Photo question

[Hatchlings]

Hi all i have a little problem I do a daily diary for a little girl who is 1 yr old & has been with me since jan every day when mum comes she asks for the days photos of what lol been doing I say i cant print them when i have her child here as i am caring for her child & she just sayes she is missing it so I started printing them out & putting in diary on next time she with me but mum said its 3 days late cant i print out & deliver the same day after she gone I have older after school till 7 pm

So my question should i be printing & delivering them same day or print when child with me or stay as i am & explain to mum other do it like that or another idea??

[LG2014]

Hi all i have a little problem I do a daily diary for a little girl who is 1 yr old & has been with me since jan every day when mum comes she asks for the days photos of what lol been doing I say i cant print them when i have her child here as i am caring for her child & she just sayes she is missing it so I started printing them out & putting in diary on next time she with me but mum said its 3 days late cant i print out & deliver the same day after she gone I have older after school till 7 pm

So my question should i be printing & delivering them same day or print when child with me or stay as i am & explain to mum other do it like that or another idea??

Hi, I say that you print out when you got time too and if you date pictures I don't see why it matters if pics are 1-2-3 days late etc.

As a mum I wouldn't expect someone to print every single picture everyday of my child as it just not realistic.

I'd say I can't continue to doing a photo every day but any wow moments etc are in learning journey or you could say Friday you will aim to give mum a newsletter with pics of activities you've done over the week - only if this realistic hun.

X

[blue bear]

That's a bit much, I take lots of photos. It no I can't print them daily I've got to put the chikdren first,
Do you and mum have smart phones, could you use an app like wat zapp to send photos they are free to send, you could send during nap time possibly? Or could you e mai, photos to her off your phone?
I think once a week is frequent enough to be honest.

[smurfette]

I email all mine to parents I use daily connect as an email daily diary and add photos to that so mostly they go same day

[FloraDora]

I use a paid monthly site which if I mention here will get blocked!!
When LO is asleep I upload a diary with lots of photos( but photography is my hobby so I spy every opportunity to record learning daily,and practice my photography) ...After nap additions get completed immediately they have left ...so 15 mins after they have left they can access photo's, diary, observations. Parents love that they see what their children are doing daily, I have lots of photo evidence which I recap over every 3 weeks and update obs and next steps...
£9.99 a month is so well worth the investment for this instant communication and resource to store obs.
When I used a CM in the olden days I never expected my CM to do anything but keep my DS happy.......
We are in a different world now.. And I think the online packages that are available are great now...parents have constant reassurance that LO is happy plus you can show instant evidence of achieving objectives in your planning etc..
In this world of 'instant gratification' the online programmes make our life so much easier.
Just my opinion...

[shortstuff]

I agree with you floradora. I have a parent who knows the pattern at which I update my online diary and they log in at work so they are fully informed. A few times it has jogged the parents memory of an achievement at home so we can praise lo here too and have a new next step.

[Mouse]

I think you need to sit mum down and have a chat about how you work. Explain how it is not possible for you to print pictures off every day and that you will not deliver them. Say that photos are an added bonus, not something you are obliged to take on a daily basis.

I do take photos most days, but certainly not every day and of every activity. I certainly wouldn't print them out each day for parents either. I'd be thinking about the time and the cost.

I would say to your parent that even though you try to have photos ready, it is not always possible, due to the time you have and the costs of printing them all out. Say no, you will not deliver them after you have finished work. Tell her nicely that she should not expect photos everyday and that you will do them when you can.

I would then look at online sharing. You don't need to pay for anything if you don't want to, there are plenty of free options out there. They give you the chance to upload pictures at a time to suit you and parents can then print them out themselves. I use Dropbox with a couple of my families.

[sing-low]

I think you have been very accommodating changing what you do to print out photos for the daily diary the following day. I like some of the suggestions for online sharing that others have made but I don't think you should feel you have to do this if it's going to take more time than what you currently do. As you say, your first priority is looking after the child. Waiting one day for photos is not unreasonable. I would do my best to explain this nicely to Mum. She has the daily diary so she knows what her child has been doing.

I only send photos once a week - I add one or two to the invoices that I send. I also put photos in LJs which go home once a term and at the end of each term I do a CD of all the photos that I took that term. Taking, organising, (sometimes) editing and sending photos all takes time. In terms of my priorities during an evening, they come behind cleaning, tidying and prepping activities for the following day, not to mention spending time with my own family and sleeping!

[Hatchlings]

I have read all your replys & i have had a chat with mum she does not want photos emailed as its to much of a risk she said but she has said printing out on a friday in a newsletter with the invoice is fine as long as there is 1 photo taken per day & the details explain what child is doing & the daily diary has lots of information in it as she likes to know every detail I am working on this as i used to write 6 /10 lines & basic info as her baby only sleeps 20 mins with me & i have 2 others at that time its hard to write masses ha. As i am watching & being with the others i say the care of all the children is priority not writing or printing when they are here ha But many thanks all. You helped again

[smurfette]

I have read all your replys & i have had a chat with mum she does not want photos emailed as its to much of a risk she said but she has said printing out on a friday in a newsletter with the invoice is fine as long as there is 1 photo taken per day & the details explain what child is doing & the daily diary has lots of information in it as she likes to know every detail I am working on this as i used to write 6 /10 lines & basic info as her baby only sleeps 20 mins with me & i have 2 others at that time its hard to write masses ha. As i am watching & being with the others i say the care of all the children is priority not writing or printing when they are here ha But many thanks all. You helped again

Glad you got something sorted hopefully you can phase it out a bit later as she gets more relaxed with you. that sounds very time
Consuming!

[tinyp164]

I know you have already spoken to mum, however I was wondering if you both had smart phones that you could text her a pic over or apps like what's app (which is free to send pics)Then as a child is doing an activity etc you take the pic and send it, it can then be deleted straight away from your phone or printed later for learning journey should you need it. I'm just concerned how much ink/paper your using on this child...it isn't good on the enviro or your pocket.

I found this works super well with new starters, helps parents to see their child is doing well throughout the day so they can see they are stimulated and settled which helps the parents feel more at ease.

Just a thought anyway

[Smiley]

Could you put them all on a memory stick or DVD that you can add to each week, then she can view them on her computer?

[karen2010]

I started using WhatsApp? In Jan and my Parents love it . I take loads of photos during activities playgroup etc then send them during quieter times in the day, I print really good ones off to use in the daily diarys, Parents happy to wait a day or so for this if need be as they have already seen the photo. Sometimes take short videos as well these go down especially well as they really help the Parents feel connected to their kids whilst they are working in the Office or whatever !
Would have loved to have had this when my Daughter was with a childminder years ago, ain't technology great ??!!

[alwaysright]

i wonder if this mum would go back to work at 7pm to deliver something!! i certainly wouldnt be doing any such thing but i also wouldnt be printing off photos everyday! it must be costing you a small fortune and is unsustainable if you have a few children. i agree with everything mouse said and thats defo the way i would be going!

[bunyip]

Glad you got something sorted out. Just be wary of parents with this sort of expectation. I'm all for working together and communicating but think "where will it end?" IMHO mum would have to go a very long way to find a childcare setting that would even agree to what you've arranged, and she thinks that is some sort of compromise!

I think you need to set a date to review this, as you may find it becomes a bind that you don't want to be stuck with for the next few years - especially when every other mum wants the same service.

Personally, I'm wary of sending anything confidential over the interwebnet or phone network. For all the talk of so-called 'security' remember we instantly lose control of anything we put on the web. You need only switch on any Bluetooth phone and it can have it's entire data store stolen without the user even being aware that it's happening.

[Mouse]

Could you put them all on a memory stick or DVD that you can add to each week, then she can view them on her computer?

I do this with some of my parents. They supply a memory stick & I put all their child's photos on there. They can do what they want with them then - print them, email them, put them on FB. I don't include any photos that have other children in them.

It's good that the OPs mum has backed down slightly, but I still wouldn't be agreeing to at least 1 photo a day with detailed notes of the child's day. I'm afraid I would be very firm and saying "this is what I do. Like it or lump it". I'm all for working together with parents and doing what I can to help, but their requests have to be realistic, practical and sustainable.

[rickysmiths]

I have read all your replys & i have had a chat with mum she does not want photos emailed as its to much of a risk she said but she has said printing out on a friday in a newsletter with the invoice is fine as long as there is 1 photo taken per day & the details explain what child is doing & the daily diary has lots of information in it as she likes to know every detail I am working on this as i used to write 6 /10 lines & basic info as her baby only sleeps 20 mins with me & i have 2 others at that time its hard to write masses ha. As i am watching & being with the others i say the care of all the children is priority not writing or printing when they are here ha But many thanks all. You helped again

I'm sorry but I would not be dictated to by a parent about when and how many photos I take. What a cheek. I don't always take photos every day anyway. I use a Pogo Printer and when I am settling in I try to print photos off and attach them to the daily Diary but I always say I may not take any and I may not have time to print them every day even during settling in.

I actually combine my Daily Diary and LJ now. I use these for full time children:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Early-Years-.../dp/1438941609

and one from Butterfly Press Ltd for part timers:

CHILDCARE - Butterfly Print


Both have pages to fill in Food, Drink, Nappies , Sleeps and a space for Daily activities. There is also space for messages back and forth. At the end of the week there are pages to put a more detailed observation, wow moment with photos and to stick in pieces of work.

With the full time one I have it over a weekend once a month to add the Obs, photos etc.

With the part time one I have it once every two weeks to make up.

Both go back and forth on a Daily basis and I have found combining the two encourages the parents to add comments etc but at the least initial to confirm they have seen it every day so Ofsted can see there is a daily sharing of information.

I will say there are odd days if we have been very busy that I don't get a chance to write in them and they don't go home. If this happens I feed back at collection and fill in the books after work. I do warn parents this can sometimes happen and my first concern is the care of their children not filling in books.

I would never agree to feed back daily photos ever.

[bunyip]

@Rickysmiths

Out of interest, how many days does your full-timers' diary last? £15 is a lot for a diary unless it has a good few pages in it.

That said, I notice the pacey one is now £16 to non-members. Even the £8 to members is far more than I'd pay unless it's a 1000 times better than the previous (NCMA) version. That was the main reason I designed my own. Still not cheap to keep printing off and binding when one considers time and materials. I now ask parents if they actually want it and use it: not all do. I also point out that the first replacement is free, after which I charge £5 if they insist on losing them on a regular basis. Not trying to cash in, but some folk don't value anything that doesn't come with a price tag.

I certainly agree this mum needs putting straight about her habit of dictating unreasonable expectations to the CM. Just hope the OP hasn't led her to believe she's entitled to this sort of pampering. Often tempting to promise too much to win a client over.

She's due a reality check and would certainly get one if she ever tried a different setting, such as our local preschool who give the parents just a single-page review once a year. Then there's the nursery who one of my mindees used to go to: they kept no written records of him and took no photos at all. In fact, mum is due for a shock when her little darling starts school and finds she's lucky is she gets a single sentence in their 'reading record book' each week, alongside the ubiquitous letter politely requesting parents stop abandoning their cars at the school gate twice a day. As for photographs, she'd better be prepared to shell out about £15 for a single print or £30+ for a pack, whenever the local cr4ppysnaps photographer (you know, the sad loner with the cuddly bunny, lots of lighting and a CRB check which belies his large collection of 'glamour' mags indoors ) does the rounds of educational establishments.

Come to think of it, maybe the OP should offer to print and deliver every evening.....................@£15 per print, plus the cost of the motorcycle courier.

See..... there's always a simple solution.