May is Provider Appreciation Month:
Being a child care provider is not an easy job, but it certainly is one of the most important. It is also one of the lowest paying and least celebrated.
The wages childcare providers receive certainly do not reflect the importance or the demands of their work.
Further, even though child care providers work hard and have a very important job, sometimes the nature of the job means that they don't have access to health care or other important benefits. As a profession, they don't always get the respect they deserve. And, working with children all day, even though it is rewarding for many child care providers, is also isolating work with little adult contact.
Provider Appreciation Day is a yearly even for parents and the Community to recognize the importance of childcare providers. This year it is celebrated on Friday, May 7. Providers support families and make it possible for many parents to work and contribute to the national economy. Provider Appreciation Day began in 1996. A group of volunteers put it together to bring attention to and applaud the every day dedication and good work of child care providers. Since 1996, it has been on the Friday before Mother's Day.
Some things to do for your provider: gift certificates, a paid day off, flowers, cards, candy, anything that will let them know that they are important to you!
I repeat this not because I'm asking for gifts, but becuase I think a lot of the time, people don't realize what my job is. Sure, I stay at home, but I also lack adult contact, must adhere to strict rules and regulations regarding cleaning/sanitizing, and make less than $4/hour. My home is my work, and my work is my home. I chose this knowing full well what I was doing -- but not understanding how little appreciation others would show me.
Thankfully, the children that are in my care have wonderful parents who tell me often how much they appreciate me. I often get "I don't know how you do this" and the truth is, there are times when I'm not sure myself. In the end, I love my job, I love my kids and I love their families. The idea of Provider Appreciation is nice, I'm just thankful that I get it more than just once a year from the people who matter most to me.
I'm sure that if you've lived on this planet, you know about this book series, which went all freak out and ended up being a movie. I have to say right off the bat here that I have NOT read this series. I have not so much as even touched one, let alone opened it's cover to read the "amazing" story within.
. I think that the reason that this book bothers me so much is the fact that you have these middle aged women all over America (and let's face it, the world) who have gone bat sh*t crazy over the stuff. It's a BOOK people. A book!! It's a fictional story -- as in NOT real. It kinda reminds me of the 
ones. Now - I don't not like these books. In fact, my stepson read them (and I along with him) and now my daughter is peeking through them (though still not really all that interested) -- my problem with this book is once again, it is a series that is aimed towards children (even worse than the 
or 
or 
-- the thing is -- I don't get my kicks out of reading these things. Sure, I freely admit to loving both Dr. Seuss and Robert Munsch, but I don't read their books during my own personal reading time.
this book was amazing. A romance, a sci-fi, a tragedy. There was nothing, absolutely nothing about that book that I did not enjoy.
- a book that took me a while to get into...so much so that I had banned it as a "bath tub book" (ie, a book that if it falls in the tub it's not that big of a loss) -- then one day in the tub, I got past the initial strangeness that starts it off, and the next thing I knew, I was halfway through and my bath water was cold. It was very good -- creepy, sad, but good. It's the kind of book that you either like, or don't.
which was also very good. Another sadly depressing book (sheesh, I read a lot of those!) but very nice all the same. 
an amazingly inspiring true story. The author also wrote 
which was also good. These books are both short, sweet, and to the point. You will need a box of tissues though for each.
, 
and 
(which some fool was trying to ban becuase it contained the word "nigger" in it...can you believe that?? A book teaching about justice and equality and how every man deserves it no matter the color of his skin??)
and of course the classics like 
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