Blog 1: Summer Mentorship Component

Literal (Know)

Contact information: 

Day Care Center: Castaneda Family Child Care

Owner: Ms. Maria Castañeda 

Phone #: (626) 962-2006

Log of Hours (spreadsheet)

Literal (Need to Know)

Questions that were raised:

• What sorts of extra classes should a person take if they want to care for children with special needs?
• How much paperwork is required before starting a day care center?
• What forms are routinely required to fill out about the day care for the government?
• What are some ways to keep the children entertained, other than just playing with them?
• How much of the money the parents pay to keep their children in the day care is kept by the owner?
• Does it differ by how employees the owner has?
• Are there fees needed to pay to the government for running a day care?

Interpretive

I think the most important thing I gained from this experience is that there is a lot more to taking care of a child than is let on. It really takes a lot of energy and patience to manage a child. You have to be extremely patient with a child, but you also have to be stern when need be, and it really is a lot of work.

Applied

What I did this summer for my ten hours, has made me lean to child care/development to be my senior topic. Playing with the children and talking with them was really a lot of fun, even though tiring, and I just want to know what the best ways of caring for a child are when they are not at home. Having two nieces that I often babysit has also contributed to my interest in this topic. There is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that has to be done before caring for children full-time, and my mentorship experience has piqued that interest.