Feedback

Have you ever taken a survey? Of course you have. Was it because you were extremely satisfied with the product/service? or extremely dissatisfied? We all tend to answer surveys when we didn't have that great of an experience, or maybe the experience absolutely blew your mind!

As I work in a field that uses surveys a lot for the accounts I manage, I report back to them the customer's experience. I report this back in a positive way and try to spin it and provide tips on how to improve if it was not a good experience for the customer. Now, I believe in karma and I believe in having a positive attitude. For the past 12 months, we have not been having a very good experience with Didi's childcare center. I give the center props for being better than others as it is clean and pretty safe, but there are a few things that are pretty questionable. I've been providing consistent feedback to the center and they have improved - they've actually improved for the entire center (not just her classroom) being that I brought up a Peanut Safe zone, following state ratios, and not dropping my 1 year old off in the 6 year old's classroom or the lobby (unsafe!). It has been a steady and slow improvement, but it's annoying because I expected more, I expected better of them and not to have to try to manage them and remind them of state law (can you tell I work in this field yet?).

At any rate, I am not that type of parent to sit back and ignore it, I actually speak up and I have involved the regional director at times. I don't do it in a mean way, I always speak to the director or teacher in person. I explain the situation such as "I understand that the policy to change diapers is every 2 hours, Didi's diaper wasn't changed for 4 hours yesterday. If you could please watch this as she had a really bad diaper rash last night, that would be great. Especially since they are cloth diapers too". Nothing horrible like "hey idiot! my child cried all through dinner and wouldn't eat because her ass was on fire from you leaving a soaking wet diaper on her all f-ing day!!" See the difference?

LOL

So once a year they send out a parent survey. Last year when Didi started, they had already had the results in from the survey and they put up a sign out front "100% Satisfaction from all parents!!" Um, yah, NO ONE ever gets 100% on a survey, I'm pretty certain about that. This year I got to participate in the survey. I kind of spilled it all, I mean I listed almost everything we would like to see improved. I tried to balance it with some things that are great like the hours they are open, convenient location, activities for the kids. But unfortunately there was just too much. Dan and I are actually thinking of changing centers for Didi.

I felt bad for being so negative, but I did do it in a professional way and didn't call anyone names, you know, like Idiot! I expressed concerned to Dan that this might come back to us in karma, but how are things supposed to change and evolve? Feedback is essential or no one would ever know if something is wrong / right, safe / not safe, etc. Right? Ugh, it's just me over thinking it, but its my child! I have to stick up for Didi, and her safety and happiness are my first concern.

Still seeking the positive and seeing it everyday,
Swimming in this Sea of Life,
La Sirena