Child care allows peace of mind at Shakespearean Festival
But, that's what I was faced with when I covered the Utah Shakespearean Festival a few weeks ago. I went to Cedar City for the week and took my mom along to help take care of Baby Love (my nickname for our bundle of joy). Not wanting Mom, who so generously agreed to come along on this "working vacation," to be trapped in the hotel the whole trip (and wanting her to see "Cyrano de Bergerac") it was time to bite the bullet and consider child care.
Like most first-time moms, I worried that my baby might have moments where she could fuss more than other babies. I worried that there would be some teenager at her wits' end not knowing how to quiet this screaming kid (or any of the others I was envisioning). I worried that poor Baby Love would be scared without a familiar face around.
I instantly felt at ease as a woman, a mom herself, answered the door and I saw another "mom" pushing a toddler in a stroller, back and forth, over and over again simply because "that's what works."
Where are the frazzled teenagers? Where are all the screaming kids? Where are the dirty surroundings?
Not here.
The clean little house had kids of all ages, playing, making crafts, sleeping or getting pushed in the stroller.
Kris Cooley, who has worked at the festival child care for "26 years, or something like that," received a call from festival founder Fred Adams "when I was younger. He asked me if I could tend kids at my house."
That was when the child care was just getting started. Now, they have their own house, they're licensed, and they've been allowing parents a night off to enjoy theater without worry.
"The kids have a good time, they love to play," Cooley said. "Our advantage is, they've usually just had a long drive and they're staying in a motel. We have a lot of space and toys, and they can come run around and play."
I went on a tour of their facility, including the miniature bathroom — complete with a toddler-sized toilet for those tiny potty-training legs — and loved what I saw.
The front room of the house is for infants and toddlers. Rocking chairs and age-appropriate toys lined the sunlit room.
Recent comments
Ms. Hansen's mom might just have seen this as an opportunity to spend…
Grandpa | July 24, 2008 at 1:25 p.m.
I have also used the Shakespeare Festival babysitting service. It…
Anonymous | July 21, 2008 at 10:18 p.m.
I remember taking my (now nineteen years old) son to the childcare…
Satisfied Mom | July 21, 2008 at 4:06 p.m.
