Why I Started Building This
Once upon a time, I worked at a daycare center. I worked harder than I'd ever worked for nearly 10 years. I spent 7 years of my child's life there; giving most of my time to other children. It slowly destroyed me. Working at a daycare center has a way of slowly consuming and destroying all teachers that work there. It doesn't actually do much good for the children either.
It took me every bit of those 7 years to truly see and understand that, though. I always figured I could learn or train myself into being everything the classroom needed. The truth is, centers will sell you a pretty picture but they actually try and shove as many children as they can into one room. Is the ration 1/5? Make it 1/9 for babies. Is the ratio 1/7 for toddlers? Make it 1/12. Is the ratio 1/12 for juniors? More like 1/20. So long as the teacher can prevent any major damage to the children and you keep the rooms fairly empty: the parents will never know. THAT was the reality I worked under.
When I wasn't dealing with absurd ratios I was dealing with high school graduates and college students that have no real idea how to handle that many children. Their prefrontal cortex are still developing, they don't even make great parents and take years to learn how but sure: let's hire them to watch everyone's children all day, every day. They also go to college most the time, no that won't end horribly. Except it usually ended with them doing one child's hair and scrolling on their phone until snack time while I did absolutely every aspect of classroom managment.
The one salvegable point I am able to make is that: I learned so much. It was feild work. I encountered and helped raise with all my heart and soul HUNDEREDS of children over the years. I couldn't have done that any other way and I will hold that information and utilize it here, in this website. Every good thing will be translated and every bad thing, well, that too. For I need to. I cannot let that time away from my own child, be worthless.
Being paid 3$ an hour when my child was with me... that hit so hard. Losing her from age 3 to age 10... that cannot be undone. Though I did the best I could, I have regrets. I can only pray to find a way to make money while teaching her so closely now. The safety of having of village that will keep us content while I'm doing this... I could never properly express my gratituted. Only do my best to present value and make all of this... the main quest.
Teaching her so closely now. Knowing her so completely and learning every bit of her as it develops, helping it develop? A privildge all mothers should have and a mercy. To everything I have been through. I am so grateful. I wish for nothing, truly, except the abilty to do it better and to help others in all the ways I learn. Because... exclusively, that is what I can do. I know I can.