I have been in a lockdown area for 7 weeks and am an essential worker. I am an early childcare worker. I need help to shift my mind set as I am growing angry and resentful toward my workplace and our community.
Last lockdown we had about 10% attendance. This time we have well over 50%. The families are so complacent about lockdown, the rules and the risks. We have parents dropping off saying their children are too bored at home so will be attending as usual, despite having 2 parents at home. We have a large number of stay at home parents. They continue to send children.
I am constantly in a battle between going to work and putting other peoples children before my own. The Children I speak of have other options to be cared for. And I am slowly breaking.
A bored child does not warranty putting other people and families at risk. Our work load has doubled as we meticulously clean constantly and support sensitive children through uncertain times.
Parents still send children with snotty noses and coughs. I feel like we are a dumping place as people don't want to put the effort into their own children.
How far are you pushed and disrespected as a workforce before you leave?
Our head office who are working safely from home drum the rules down the line insisting we welcome anyone who comes to our doors. I understand we are under obligation to protect children from risk and am not to judge others situation.
We are funded by the department of education. Schools are insisting noone attend school of there is an adult present in the home, doing checks and implementing strick regulations. Why can't we? Why don't people respect the same lockdown rules when it comes to us and precious children?
We can not social distant, we are wiping snot, being coughed on. Thankfully we are now allowed to wear masks as ppe at work. I know others may disagree with this mandate, but with the conditions we are currently experiencing I feel safer.
Are we not as important as those who can work from home. We are a workforce on the edge that have not stopped giving.
Our mental health is just as important as the families and children we care for yet we are just forgotten and expected to smile and carry on.
I know there are others in dire situations, horrible situations. But I am breaking and I need help so I can keep loving and caring for our communities children and families as I genuinely do.
I feel if we as a workforce fall so will many, many others that genuinely rely on childcare that are probably experiencing much the same pressures.
How do you change your mindset to help you push through?
Childcare Resent and forgotten workforce
Childcare Resent and forgotten workforce
Posted in:
Life Lessons
10 Replies
Kids are so vulnerable, statistics show that during the Melbourne lockdown the amount of children exposed to domestic violence went up.
You’re doing an amazing thing - don’t forget it
100% with you sister! The sense of entitlement we as a society have allowed and fostered is coming back at us like a freight train. Super Cheap Auto, Kmart, etc all ESSENTIAL. Really? Maybe when you are locked down for weeks, but our community has just had a 3 day lock down and everything was still open. What was the point? We attended a day care for safety repairs and the centre had over 100 children attending.
Thank you so much for being one of the givers. I've always believed you and the carers in aged care are the forgotten heros. Sending bouquets and big hugs!
I used to work in childcare, it was an undervalued, unappreciated, underpaid job back then - I couldn't imagine how hard it would be to work in this industry during a global health crisis. So hat's off to you for pushing on, your selfless contribution might go unnoticed by a lot of people but I see you and I know what you've had to sacrifice.
This all really boils down to selfishness on an individual level:
People just will not consider anyone beyond themselves and how their choices impact the greater community.
My best bit of advice I can give you, take some leave if you can. Recharge, refresh and come back with a new mindset.
Last lockdown people didn’t have to pay for childcare services. This hasn’t happened this time and I promise you while people are paying upwards of $100 a day for a service they are less likely to keep their kids home.
My husband and I don’t have the capacity to work from home. So are relying on services like yours. We have committed to weekly asymptotic Covid tests to reduce the risk we place on our community and the services we use.
We are grateful to be able to send our children and know they are cared for and feel safe. So we thank all childcare services xx
We had a snap lockdown.
I have 2 children in daycare and others I care for at school. 2 of my non-daycare (school aged) kids have multiple complex medical/mental issues, one of which has support workers to assist with daily tasks and is tube fed.
I asked my daycare if I could please still send my 2 little ones to daycare for the 2 days a week they are booked in so I could better manage everything and I was told no as I’m not an essential worker and my children aren’t consider vulnerable.
I only asked as I’m single, full time carer to children with complex needs, had just done a 4 day hospital stint with a child (I was soooo exhausted and already very stressed), had all others kids home, needing to home school them, the kicker was the support workers were unable to attend for usual or extra support as they needed to direct supports to more high need family’s (some staff couldn’t come to work for various reasons) and I knew I would be pushed to meet all the needs and expectations over that 8 day period. 24/7 alone and with no supports at all.
We managed, actually surprisingly well, although really dropped the ball on the home schooling requirements that we asked as my attention was directed in the more important things.
I think your head office really need to be firm if the directive is ‘only essential/vulnerable workers/children’ are to attend then that should be the case. It’s not fair on you guys 🥺🥺🥺
My daycare teachers are FANTASTIC and I would be gutted if any of them felt the way you feel right now ❤️
Anonymous reporting?
Ignoring lockdown directives carries substantial fines, they'll think twice when a trip to daycare because they CBF looking after their kids costs a grand.
Won't go anywhere. Kids of essential workers and vulnerable kids are able to go. The definition of vulnerable is not clear and can be as simple as mum has anxiety and lockdown triggers that.
I completely get where you are coming from. I work in childcare doing relief work. Some centres I go to really frustrate me because they don’t send kids home with green snotty noses. One centre I was at a couple of months ago had two kids that were very clearly sick, but apparently they had clearances to be there. I wasn’t quick enough on that particular day to ask what the clearance was for, because if it was just a negative Covid test they should have been sent home until symptoms resolved. I’ve had myself and my two teenagers tested for Covid on separate occasions over the past few months, and each of us were told to stay home until symptoms had resolved even if we received a negative Covid result. I was back at this centre this past week, and they now have a message on the notice board in the staff room that all green snotty noses must get sent home. I’m assuming someone had complained.
I have no real advice, other than maybe take some time off to focus on you and your family for a few days. Recharge your batteries.
My little guy just had a covid test too and we got a letter given to us saying he has to stay at home and is not allowed to attend daycare until he gets a negative covid result AND symptoms improve. 🤷🏻♀️ Isn’t it just common sense! If yourself or your child are sick enough for a dr, you are sick enough to not attend school/daycare/work! Stay home 🤦🏻♀️
Very unfair for some though. My son had a chronic cough for 6 years that sounded like croup. He wasn't contagious, it was physiological and he was under specialist management. I used to get abused by mums. Hubby and I have commented that if covid had happened back then, it would have been even worse.