PSA: Don't send you kids to playgroup with chometz

amother

Teal

Sun, Mar 26 2023, 1:36 pm

I had a playgroup for almost 30 years. Depending on how Pesach came out I may have had to ask for no chometz, kitniyos only for 1 or 2 days before pesach vacation. It depended on when I got extra cleaning help for the playroom. Yes, it was done last. But I can tell you first hand the attitude of those posters so outraged by this inconvenience is costing you big time. There is a severe shortage of playgroups. The prices have gone up exponentially. I myself quit, leaving a huge hole in my community. Change your attitude ladies, you are only hurting yourselves.
For the record, I had a year round rule: No coming in to playgroup eating. Not because of chometz. It is disruptive to the schedule and makes for a poorly run program. If breakfast is not served in playgroup, feed your child at home. You should be a Partner with the morah in the care of your child. She is not your indentured servant.

amother

Sun, Mar 26 2023, 1:44 pm

amother Teal wrote:

Thank you! Well explained!

amother

Chicory

Sun, Mar 26 2023, 1:55 pm

amother Teal wrote:

I love how the schools and morahs always pull the partner card when they want something from the parents. But that never works in reverse. If you want to pull the partner card, then please pull your weight in the partnership and be opened until Erev YT. That would be a partnership.

But you want the extra days off while your partner is still working up till or thru Erev Yom Tov. You expect your partner to pay for all the days off this month, even though your partner herself won't be getting paid on all her off days. And now you want the partner to put in the extra work instead of you.

That's not a partnership by any definition. That's a self-serving attitude where one is trying to take advantage of the others just because she can. As you've precisely demonstrated above. You're resorting to underhand threats about closing down, just so you can get, or rather force, parents to do your bidding out of fear.

Thanks for the excellent demonstration of what's so wrong in this setup.

amother

Teal

Sun, Mar 26 2023, 1:57 pm

amother Chicory wrote:

Nope, not a threat. Like many others, I actually quit. Want to take my place? Did not think so.

amother

Daylily

Sun, Mar 26 2023, 2:00 pm

amother Chicory wrote:

I think it is reasonable that they can't stay open if their own kids are off of school.

amother

Mintgreen

Sun, Mar 26 2023, 2:03 pm

amother Teal wrote:

Who here is upset about 1-2 days before pesach vacation? It's not 1-2 days before pesach vacation yet.

amother

Teal

Sun, Mar 26 2023, 2:03 pm

amother Chicory wrote:

To be honest, I'm sort of relieved that you quit. No offense, not sure someone with such an attitude should be taking of our precious kids.

Lol. You could not be more wrong. I was the most popular playgroup in my large tri-state community. I was legal from day one which was unheard of. Did not charge a penny more than all the illegal places. The local school board would recommend me to parents who appealed for services for their child - non jews who would say "she doesn't need SEIT she need morah _____". And parents were grateful and thankful. They became my friends. But there is always that rotten egg that can really stink.
No offence, not sure someone with your attitude should be having precious kids.

amother

Chicory

Sun, Mar 26 2023, 2:04 pm

amother Daylily wrote:

I think it is reasonable that they can't stay open if their own kids are off of school.

You missed my point. Partnership is a give and take, not only a take. So if they have a need to shut down early, then work it out with the partner. If they want days off, then perhaps they lower the cost for the month, or at the very least don't add extra requirements to make it even more difficult for the other partner.

The Morah's version of a partnership was that she gets to do everything that makes it easier for her this month, and you must agree to it all. Otherwise, she will (insert threat or action here).

amother

Chicory

Sun, Mar 26 2023, 2:08 pm

amother Teal wrote:

The difference between my attitude and yours is that I seem to care about the precious kids and you seem to care about yourself.

Also, life has taught me that people who speak up about how much everyone loved them is often not to close to the truth. Granted, I know nothing about you, so I'll hold off any assumptions here. But what I will say here is that a playgroup can run be run very orderly and professionally, but the love and caring can be missing.

amother

Mintgreen

Sun, Mar 26 2023, 2:09 pm

amother Teal wrote:

So why is your attitude so awful because of 1 rotten egg? Why are you so angry at everyone, when most parents are nice and there's just 1 rotten egg?
Being the most popular playgroup, doesn't mean anything and doesn't make one a better morah than the unpopular one's. It seems to me that you were just burnt out and that's why you quit. Maybe you're just blaming it on parents.

amother

Springgreen

Sun, Mar 26 2023, 2:18 pm

amother Teal wrote:

Not because of chometz. It is disruptive to the schedule and makes for a poorly run program. If breakfast is not served in playgroup, feed your child at home. You should be a Partner with the morah in the care of your child. She is not your indentured servant.

You seem very inflexible. Having a difficult morning and not having time for breakfast doesn’t mean I view Morah as a servant. It means that I view her as a partner. If I can’t handle breakfast one day, she lets kiddo sit to the side and eat and reminds them to join the play when they’re done.

amother

Sun, Mar 26 2023, 3:23 pm

amother Teal wrote:

Okay, I see I really did do a service to humanity by closing up! May many much better places open up b'korov at affordable prices with the full time hours needed. Hatzlocha to all!

Open double the time, for half price and open until erev yom tov and all legal holidays too!
And obviously with a smile 100%of the time because kids don't deserve a stressed and tired morah!
And if my kids make a mess the morah can clean it up, it's her job she's paid for that!!

"Sarcasm alert" LOL

amother

Daylily

Sun, Mar 26 2023, 4:06 pm

amother Mayflower wrote:

I am a Morah and I told my parents already....no chometz this week. It's before Pesach! If you can't really send kitniyios things, please don't send your child. I am doing my best to mske Pesach and turning over a week before makes it a lot easier

Do you make your kids eat no chometz starting this week? I really don't understand this mentality. And I was a playgroup morah for many years

amother

Mintgreen

Sun, Mar 26 2023, 4:23 pm

amother Mayflower wrote:

Sorry, but I don't think this is right of you. You can turn over while the playgroup room still stays chometz. It's really not reasonable to say no chometz at all this week. I'd be quite upset if my child's morah would do this. You can have them only eat at a designated spot. But if a child only eats certain foods, it is wrong of you to say no chometz at all.

amother

Brunette

Sun, Mar 26 2023, 4:34 pm

I'm not seeing the big deal, there are so many klp products out there and if not kitniyos or foods that aren't actually chometz work just fine.

Dear fellow playgroup morahs, like I said upthread, parents cannot possibly understand how a playgroup must run, why the details are so important. Never mind, if we walked into their homes we probably wouldn't understand either. Do what you gotta do and try not to think poorly of people.