Whenever I meet someone who tells me they’re an educator, specifically someone who works in daycare, I feel compelled to drop to my knees and thank them for their service. And no, this is by no means overkill and if it sounds like it is, it’s entirely possible you’ve never dropped your child off at daycare for the very first time.
I remember so vividly that first day, taking my son to daycare and leaving him for the first time in our lives, with complete strangers. Strangers with kind faces and in a facility I had researched to the full extent of the law and of the internet’s capabilities, but strangers nonetheless.
Relinquishing care is hard!
My son, Oscar, was around 18 months old at the time, maybe a little older and judge all you like but I’d not spent a day away from him until that first day at daycare. We had been recently made aware of his speech delay, and experts deemed it severe, which possibly contributed to my reluctance to relinquish care of him for more than a few hours with his grandparents.
I knew being away from him was going to be difficult enough, but the idea of him being unable to communicate with anyone was rather heartbreaking.
Cute faces worked for a while
I’ve written about it in the past, but for those of you with children who have speech delays, you’ll appreciate how easy it becomes to read your child over time. They can’t say they want a drink and a snack, the look on their face tells you they want it. You end up doing things out of love and because it’s your job, but it has a detrimental effect in that they kind of stay not talking because pointing or putting on a cute face is so much easier.
You cannot communicate these things to someone who isn’t extremely familiar with your child. Even if you wrote a manual, it’s just not possible. So now, not only am I handing my son over to a group of strangers, I am putting him in the care of people who are probably not going to be able to communicate with him very much, if at all.
Boy, was I wrong!
Introducing Abby. Abby was Oscar’s first educator and Abby was sent by some omnipotent being to watch over my son and make me feel as though maybe, just maybe, that first day may not be the worst day of his and my life so far.
I remember as I was leaving and holding back tears rather well, or so I thought, Abby stepped out with me and said I could call anytime I wanted and the office would put me through to her so I could check on Oscar.
She probably regretted that offer as I took her up on it a few too many times but it was the only way I could get through the day.
Pathetic? Yeah maybe. But for the best part of two years, he had been at home with me. We had a routine. I worked from home but I did most of my work in the evening when he was asleep so our days were spent playing and going to the park. Watching Thomas the Tank Engine. Reading Winnie the Pooh. Come to think of it, a big part of the apprehension I was experiencing at the time about sending him to daycare was probably my not wanting to do any work during the day.
Just, thank you!
I’m so grateful to all those educators, they were the start of something very important. Oscar learned how to behave in a very different environment, and how to interact with other children in ways he’d not done previously. He became familiar with other adults who cared for him deeply and got to know him in ways few others would get to.
And Abby. Oh, Abby. My son’s favourite person outside of our family, the person he’d tell me about when we got home in such a way that I knew that he was not only connecting with but he felt safe with and loved by.
Abby, I thank you for your service.
Champion these Champions
Join us as we champion our incredible ECEC Educators. We’re giving parents, service owners, and fellow sector professionals the opportunity to highlight their appreciation for the educators in their lives who are having the greatest impact on families, their community, and the sector as a whole.
Saying 'Thank You,' won't solve every challenge faced by these indispensable professionals, yet it goes a long way to show that we see them, we hear them, and we value each and every one of them.
Six deserving educators across the country will win a luxury weekend away and anyone who nominates has the chance to win a $500 VISA gift card.
Get the kids involved!
Show these champions that we all care and get the kids involved in thanking their educators with a downloadable colouring sheet which can be uploaded here for your chance to win a $250 FUNDAY Sweets voucher. Don't forget to present your special educator with their certificate!
