At Mother's Day Out programs, everyone wins

This is a very exciting time of year!

And it’s not because of the promise of warmer weather, St. Patty’s day parties, or aisles and aisles of Easter candy at your local grocery store. No, the end of February is exciting for another reason altogether.

It’s time to register those little ones for a Mother's Day Out program.

Let me explain. I love spending time with my kids. Yes, they are crazy little people with a special ability to drive me crazy, but I just love the heck out of ‘em.  But the fact of the matter is, they suck the productivity right out of me.

As a part-time worker from home and a full-time mommy, I can’t accomplish much of anything when my kiddos are at the house.  Even if I didn’t have any paid work to complete, I would still struggle to get the house clean, run errands, and schedule doctors’ appointments (oh, and retain a small amount of my sanity), without a small break.

Enter the Mother's Day Out program, of which there are many in this area (see list here). These school-like programs are short (about four to five hours a day), and a child can be enrolled anywhere from one to five days a week. Unlike daycare, MDO programs have fixed drop-off and pick-up times, much like a formal preschool, as well as a set curriculum and a calendar that reflects the school year.  Some accept students as young as three months, and most programs go up to four years of age.

Why is this good for me? Well, I can complete my work without worrying about someone waking up from naptime, and I can manage to keep the house marginally clean without my baby chewing on electrical cords while I accomplish my tasks. Best of all, I can run errands without the toddler bringing me a toy every two minutes, saying, “Mommy, I need this.”

But that’s not the only reason I endorse these programs. In fact, this year I’ve had my baby at home, so my productivity has suffered as I dedicate a good portion of my toddler’s MDO day to playing things like "peek-a-boo" with the baby. But the value of the program is not diminished.

Becky Scharf, director of Stepping Stones MDO in Edmond, says it best.  MDO programs teach children “to get along with other children, the value of sharing, and a sense of independence while venturing out on their own for a few hours a day.” In addition, she explains the programs are excellent for jumpstarting a child’s education.

All I can say is, I’m sold. So I’ll be getting the kiddos all signed up, ready for another year of meaningful fun and a chance for me to take a breath and say: “Everything will get done.”