Friday, February 02, 2007
What Is A Child Care Provider?
A Child Care Provider is:
A Child Care Provider is:
- Someone who shows no fear of spiders and other creepy crawly things and doesn’t flinch at the sight of blood
- Someone who reacts to dead insects with enthusiasm and interest
- A person who smiles and talks pleasantly to a child whose very smelly diaper they are changing
- Someone who accepts sloppy kisses and energetic hugs from paint or mud coated hands
- Someone who comes up with an appropriate comment when shown a painting that resembles a cloth used to clean shoes.
- A chef and a waiter in a restaurant where the customers are often very fussy, careless and messy, likely to change their minds about what they want, and they never leave tips.
- A competent debt collector and shuffler of mountains of paperwork
- A translator who can understand two year old and one year old communication for example she can figure out that Ogahawoo said in a certain way, means, “I need a cuddle now”, that a chubby finger pointed in the direction of the window means, “did you see that beautiful bird that just flew by”? that falling to pieces around 4.30 in the afternoon often means, “I’ve had it, I’m tired and I want my Dad to come and take me home right now”!
- A removalist. Maintenance person, and cleaner who works, often under pressure and with numerous distractions, to remove paint, clay, water and food hundreds of times a week from walls, floors, furniture and people.
- A junk collector who sees potential in other people’s rubbish
- A mediator who smoothes the waters when a fourteen year old daughter discovers finger prints on her Orlando Bloom poster
- A scientist who understands how the universe works and who can answer questions such as “why does the wind blow?, what makes fire burn? Where do the stars go in the daytime”?, who not only knows the answers but can explain them in a way that satisfies a curious four year old.
- A judge who can make the correct decision about what is fair when they haven't a clue who had the doll first and both parties claim that they did, who settles hundreds of disputes. Major and minor, and who knows when to stay out of the picture.
- A magician who can transform active toddlers into sleeping toddlers, who can divide three small biscuits into four precisely equal portions, who can turn a walk to the corner shop into an event packed excursion
- A juggler who manages being a parent, a partner or spouse, a professional, a community member, a homemaker and a person, all at the same time.
- Someone who can wait- wait for babies to sleep, toddlers to finish, children to catch up, parents to pay up, parents to show up. They are expert at waiting for coffe and toilet breaks, in short, a child care provider is a super person!
Adapted from: Dimensions-Excellence in Many Ways. Ann Stonehouse.
// posted by Tammy Wachter @ 3:33 PM 
