Parent Survey
Yes, we got to do a parent survey at the day care. Never had to do one of these before. There was always a suggestion box, but who really gives suggestions? I’m not sure that box wasn’t the most lonely item in the building. Now that we’re part of Bright Horizons, though, we got to do a parent survey.
I’ve never had the chance to do one, so I was rather looking forward to it. Then when I discovered that all this paper they handed to me included a link to complete the survey online, I was thrilled! Any move which reduces my having to keep track of another piece of paper is a win in my book.
I tackled the survey this weekend, at home, online. With the click of my mouse, I answered the multiple choice questions with ease and speed. What were the questions, you might wonder? It was the usual stuff. My kid is fed healthy meals, the teachers treat my kid with respect, my kid learns, my kid likes it there, the usual. Then the survey turned to the parents and their work. Did your center influence your decision about returning to work, your schedule, your ability to work, etc? Have you ever had to miss work or rearrange your work schedule due to issues with your child care provider? That kind of thing.
Interesting. I know that Bright Horizons touts their ability to help families balance work and family, but I was a little taken aback when they started to ask how my child care arrangement may have effected my work arrangement. I guess I never assumed that one had to have anything to do with the other. I mean, when does a child care provider have to do anything to help a parent deal with being a working parent? When does an employer have to make concessions or allowances for employees with children? Technically, neither has to. Ideally, both would. Hm.
Many working mothers envision the perfect working environment where they can dress comfortably, yet professionally, bring their infant to the office, nurse/feed when they need to in private, and meet the demands of their job at the same time, even if it takes a little longer to get some things done. Many would love to have a Pack n Play in their office or next to their cube where they could allow their baby to rest, play, and watch Mommy at work. This, however, is not the reality for most moms. Or dads, for that matter.
I always thought my own work/family balance was my responsibility to manage. Mine. Not my husband’s, not my employer’s, mine. If I am going to have children and continue to work, I need to figure out how to make that work. On the other hand there, I’m not having children alone, so it should equally be mine and my husband’s job to manage our combined work/family balance so that neither of us is left with more on our plate than the other. Of course, this balance is something not easily managed, and there is never, or rarely, true equality.
So the questions about the employer and such in this survey got me to thinking. Of course, I’m sure this is the whole point to the questions being included in the survey. As I said, I was taken aback at first by these questions being asked of me when the survey was supposed to be about my satisfaction with the child care facility and the staff. After further thought on the subject, I started to soften up and realized that it’s more than likely a good thing that a child care provider takes into consideration the challenges faced by working parents, their customers. How can a provider give their customers what they really need if they don’t have a true understanding of those needs? Now, is this survey going to be the crystal ball, giving them all the answers so they can be the perfect provider? No. Is it a start? Yes.
Perhaps I’m overthinking the whole situation. Is it really that unheard of that a child care provider would want to assist parents with their duties as both parents and employees? Is it that strange that anyone would want to help parents juggle the demands of finding care for their children so they can continue and forward their careers? Of course not! It’s a brilliant idea!
Still, I am hesitant. I work for a large corporation, but the idea of a corporation wanting to be involved in family issues doesn’t rest well with me on the surface. I don’t work for a company that offers programs or resources to parents or families relating to work/family situations, or the work/family balancing act that working parents perform. I guess that’s why this is so foreign to me. As a working parent, it would be nice if someone was concerned about how I handle it when one of my kids is sick, or if my day care is closed for some reason. Nobody really pays attention to that kind of thing. How cool would it be for someone to offer parents resources and tools for managing their home life and their work life, and finding a good balance that is healthy and allows their entire family to thrive?
For me, this kind of thing comes a little late for the party. Sort of. We’re already thinking about how much longer our kids will need day care. We’ve still got some time, but, it’s that time to start realizing that our oldest will be in kindergarten this fall, and eventually both kids will be in the public school. Like in two short years. Holy moly, that’s gonna go fast! Either way, I think the whole idea of offering “family solutions” is vital for new parents, or those who find themselves in a situation of needing child care for the first time. I certainly would have entertained any ideas given to me which would have made entering the work force as a mom easier for me when I had my first baby.
I do plan to open my eyes and ears and learn more about what exactly the “family solutions” part of BH really is. I have been under considerable stress these past few months and it wouldn’t be entirely out of the realm of reality that I could use some outside advice or information which would make life as a working parent easier.
Time to take off my “cynical” hat, and put on my “open to suggestions” hat. In the long run, I was given an opportunity to rate the care my kids and I get from this center, and I gave it. There was a field for comments at the end, and I filled it in. I did my part for the survey. Now I look forward to seeing what impact, if any, my participation in the survey may have at the center. In turn, I will look forward to learning about ways my center can make being a working parent less stressful, or at least somewhat more managable.
The journey continues.
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