When I was involved in "direct care", I had the same recurring thought year after year as I dug my car out of the mile high snow drifts, "WHY did I not study elementary education?"
I would clench my jaw as my public school teacher friends exclaimed, "I can't believe you had to be out on the roads today!"
So what got me through the more than 15 winters I spent in the field? I knew that the early childhood community was performing an essential service by opening it's doors to children even on the snowiest of days. Even though we would only see about 1/4 of our families on a typical snow day, those parents absolutely had to work. They did not have the luxury of taking the day off and if we were not willing, able, and ready to welcome the children into our homes and schools, the stability of the entire family could be in jeopardy.
So, I did what the vast majority of you all did this morning. I got up extra early, made a large cup of hot chocolate (in a to go mug), scraped off my car, and made the slow journey to the center. Once the walkways were shoveled, parking lot plowed, doors were unlocked, and the lights were turned on, it was just like any other day!
Thank you for the energy and excitement you brought to the early childhood classroom today!
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