Meet Grace Saylor, a committed daycare worker who blew up social media. Her TikTok ‘Going Viral’ Memorial Day show and tell has secured her 1 million views! In her post, Saylor invited fellow caregivers to share the most outrageous and “unhinged” demands they have received from parents. That video provoked a tidal wave of responses, exposing the peculiar high-wire act daycare workers must perform to avoid pissing off parents.
Saylor is very lucky in her position. Unlike parents of those toddlers, she doesn’t usually get a face full of outbursts. Her video has opened the door to discussions about some incredible, even shocking requests that have been made of daycare workers.
Among the shared stories, one daycare worker mentioned a request that left them bewildered: “Mix all of their food with breastmilk (didn’t provide breastmilk).” Another worker recounted an instance where a parent asked them to “chew his food for him, then feed it to him.” These kind of demands testify to how little the line, if any, is drawn between what’s expected of parents and daycare workers.
The dire situation of daycare workers mentioned above is not an exception. Lightbridge Academy commissioned OnePoll to do the research. It paints a picture where the average working parent must rely on the generosity of six different people to raise their child. Supporting this assumption, our survey found that 53% of working parents report feeling completely overwhelmed by stress. This constant stress is keeping them from being the kind of parents they want to be. For Gigi Schweikert, Lightbridge Academy CEO, what consumers need is an industry that’s transparent, communicative, and advocates on behalf of caregivers as much as parents.
“It’s up to all of us to speak up, advocate for our needs, and communicate challenges.” – Gigi Schweikert, CEO at Lightbridge Academy
Most revealing are the stories that daycare workers have told. One recounted an experience of a proud parent asking them to tally how many string beans her kid ate at lunch. As one of the workers pointed out in their testimony, they were told not to tag anything with a baby’s name due to fear of kidnapping.
One mom took the cake with her weird request on her kid’s first day of school. She would turn in an old Chucky doll and would only have to show it to her child to get them to stop misbehaving.
“Had a parent give us a Chucky doll. Mind you, 1st day of school. Mom said if her child acted up to just show her the Chucky doll and she would stop.” – A daycare worker
These ground-level scenarios underscore the day-to-day surreal tradeoffs daycare workers face. Saylor’s TikTok is definitely going viral in record time. It’s bringing to life important discussions about the state of childcare and the somewhat ridiculous demands and standards we have for those working in our field.
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