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

amother

Mintgreen

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 1:52 pm

amother Emerald wrote:

My playgroup room is my playroom how am I suppose to sell it?

Ok, though that's not really the kids problem....
All playgroups I sent to, had a separate room for the playgroup that wasn't used otherwise. You can save the playroom for last, when playgroup is done.

amother

Mintgreen

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 2:03 pm

amother Mayflower wrote:

my playroom is my living room and dining room. My kitchen is small. For all you haters, what do I do?

Don't run a daycare at home. It doesn't make sense. The home needs to be a proper setup for a daycare to be able to run there. Don't call me hater for not agreeing with your unreasonable policies. It is nobody's problem that your home is not set up for a playgroup.

amother

Brown

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 2:06 pm

amother Mayflower wrote:

my playroom is my living room and dining room. My kitchen is small. For all you haters, what do I do?

Exactly, what do we do then? So we can either finish too early for you, other working mom's (who are already working up until erev, and some inclusive) , or we keep open playgroup for longer and have the no Chometz rule? I think this is a matter of preference if everyone would be asked.

I don't have this issue btw because everyone finishes early where I live. If they have an office job then their dh's takeover at home. For me my dh works until erev (including) and I need to close playgroup a week before seder night so that I have a week to clean. Bh I have a pesach kitchen so I do the bulk of my cooking before I finish work, and before my own kids are home from school.

amother

Babyblue

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 2:19 pm

amother Mintgreen wrote:

There are communities where ALL in-house daycares and playgroups are in apartments because EVERYONE lives in apartments.
The daycares are small (4-7 toddlers and preschoolers).
But the parents know that the playgroup is in the living room/dining room.
So, these women shouldn't have daycares and the mothers have no childcare because it's not 1000% ideal.

amother

Mintgreen

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 2:25 pm

amother Babyblue wrote:

Perhaps the morah should let mother's know policy at the beginning of the year or well in advance & not a week before pesach. Perhaps in those communities, parents are more understanding because they have no choice.
(Though there are plenty playgroups in apartments in my community, still a separate room.)

amother

Brunette

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 2:58 pm

This is what I mean when t I say the morah has to make decisions in order for the playgroup to run smoothly. It's not for the parents to second guess these decisions.

amother

Mintgreen

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 3:11 pm

amother Brunette wrote:

This is what I mean when t I say the morah has to make decisions in order for the playgroup to run smoothly. It's not for the parents to second guess these decisions.

Not necessarily. The kids come first, not morah's running the home. Parents are definitely allowed to speak up.

amother

Brown

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 3:23 pm

amother Mintgreen wrote:

Not necessarily. The kids come first, not morah's running the home. Parents are definitely allowed to speak up.

Without the morah there are no kids, so the morah comes first 😛

amother

Babyblue

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 3:30 pm

amother Mintgreen wrote:

Not necessarily. The kids come first, not morah's running the home. Parents are definitely allowed to speak up.

There are lots of different ways that the kids come first. One isn't necessarily more valid than the other
A previous poster said that she didn't want kids coming in with chametz so their projects wouldn't become chametz. That has potential for upsetting kids.
A different poster said that she tells the parents to assume the project are chametz. That can also be upsetting to kids who can't have their hagada at the Seder.

It's not a clear black and white. .

A Morah who says only kiyniyos for the few days before Pesach can be putting the kids first by knowing that she'll be able to maintain a calm atmosphere without pressurizing the kids to eat over the tables so as not to shed crumbs over the rest of her house.

amother

Brunette

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 4:47 pm

amother Mintgreen wrote:

Not necessarily. The kids come first, not morah's running the home. Parents are definitely allowed to speak up.

Do you do things for your mental health so that you can take better care of your children?
Same idea.
It's not making it easier for the morah. It's the morah setting boundaries so that she can continue working with peace of mind.

Ema of 5

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 6:21 pm

amother Mayflower wrote:

Everybody seems to forget that some Morahs have a family besides taking care of kids and their homes need to function as well.

I don’t think anyone is forgetting that. People are just saying that
1. Any chametz policy (any policies really) needs to be announced at the beginning of playgroup, or even when people sign up.
2. Asking for no chametz at all (not the OP, but other moros) is unrealistic.

amother

Mintgreen

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 7:29 pm

amother Brunette wrote:

It's not the same idea at all, as morah is getting paid for her services. Imagine I tell my boss that I need to set unreasonable boundaries for my mental health, I cannot imagine that going over too well.....

amother

Mintgreen

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 7:33 pm

amother Mayflower wrote:

Everybody seems to forget that some Morahs have a family besides taking care of kids and their homes need to function as well.

No one is forgetting that. But because morah made a commitment to those kids at the beginning of the year, and she's getting paid for said commitment, a functioning playgroup comes before. You can't tell parents about unreasonable policy from 1 day to the next.

amother

Brunette

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 7:45 pm

amother Mintgreen wrote:

You cannot compare playgroup morahs to another job, firstly. Secondly, if you had a mental health issue I hope you would set boundaries for yourself so that you don't fall apart. Thirdly, I do not consider the parents who send to me my employers, I am my own boss. It's my home, I set policy because I know what works best.

Ema of 5

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 7:48 pm

amother Brunette wrote:

But if your policies don’t work for the people paying you, you won’t be employed for very long.

amother

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 7:51 pm

amother Mintgreen wrote:

Let's first establish if telling parents not to come with chametz for 4 days is an unreasonable policy!
I personally don't think so! Kids can have chametz for breakfast and supper. They usually spend 6h at most in a playgroup(home based). They won't be hungry if they get yogurt, cheese, applesauce fruits and vegetables ! They can even have rice cakes!
I'm not even understanding why this thread is 5 pages long.
You would give up having a good morah all year long because she has a policy not to bring chametz the 4 days before pesach break? Scratching Head

(BTW I do not have that policy in my playgroup! my Op was only about holding chametz in the morning!)

amother

Mintgreen

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 7:52 pm

amother Brunette wrote:

If a Morah has mental health issues that cause her to make unreasonable policies, then I'm sorry to say, it's time for Morah to give up her job.
No employer would put up with unreasonable boundaries because someone has mental health issues.

amother

Mintgreen

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 7:54 pm

amother OP wrote:

(BTW I do not have that policy in my playgroup! my Op was only about holding chametz in the morning!)

So what if a child only eats pasta or bread based foods? That child shouldn't eat lunch for 4 days? It's not even 4 days the week of yom tov. It's 4 days the week before yom tov. It is unfair to let parents know about this from 1 minute to the next.