn't just a little bit of blood either. They had him bouncing full speed on a kitchen floor with cement underneath with no socks or slippers. I brought in slippers and said he needs to wears these any time his in that. Well last week I went in and there he was bouncing his little life away with nothing on his feet.

Then on Wednesday, after telling them to always wake him up after 2 hours of nap I go in and they say "he slept a little over 2 hours, we had to wake up him" then the next time I go in they say "he slept 2.5 hours, we had to wakt him up" the other worker says "no, when I went over he was awake." The next time I went in which was to pick him up, his note says he slept for almost 3 hours!! And his diaper wasn't changed in 4.5 hours! GROSS! I understand he was sleeping for 2.45 hours but he was due before he even went down. And if he is sick then fine let him sleep, but we didn't find out about his fever until after all of that happened!! Later that afternoon, I could hear him screaming crying so I went in and asked what was wrong. In a very rude and snobby voice she goes "I put him down" - he is SICK! He is not needy and clingy unless something is wrong! GEEZ!

So lots of other things like that happen, but on Wednesday that was my final straw. If they can't take proper care of my little guy, then don't be an infant caregiver. I have worked in an infant room for a long time and I know it can be hard but seriously, if you can't handle 7 babies between the 2 of you then find a new job!!

Okay I needed to vent that out. Now Joe will have him everyday and my mom will do two afternoons and his mom 2 afternoons. This will save us a lot of money, a lot of germs, and a lot of stress!! I have always been pro choice for daycare but now am second thinking that. I know we have to do what we have to do, but I never thought I would have concerns about a place where I worked right down the hall. Ho hum, at least we can pay our bills now (o: