What Happens at Daycare Doesn't Have to Stay at Daycare

Every family situation is different. They all have their own dynamics, so I am by no means trying to say this is how everyone should do it. But, here’s a little story about my first year of experience with daycare…

When Rooney was just 9 weeks old, she started going to an in-home daycare in our neighborhood. It had all sorts of awesome benefits including, but not limited to,:

• Low ratio of children to adults
• At-home feeling
• Relaxed rules and regulations
• Accommodating hours (7:00 am – 5:00 pm)
• Her own room to nap in

Aside from these benefits, perhaps my favorite was that in those early months Kelsey and I worked at the same company and would often drop off and pick up Rooney together. This meant we both got to share in the relationship with our daycare provider, we both were able to hear about her day and we both got to spend the same amount of time with our daughter.

As time went on, Kelsey realized she needed/wanted to spend more time with our daughter, and yearned for a career move that would allow her some flexibility to spend more time with Rooney. We were excited when she was offered a job at our church working 32 hours a week. This granted her what we now call “Wednesdays with Rooney.”

Our new daycare offers some great benefits as well:

• On-site so Kelsey can stop by anytime throughout the day
• Low ratio of children to adults
• Faith-based learning environment
• A more structured program
• Events such as Mommy & Me Music class, zoo animals brought in, Mother's Day luncheon, etc.

All was good except one thing that has been a pain point for both Kelsey and I since the switch, and that is that Kelsey is the one who drops off and picks up Rooney from daycare almost all of the time.

Aside from a few illnesses, this responsibility has fallen on Kelsey for obvious reasons. And to be honest, it’s been a rough part of the job transition for both of us. I feel like I’m missing out on a lot and Kelsey at times feels a lot of burden having to keep track of it all by herself and then fill me in on the details.

Bah! Having to communicate can really suck sometimes! We’ve been working hard at it, but still have a long way to go. Kelsey’s gotten really good at finding crafty ways to keep me in the loop including email updates like:

“Rooney ate five French toast sticks for snack and pooped twice already today!”

“Only napped for 10 minutes today. She’s going straight to bed when we get home.”

The email updates are great, but my absolute favorite is the surprise photos! Here are a few snapshots of Rooney in action at daycare.

  

Sometimes, it’s the little things that keep us going every day.

P.S. And of course this one is probably the best ever.