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A click away Every day during the week, Farrah Williams drops her 4-year-old son, David, off at Children's Castle daycare center in Jacksonville and heads to her job 48 miles away in New Bern. Like most moms, Williams worries about David when she is away from him. But in spite of the distance that separates mother and son, Williams can check on her child any time that she wants. Thanks to a camera, known as GuardianCam, tucked away in the corner of every one of the eight classrooms in the daycare center, all Williams has to do is log onto the Internet and type in a password whenever she wants to see David. "I absolutely love it," says Williams, who works in the human resources department at the Sun Journal. "On my morning break, I go on and watch him. I think it is encouraging that Children's Castle thinks enough of parents to have the GuardianCam. It shows me they are trustworthy as opposed to other daycares that don't have an open-door policy. With GuardianCam, you can watch the children and the teachers." Video cameras in classrooms aren't a new concept for daycares. Many have had them for years. But they have been set up so children could be monitored from the office in the daycare center and so parents could make sure a crying child was OK before they left for a day of work. Children's Castle has had video cameras since June 1993, but Diane Rosado, the owner of the daycare, says she wanted to give parents more and had GuardianCam installed in August. "We try to do everything we know so parents can feel at ease," she says. "I've always tried to keep updated on all the new technology." With 145 children ranging in age from 8 months to 12 years, the addition has made a difference to parents who have chosen to leave their children in care at the four-star facility. "I think it is really good," says Deborah Harcher, who works at Camp Lejeune as a contractor and leaves a 2- and a 5-year old at the center. Although she likes being able to check on her kids, she also likes knowing she can check on their caretakers as well. "When people know they are being watched, they tend to be more cautious. You don't feel like you are leaving your kids alone in a room," she says, noting that she also enjoys watching her children interact with others. "It is nice to see how your kids act with other kids when you are not around." Barbara Taylor of Jacksonville logs onto the Internet to watch her 4-year-old son whenever she gets the chance. She says the camera system isn't great with details but because she knows what her son is wearing, she can usually quickly pick him out from his classmates. "It gives you a sense of security," she says. "If you log on and look at the kids, you can't see them up close as far as every facial movement but you can tell if they aren't feeling good. You can tell if their day is going OK." Williams' mother lives in Lenoir and she often logs onto the Internet to watch her grandson. "My mother goes on three or four times a day, and she can see how he is doing," says Williams, whose husband is in the military. "It will be very encouraging when my husband goes overseas. He'll be able to watch (David) during that time as well." Williams' mother has access to the GuardianCam view because every parent is allowed to give their code out to five people. If a person doesn't have a code, they don't have access to the system, Rosado says. "We have gotten a lot of positive feedback," Rosado says, although most parents don't even ask if they have such a system when they enroll their children in daycare. "I think they are impressed, but it is so new that they never heard of it before. But once they get into it, they say it is great." Parents aren't the only ones who have peace of mind when they leave their children at Children's Castle. Rosado also feels good about the service GuardianCam provides for everyone. "I have just felt like all daycares have been given a bad rap because of the bad ones out there," she says. "This is something we can do to show parents that we are doing everything we can to provide quality daycare." Roselee Papandrea can be reached by e-mail at rpapandrea@jdnews.com or at 353-1171, Ext. 238. By Roselee Papandrea |
