Hello! I’m Ashlee Zimmermann, a 3rd grade teacher in the Glencoe-Silver Lake school district. I have a spunky, energetic, and busy-busy-busy 3-year-old daughter. Children of Tomorrow has been an amazing daycare center to send our little Miss K to while my husband and I are at work. She has made great friends and amazing connections with the wonderful staff. Speaking of how wonderful Children of Tomorrow is, that brings me to…SUMMER! I’m a teacher, so summer is a very exciting time of year!!
I think we can all agree that whether you are a working parent or a stay-at-home parent, life is busy. As a teacher, I’m a working mom 9 months out of the year and a stay-at-home mom for 3 months. To be honest, they’re both such great gigs and incredibly rewarding, but they’re both extremely exhausting. By the end of the school year I’m ready to be home with my sweet girl for the summer, but by the end of the summer I’m craving the school year routine. The feeling of ‘mom guilt’ has been all too real for me when it comes to summer. In previous years I found I would only send my daughter to daycare in the summer when I absolutely needed to, regardless of Children of Tomorrow being within arm’s reach for a day to myself. This year I have a change of heart and I hope you will too. Send my child to daycare when I’m fully capable of keeping her home?! Yes…and I am not feeling guilty about it. This summer I have vowed to myself to take at least a day or two a week to “catch up” and not feel any shame. My darling daughter will head to Children of Tomorrow where she will play, laugh, and go on all sorts of adventures with her friends and teachers while I “catch up.” I’ll catch up with friends, catch up on missed date days with my husband, catch up on laundry, catch up on naps, or even catch up on the latest binge worthy Netflix show. At the end of the day, I know that I’ll be eager to pick her up from Children of Tomorrow and she’ll be eager to play ‘just a little bit longer’ with her friends and teachers. Our car ride home will be filled with the chattiness of my toddler telling me all about her wonderful day, who she played with, and what silly story her teacher told her or craft that they did. The summer socialization is great for her and days to “catch up” are great for me. Whether you’re a teacher off work for the summer or a parent that is looking to take a day off of work, consider using that day to “catch up.” Children of Tomorrow will handle keeping your child busy having fun and I’m sure you have a lot to “catch up” on to fill your day, just like I do. Happy parents make great parents, so give yourself a break and don’t feel a bit of guilt about it.
Children of Tomorrow Learning Centers provide drop in care at all four locations based on center availability. Visit our website at childrenoftomorrow.com or reach any of our directors by location at:
Chanhassen| Angel 952-448-7829
Carver| Chelsey 952-466-2603
Waconia| Ashley 952-443-9900
Norwood| Carla 952-467-2610