Changes afoot...

I have decided to close my home daycare. I have decided to take a position as a full time Lead Teacher at a local daycare center.

Recently, I was contacted regarding a full time teaching position via an ad I had posted. At first, I disregarded it completely. I wasn't looking for a  new job. I was happy with my business. I had some really great kids and parents. I left the email in my inbox for the weekend, before mentioning it to my husband. He replied, "You should contact her. Maybe this is a sign." A sign of a door opening. A sign of a path to take to help us get to where we want to go. So, I responded and began an email conversation. The position turned out to fit EXACTLY into my experience, my favorite age-group, everything. So, I set up a meeting with her. We met, she described the position and we chatted. I loved her immediately. I liked the center and I felt at home there. She called me later that week and offered me the position.

It was a hard decision to make. There are myriad reasons why I am choosing this path. One includes a recent former daycare parent who chose to take our 2 1/2 year relationship and completely disrespect it, my daycare, the other children and parents, my home, my husband, and me. It's hard to know you put your entire self into a relationship, care for a child and her family and at the end of the day, it means nothing if you aren't able to give a yes to EVERY single request they make no matter if it's appropriate, small or large.

There are some other considerations that have gone into this decision...not the least of which is that
*I will go from working 55-65 hours per week to a 40 hour work week.
*My pay will be consistent. It's not determined by how many kids I do or do not have enrolled. I won't have to worry about having enough kids enrolled or having a restructuring year again. I will be able to rely on my pay and be able to look forward to the future with some financial confidence.
*I will have to someone to go to and ask for help with a problematic behavior problem or disrespectful parent.

The dissolution of my business is hard to think about. I have very mixed emotions regarding all aspects. Telling the parents, saying good-bye to the children, having a commute and having to dress a certain way for work, dealing with a co-worker (who I don't know...will we get along?), these are all on the "cons" side of the list. I think this will take some time to get used to...but I am hopeful for the future!