'Daycare' Isn't a Four-Letter Word

I'll be honest- I cringe when I hear my classroom or my group of students referred to as a 'daycare.' And then I get mad at myself for feeling that way.

I know for certain that there are many, many wonderful men and women out there who run quality in-home daycares or who work at lovely daycare centers. Some are career providers while others are like the Teach for America of childcare- they do it only for a few years but do it well. But I also know that I'm not the only one who listened to her neighbor screech ineffectively at her own children for years and then watched her take in other children as a way to supplement her family's income.

My mother tells me that when she was in high school, if an aptitude test failed to identify any obvious career path or talent in a girl, that girl was encouraged to pursue work in childcare. Like all "woman's work," childcare has a history of being devalued- there is the unspoken notion that it is facile and unimportant. If a woman can do it anyone can do it, right? It's just something that allows the REAL work to be done, right?? Of course, from the inception there are those that have challenged this assumption but such a cycle is hard to break.

So not only do I have a problem with the word 'daycare,' but I have a problem with myself for contributing to the devaluing of the word, and also with those who perpetuate the negative connotation by doing a poor or mindless job taking care of children.

More and more parents require some form of childcare to supplement the time they can give their children. And children require the space to move, to create, and to be inspired. Not anyone can create and maintain such a space. Not anyone can help children develop their character and to develop as life long learners. It is challenging, ever-changing, important work. So let us re-define 'daycare' to reflect its complexities and it's worth.

Is there one, inflexible combination of character traits and educational experiences that makes a person qualified to work with children? Of course not.  Should the person who chooses to work with children exhibit intelligence, self-reflection, kindness, and patience? Yes. Should they be proud of what they do and want always to do it better? Absolutely.

To be proud of something you have to take ownership of it. Embrace it.

I do daycare.

But I want to change what that word means.