Sleep time cut out by childcare.

[lilboysmum]

My DS is 4 1/2 & will start prep next year. His daycare have announced that in preparation for school transition (still 7 months away) they will be 'cutting out the children's sleep' and if you 'still prefer your child to rest we can sort out something'.

So, today is the first day... On enquiry, 'Sort out something' means if he wants to go to sleep while all the other children are running around he can lay on a mat in the corner. I am confident my son wont want to miss out on the action around him.

My friends kids in other centres don't cut out the day sleep and the neighbours kid at prep still gets rest/quiet time.

I'm off to discuss it with the director tomorrow as both my son & I will suffer consequences as he needs quiet/rest/sleep time for at least an hour a day.

So, I am interested in what other childcare centres do?

[bAaM]

I am the assistant in the preschool (pre-prep) room and have actually found in the last 4 weeks more f the kids havent been sleeping.

We have decided to do this.

Sleep rest time starts at 12:30 they all need to lay on there beds whether it be for a sleep or rest till 1:15.
The kids getting really restles can then come and do a quite activity ( paint, draw, read ect...) till 1:45 when we turn the lights on and get everyone up for afternoon activities.

Could u maybe ask if he can go into the room below at rest time for an hour so he is at least still resting??

[lilboysmum]

Hi, Thanks and yep, i thought about that and asked my son if he wanted to go to the green room to sleep, he said no and I don't think it is a good idea as children are sent to other rooms as a timeout/disciplinary type measure in our centre during the day.

I would be happy if they were still going to have rest time on their beds - sleep or not. But they have taken the beds away. If I don't have any luck with the director, i think we will move centres which is a shame, as he may just naturally cut his own sleep out and he has been there since he was 15 months, and he already has a big change coming next year.

[MummaBear03]

It's against regulation to take away the beds. They are in breach of policies set by child safety by doing that. Prep still have a rest time through the day, although it's only 20 minutes, they have beds and sheet bags so they should at childcare too. Some kids don't sleep, mine is one that won't sleep, but it still has to be provided for them to give them an opportunity to sleep.

[bubbasmum]

It is not against regulation if the beds are still located in the centre and are provided to children if they require or want to have a sleep. I am a teacher in a preschool room and i have found that come this time of year most of the children do not require a sleep and usually dont want to either. If they want a sleep they are more than welcome to have a rest in book corner or go onto a bed in another room where they do sleep.

[melbryan]

My son has been in 2 preschool's he is a little over 4. I haven't never heard of kids having sleeps, until the preschool he started today.
It says they are not forced to sleep but they can have quiet rest time. My Ds doesn't sleep at all during the day but I think quiet time is good.:sleeping:
I do find that when he sleeps in the day he is usually up to about midnight on those days so I cut it out all together. Can they set aside a room for those that need sleep as not all children need sleeps. He is like DH survives on 5 hrs a day.

[lilboysmum]

So, here's the update..... 3 days into it.

Day 1, No sleep, cranky, irritable, sensitive little boy finding it hard to get thru dinner, bath & settle for sleep.

Day 2, i insist on DS having a sleep and remind DS he will be having a sleep. So, he tells me he was in a corner with 1 other child while everybody else was doing activities.

Day 3, again remind DS & teacher that he is to have a sleep. This time on pickup, DS says he is the only one and announces he doesn't want to be the only one to have a sleep.

Rang around more friends and ours is the only centre taking the beds away, all others still have beds and rest time (sleep or not).

Looked up the regulations which are:

D1, P2, s10(b) - The program must allow, in appropriate circumstances, for supervised periods for the children to rest or sleep.

D6, s46 - 1(b)(i) - A childcare centre must have a bed with waterproof cover for each child, other than a school child, attending the centre for more than 4 hrs continuosly.

So, aside from the fact my DS still needs a rest/sleep during the day, i feel that more damage to his ego is happening by him being ostracised in the corner, I am instructing him to manage his teacher and have leftover issues from another daycare he was at when he was a baby where toddlers were allowed to run around and assault my son while he was sleeping (vampire bite to the neck drawing blood).

Thanks for putting up with my vent...

[our little treasures]

I actually didn't realise children 4 and over still have naps:confused: You obviously are not in Vic??

If your unhappy you should take it up with the director but I don't think the mat in the corner is bad, unless that is their punishment system. A corner is quiet:yes:

[UmmInayah]

I think childcare centres should do their best to cater for the needs of ALL the children, not necessarily just most.

Although it may be difficult, as one of the other BHers suggested, why don't they put him in the lower room while the others are having activities so he can rest when the other little ones rest?

It's not fair to have the other children running around when he is the only one having a sleep/rest. Of course any child is going to want to get up and play instead of sleep/rest if they don't have to.

I would definitely be speaking to the director. All children have different needs and your child is no exception.

[tyler's mum]

Im not to sure what tyler's day care does:confused: Tyler has been at her day care for 6 months if not longer and she has only ever had 4 sleeps there. She always go's to the big room when its nap time.

I think its great that they cut out the nap gets them ready for big school next year

[PinkBinkie]

I was a relief group leader in a senior kindy room last year and the group leader in charge had just stopped putting the beds out. The children still grabbed pillows if they wanted and they all had "quiet time" on the carpet.
This is what happened:
all of the children were to lie down on the carpet while relaxation music was played for 10 min or so

then books on cd were played 10-15min

then the children could look at books

then quiet activities in groups, moving from one activity to another after 5 min or so.

So, even though beds weren't put out the rest time was still well catered for.

[Jakois]

i have had 2 go through pre-prep and I think thats it is normal and quite age appropriate what your centre is doing:yes:.

Both my boys at the start of Kindy (Pre-Prep room at Daycare) had the choice of quit mat time or going to the next door (3 year old room) for a sleep. That was if they were tired at all. If not that was fine as well.
I think as the make the transition to school it is much easier for the children if thier bodies are not relying on an afternoon nap.

[lilboysmum]

Day 4 and maybe getting there. Talked to director and asked for copy of policy, policy says they will provide time for sleep or rest and it's encouraged.. nothing about cutting out sleep for older kids, also stated that it is long day care i am paying not for prep.. that is next year and a whole year for him to prepare for school.

Now I'm just annoyed at having to stamp my feet about this when the policy supports what I have been asking for.

3-5 year olds need 11-13 hrs sleep and he only gets 10 hrs at home. 8pm - 6am. So the day sleep is still important.

Starting to gather my argument for practice to be changed and have come across 2 interesting articles you might be interested in.
http://www.accessibility.com.au/news/more-injuries-sustained-by-preschool-children-who-have-insufficient-sleep

http://www.unisa.edu.au/sleep/newsandevents/default.asp#march3Toddlers and preschoolers short on sleep

(ps. hope web addresses to articles are ok)

[tyler's mum]

Tyler is lucky to sleep 10 sometimes 11 hours a nite

[OJandMe]

Wow... I WISH my boys would sleep.

They haven't been having day sleeps for nearly a year now.

In prep at the school close to us, they have a 'rest' time for 10 mins after each lunch period, to help the kids wind down.

But they don't have beds, they just all stretch out on the floor and listen to calming music... doing things like 'feeling themselves sink into the floor" etc etc etc.

They sleep about 10-11 hours a night. If I'm lucky.

[neeky]

I think childcare centres should do their best to cater for the needs of ALL the children, not necessarily just most.

Although it may be difficult, as one of the other BHers suggested, why don't they put him in the lower room while the others are having activities so he can rest when the other little ones rest?

It's not fair to have the other children running around when he is the only one having a sleep/rest. Of course any child is going to want to get up and play instead of sleep/rest if they don't have to.

I would definitely be speaking to the director. All children have different needs and your child is no exception.

As nice as it may sound to send him to the other room for sleep there are other things to consider. Like ratios... we have to stick to the correct ratios and most days in most long day care centres it would not be possible for the children the go to the younger room to sleep. There is also the fact that most kids in that age do not want to go and sleep with "the babies" (as they call them).

The regulations do state that all children have to be given suitable rest time. And if the centers policy states that sleep time is encouraged then they should be following their policy.

What are they actually doing instead of the sleep time?

[lilboysmum]

All it says across the chart is quiet activities (except for my son's spot). I'm pretty sure if they had surveyed parents or asked individual parents they would have likely got a mixed response.

They didn't ask, went against their own policy statement & made a unilateral decision without consulting parents.

I'm sure once other parents are aware they don't have to go with this decision then more will question the policy and I am confident that next year they will survey the parents first.

[StrawberryTheMilkshake]

It is actually a regulation that ALL children must be offered a rest between certain hours. DD's centre put beds out for the children, but instead of sitting and patting them now (as in earlier in the year) they read them stories. Those who fall asleep do, those who dont, dont.

Then they get up and do quiet activities but it is regulation to still have a rest time.

[dillydAlly]

This is a tricky one. As a Director I would certainly think that it is appropriate to think that the children would start cutting down on their sleeping. There will always a mixture of children who require sleep and don't want sleep. Regulatio does stipulate that children be offered a comfortable and appropriate rest time. I would defintely bring it up with the Director as staff must do their best to accomodate all children and their needs. In my centre we allowed for the children whose parents wished their children to rest and sleep and turned off a light up one end of the room and set up their beds etc.

It is highly benificial for young children to "rest" as this is when their bodies have time to re-energise for the afternoon program.

For the record. The 3 prep rooms I pick children up from offer their children sleep as well!!!!!!!!! It's really not until year one that children "don't sleep"......

I do agree that their policy states that all children should be offered a rest time and I would defintely bring this up with the director. The staff should be happy to accomodate your child's needs and infact I would be concerned for their accreditation status if they are not offering the children a "rest" time. However long that is.

In my School Readiness room we devide the room and the children who we know will not sleep, go down on their beds and read a book or do a puzzle etc then they are gotten up after half an hour. The children who are awake do "quiet activities" are encouraged to be quiet while completeing activities to accomodate their peers sleeping.

If you want your child to sleep! Demand it!!!

:( Can I also state that in previous centres we haven't "shortened sleeps" until like November.... Considering it's only July I would think that this is a little premature.

HTH

Ally

[lilboysmum]

Thanks for all your feedback and stories, they have been very helpful.

Am constructing my letter to the licensee this evening and trying to be very diplomatic.....

[MummaBear03]

My daughter hasn't had a sleep since 12 months yet i still have to send her with sheets and a sheet bag as it's part of licencing that beds must be made up for the children. Same with ABC at every ABC I've worked at, it's a family services requirement to have the bed out and made, and those children not having a rest do activities in book corner but still have to have beds out for them so they are on offer.

[lilboysmum]

Here is a copy of the letter I will be dropping off tomorrow (while DS is at Grandma's)


Dear .....,

I am writing to raise concern and request an urgent review of the recent removal of the rest/sleep period from the daily program in the preschool room.

From my perspective as a parent this practice has:

? Unilaterally, and without adequate consultation, been applied to all children in the room without strategy or research.

? Not provided a reasonable alternative for children who still require a rest/sleep period during the day.

? Resulted in a practice that is contrary to the intent of the Centre’s policy and the Child Care Regulations.

On enquiry the reasons provided have been preparing the children for prep and another parent/s has requested that their child not sleep.

My son attends Long Day Care four days per week and will attend Prep next year. The Prep year is designed to prepare my son for formal schooling, is only 6 hrs a day and many Primary schools are still providing rest/wind down periods to children attending Prep. As the term ‘Long Day Care’ indicates, it is a long day and for up to 12 hours.

Not having a sleep or rest during the day has a negative effect on his ability to cope with getting through his evening activities at home.

I have had three discussions with staff about the practice and am not satisfied that the reasons, response or arrangements in place are in the best interest of my son.

I have requested that my son continue to have a sleep/rest period during the day and this has been met with resistance and reluctance from staff, and subsequent sleep/rest arrangements that have been set up to fail.

My concerns over these arrangements are that compromises are being made with:

1. My son’s need for sleep/rest and;
2. My son’s safety, self-esteem and development.

The arrangements of having my son either alone or with one other child while his peers are undertaking activities in the same room is having a detrimental effect on his self esteem and unreasonable pressure for him to not have a sleep/rest. Quiet activities do not replace the opportunity to rest nor do they encourage my son to do so.

I have sought information from the childcare regulations, the centre’s policy, directors, teachers and parents at other centres around policies and practices for sleep/rest in the preschool room.

Specifically, the regulations say:

‘The program must—
(b) allow, in appropriate circumstances, for supervised periods for the children to rest or sleep; and
(e) be designed to nurture each child’s self-esteem, self-reliance and competence; and
(g) ensure each child’s social and cultural background is respected and valued’

Specifically, the centres policy says:

‘It is our Policy to provide time for each child to sleep or rest comfortably and safely during the day. Older children are encouraged to sleep or rest however alternative quiet activities are provided if they do not wish to do so.’

The regulations and policy imply and appear to have the intention that all children have the opportunity and are encouraged to sleep/rest on their beds.

Other centres practices, that I have been privileged to have information from, unanimously involve all children having the opportunity to rest on their beds allowing those children needing sleep to fall asleep, and those that don’t, after having a specified rest period, being provided an opportunity of a quiet activity (books, colouring, puzzles) on their beds or in another part of the room or another room. For those centres that do have a transition to prep focus, gradual reduction of day sleep is introduced later in the year.

I have attached two articles relating to the effect of reduced sleep on preschoolers that you may find of interest.

While I write this in the interests of my own son, I am confident that there are other parents who would appreciate the opportunity to be consulted, be provided with information, adequate alternatives, strategy and an opportunity to make a choice that is unbiased.

Please feel free to contact me to discuss.

Warm Regards

[lilboysmum]

So, here is the result after licensee responded to the letter.

DS can now go to another room for his rest. He is much, much happier.

Feedback survey to parents.

Beds put back out for other children to rest if they need to.

Teachers on their toes (one is miraculously much more interactive with parents.. yeehaa).

[SalTheGal]

Wow, I just wanted to say what a well written letter!! And great news on the response too.

[sweetsugardumplin']

Fantastic letter :yelclap:

So glad your DS can rest without feeling like he's missing out.

You go girl ;)