I am going to approach this subject from two different perspectives. First, I will talk about parent cell phone usage especially during drop off and pick-up time. Then I will tackle one of the biggest problems in childcare today - employee cell phone usage during working hours.
The Parent Scenario
The first scenario is all too familiar. Momma comes in to drop off her child fully engulfed in a conversation on her cell phone. She heads straight for the sign-in sheet, scribbles the necessary information, kisses her child, and proceeds out the door never stopping the conversation. This whole time the child is swinging from the mother's leg doing everything possible to get the mother's attention. You, the childcare provider, needed to have a conversation with this mother, but you were never even able to make eye contact much less start the necessary conversation. Pick-up time is no better. Instead of leaving the child, this time the mother stops the conversation just long enough to tell her child to head for the door. Still no chance to even make eye contact.
How in the world are we as child care providers supposed to build relationships with these parents if we can't even make eye contact? This is becoming such a problem that some childcare providers are going to drastic measures to try to get these parents' attention. I know of some places that have instituted "cell phone free" zones as parents come into the building. Others have completely given up trying to use drop off and pick-up times for conversations. Instead they will text the parents the necessary information. The other side of this problem is the kids. I have had older kids comment on how much they hate cell phones because they can't ever get their mom or dad's attention.
Cell Phone Etiquette
This is unfortunately one of those problems that we as child care providers can't fully solve. What these parents need to learn is what many MANY people in our society need to learn - cell phone etiquette. Those places that have instituted "cell phone free" zones are in their own way trying to teach the parents about cell phone etiquette. Many of these places have signs that read "This is a cell phone free zone. We as your children's childcare providers need to have the opportunity to discuss with you, the parent, how your child is doing. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter." These places have the right idea. However, having talked to some providers who have tried this, it still has not solved the problem. Many parents ignore the sign and continue to jabber away on their cell phone. My only suggestion besides finding something to block the signal on your property is to be proactive in trying to explain cell phone etiquette every single opportunity that you get.
Cell Phones and Employees
Now I want to turn my attention to the other side of the cell phone issue. For those of you who have employees, you know that keeping your employees off of their cell phones during working hours is one of the biggest issues childcare employers face today. I'm with you. I tried to approach this issue from a participatory management standpoint. I told my employees that I would let them keep their cell phones on them if they only used them for emergencies. I gave them the chance to be responsible for their own cell phone use. Their definition of an emergency and my definition of an emergency were two entirely different definitions. That didn't work. Next I had them put their cell phones in a specified place when they came to work and leave them there. Every time I turned around they were sneaking a peek at their cell phones. That didn't work. Next I completely banned the cell phones and told my employees to leave them in the car. They were sneaking to their cars when they took the children to the playground so they could have their cell phones on the playground. The children told on them. That didn't work.
Supervision
If you don't work in childcare, you might ask what is the big deal? The big deal is supervision. Just like you really can't pay attention to the road while driving and texting, you can't really watch the children while you are checking Facebook or Twitter or texting or any other application on your cell phone. This is such a huge problem that many employers are having to hire extra people to just make sure someone is watching the children at all times. You also might ask why don't you just put into place a zero tolerance policy and fire them when they are caught on their cell phones. For those of us who live in states where child care is heavily regulated, unless you have a substitute that can be pulled in immediately this is not an option. We have to maintain ratios and the hiring process can take up to a month or more to clear all the hurdles involved. Even then you are not guaranteed that you are not just replacing one employee with another one just like the first one. Not many people want to work that hard for minimum wage. Substitutes in this industry are a luxury. Many smaller childcares really struggle finding qualified help. Most of us have to settle for warm bodies to fulfill ratio requirements and work ourselves into a frenzy trying to compensate for the poor quality of our help. I've been there. I completely understand.
A Cultural Problem
This problem has no easy solution because it is a cultural problem. Many people especially younger adults do not understand why they can't stay on their phones constantly. The only truly realistic approach to this problem will have to come from changes in the regulations for those of us in states with heavy regulations. As employers we have to have the option of firing employees on the spot for this problem. Other industries do it, but regulations tie our hands. We need to be able to have substitutes without having to jump through all the hoops. This can be accomplished by letting retired child care providers become substitutes at large or have a pool of substitutes for an area that all providers can pull from. School systems get to have a pool of substitutes to pull from at any time. Child care providers need that badly. There are many other reasons for child care providers to have this pool of substitutes but this problem is one of the most pressing reasons. If ever there was an issue that needs a grass roots effort, this is it.
I hope you have enjoyed this post. Goodbye and God bless!! Check out Natalie's children's books at: https://www.amazon.com/author/nataliewade7457
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