7 Ways to Deal with Stress in Family Childcare

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Do you work in a high-stress job? Family childcare is one of the highest burnout jobs there is. Childcare is a very hard job, but one of the most important ones in the world. Taking care of yourself and dealing with stress in family childcare is a high priority for a successful daycare career when running your home daycare.

For more daycare tips for providers, check this out.

Stress in Family Childcare

A few weeks ago I asked my fellow childcare providers what they could not live without. One provider said Pepsi and chocolate. I totally agree having a vice of some kind is helpful to manage stress in family childcare. And you have to know your limits as a home daycare provider.

One time at a childcare conference, a presenter said childcare was the second-highest burnout rate job there is. The first is disarming nuclear bombs. Dealing with a whole group of different children and parents can be stressful, and a lot of the stress involved is in the way you handle it. Click here to see more about the effects of stress on the body.

Late pick-ups, late payments, unreasonable requests, not calling if the kids won’t be there, and other things parents see as no big deal make a huge difference in the stress level of the provider.

Sometimes people think because we work at home, we don’t have a life outside our job. We are human, we are flawed, we have different cultures, but most of us do our best to provide good care.

Stress management in childcare

Another thing that makes the job super high stress in Oklahoma is DHS regulations. No, not Department of Homeland Security, DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES. They add rule after rule after rule constantly, some of which is a huge time drain, and some of which are seemingly pointless.

I know they add them because someone made it necessary, but the paperwork involved in family childcare is STAGGERING! In fact, 10 years ago when a friend and I started a family childcare organization in this community, we had 90 home daycares in town, today there are 28!

It’s so stressful many people have just quit. So what happens to all the babies? Who will take care of them? Many times I think unlicensed providers just open up. But there is some protection for children in the licensing process. Licensed providers aren’t always better than unlicensed, but some of the rules are good. You have to have a balance to have stress management in childcare.

For instance CPR/first aid training requirements. So is that the best thing for our community’s children? Maybe not. But the chaos that is being licensed is stressful.

Stress in early childhood teachers

As providers, the best way we can continue to take care of others is to take care of ourselves. Remember the flight attendant on the airplane advising parents to get themselves oxygen before they put the mask on their kids? So true.

If you are spent, you have nothing to give the children in your life. What are some ways to reduce stress in any person’s life?

Avoiding burnout in childcare

The biggest way to reduce stress in family childcare is to be PREPARED! If you hate mornings, take a few minutes the night before to lay out your clothes, make your lunch and get your things together that you need for work.

For me, when I don’t organize what I need for the day, my day starts off feeling stressed because I can’t find what I need or am running behind. It takes just a few minutes of preparation to avoid the catch-up game all day the next day. You are totally worth it!

Eating good food helps stress management in childcare because it helps you have the energy to do everything you need to do. It also helps you think more clearly and reduces illnesses that slow you down in your busy life. You can make small changes to get there like adding fruit to your breakfast and a veggie at lunch.

You don’t have to go from no fruits and vegetables to 9 servings a day overnight. Just strive to do better. I used to think eating vegetables at breakfast was weird, but now I usually have some sort of vegetable in the mornings. Right now because the garden is overflowing, I have tomatoes and cucumbers with my morning meal every day.

My family still thinks it’s gross, and they don’t partake, but that’s okay, I know I’m doing something good for me. Making sure you eat regularly is important as well. Sometimes we skip meals due to busy schedules but you are much more productive when you have a good meal three times a day.

Get plenty of sleep. Staying up late might be fun at the time, but a miserable day the entire next day is not worth it. Try your best to get 8 hours a night. If you can’t, just get as many as possible. The whole world looks better when you’re rested.

Take care of you

Drinking plenty of water helps you have the energy to face the day. Limiting caffeine, sugars, and processed foods keep your mind and body running at optimal performance as well. As I said, small steps toward health make a big difference.

Get moving. Some type of exercise will help reduce stress, enhance your mood, and give you the energy to carry you through your tasks. Make an effort to move in a purposeful way at least 20-30 minutes each day. I know you’re busy, but dance with the kids, pick weeds in the garden, vacuum the whole house, or walk around the block. You have to make time for you.

Spiritual health to reduce stress

Spending time with God is a big stress reducer. He’s my best friend. I know He loves me madly. The time I spend worshiping Him and talking to Him reduce stress in my life exponentially. I have read several studies showing prayer time brain activity matching that of rest. So physically it has been proven that prayer is calming. Prayer and meditation are an important part of your health.

Finally, take some time to do something that makes you happy. If you love cooking, or making jewelry, or skydiving, whatever it is, take the time to do something that simply brings you pleasure. I have several hobbies I enjoy, but when I fell in love with gardening, it had some amazing effects on my mental and physical health. Whatever it takes to reduce stress in family childcare.

For me, it’s been the best stress management in childcare thing I’ve ever done. Sometimes I would get frustrated if it wasn’t perfect, but then I decided to let God take care of it and nature has balanced out. Some things we lose to pests but I just know those things weren’t meant to be. We have only so much time and weeding and harvesting take all of it, so the rest is what it is. Our Little Sprouts garden is not perfect.

How to reduce stress in daycare

Taking time for yourself for fun, being silly and vacations is a MUST to keep from burning out in childcare.

Daycare provider stress

Burnout is common. Taking the time to make sure you de-stress will help you in every area of your life. Like my friend Sharica always says, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Make yourself a priority. For goodness sake, take some time off during the year and lower your stress in family childcare.

Take care of you, and you will have so much more to give the world. It needs you. This world is a mess and so many people are unhappy, ungiving, and uncaring. Be the change you want to see. Make a difference in your own life so you can help to change this world.

Click here to see how to avoid burnout.