Dear... Daycare Teachers During A Pandemic
I see you all at home, not knowing what to do with your time.
I see you missing your daycare children.
I see you scrolling through your Facebook looking at all the pictures the parents are posting.
I see you wishing you could see these kids.
I see you pinning all kinds of crafts on Pinterest.
I see you on FaceTime with the parents, trying to talk to the wild two year old.
I see you recording yourself singing their favorite songs or reading their favorite book.
Working in a daycare, I never thought that one day I would be laid off due to a national pandemic, Covid-19 to be exact. While I am so happy for the children to be at home with their parents, knowing they are safe and staying healthy, I am missing them every day that I am away from them. I know the children are happy spending so much time with their parents and still learning, but I cannot wait for the day that we can all be back together in daycare.
Besides just missing my daycare children, I miss my amazing coworkers. They ones who always have my back, the ones who always help me when I am struggling to make it through the day, the ones that are also going through what I am going through.
While not having a job or a pay check is hard enough, the worst part is being away from the children who I take care of 5 days a week, for up to 10 hours a day sometimes. The children that I take care of are more than just what keeps me in a job, they are what makes my job not feel like work. They are the ones who can brighten my day just by saying my name and running to me to hug my leg. The children I take care of in my daycare have become my kids that I have watched grow from little babies and I have to thank their parents for giving me that chance to watch and help them grow every day.
In these weeks that we are closed, I know these children are growing up so much. When everything gets back to "normal," I know the children that we handed back to their parents a few weeks ago will not be the same children we will get back in how ever long this is around. I am not worried that these kids will be completely off the daycare schedule, but I am worried how they will react when they come back to daycare. They will be reliving their first day in daycare, the one where they are scared and confused. I do not want this for theses little ones as I fear that they will be more scared this time than they were on their first day. I am scared that I will not be able to comfort them like before because they may or may not remember who I am. While some of the bigger children may remember who I am, these littler ones may not and let’s be real, I am not okay with that.
I know that this will pass and everything will be okay, I am just having a day where I miss the "normal" daycare teacher things a little extra.
I miss them running to us teachers and their friends in the mornings.
I miss circle time.
I miss painting their little hands and feet for crafts.
I miss playing outside on the playground with them.
I miss them piling on top of me, like I am their personal jungle gym.
I miss singing all the silly songs with them.
I miss tucking them in for nap time and patting them to sleep.
I miss snuggling them when one does not feel good.
I miss seeing their smiles and excitement over the littlest things.
I miss the conversations with their parents about their day.
I miss them.
Staying home is what is best for all of us from the babies to their parents to us teachers even if we all are going a little bit stir crazy.
If you are a daycare teacher, I am sure you are also missing these things and understanding why I am typing this letter, even if it is all over the place.
Parents, please give your children a great big hug for all of us who miss him/her dearly. When your child cries, give them an extra hug for me. When your child falls or hurts themselves, please give that booboo an extra kiss for us. Please let them know that their friends at daycare miss them very much and still love them just the same.