When starting something new, it feels really natural to want to name that something. I like to describe things like I'm wrapping up a little present in my brain and handing it over to someone else's brain.
Language is funny when describing new things, though. Sometimes there just isn't a good word. Some words have baggage. Some words mean different things when translated across different cultures.
I put posters up around Bridport a few weeks ago advertising the opening of a Daycare. MY daycare. As soon as I hit print, I hated the way they looked. Not because of the design this time. Mostly because some parts of my ideas always feel like they get lost when I have to cherry-pick short phrases in order to advertise. I'm bad at advertising. I would much rather sit across the table from someone for an hour and discuss our interdependence. But that makes for a really crummy poster design.
I also added Unschool to the posters. I was hoping I'd yell into the void and the ears of some neighborhood unschoolers would perk up and hear my call. Instead I got an email asking for clarification. The truth is, one email can't sum up what unschooling or Unschooling is. Not one that I can write, anyway. So I've been chewing on that email as I've been moving furniture and building out the Bonus Room space. Here is the response I've come up with. (Apologies for the delay, Bin Bin!)
This isn't really a daycare. Not like the ones I've ever worked in. I don't expect your child to arrive immaculately dressed within a 30 minute grace period. I don't want to penalize your family if you decide to vacation at a random time. I don't want adults to feel like they aren't welcome to walk all the way through the door. Instead, I want families to look forward to drop-off. Goodbyes and transitions are hard enough for little folks. What if instead of rushing through check-in, caregivers were able to pop in for a coffee? A muffin? Hell, show up in your pajamas if it makes the morning easier. I don't blame you. Waking up is hard. I can help littles get changed when they're ready, and caregivers can skip one more battle and focus on bittersweet goodbyes.
I don't think this is really a co-op. In a perfect world, we all work for places with family-centric hours where time-banking and pulling a shift at the daycare works and makes sense. Some adults also really value the continuing education offered in co-op care centers. Some of us don't have the luxury. Any luxury. I don't actually care where you're going when you hand your child to me. You're an adult and I trust that if you need time to do something without your child, it's because it's important to you and you should have that support. Going to work? I trust you need to. Hitting the spa? FILL YOUR CUP. Need a minute? Take what you need. I want caregiver involvement in Bonus Room to be a pleasure and I'm brainstorming some panels and events to bring community through soon.
But what about unschooling? I write here about how unschooling has worked for my kids and I. We value the flexibility. But the label doesn't always fit everyone. I don't expect everyone to dive deep into radical education reform. We all get to have our special interests! I linked Idzie's blog above, but Akilah S. Richards is also much better at walking folks through these rabbit holes. Oh yea, and Blake Boles. I don't expect families who need care to commit to a lifetime of decentralized learning. That's just what has worked for us.
What do I really want to call this place? I would love to be able to build a Self-Directed Learning Center. Creating a private school would mean whole families could be involved with the direction Bonus Room takes. It would mean older siblings could join younger siblings for the day without the runaround to find care coverage for everyone. It could also mean that caregivers could bring their laptops and find a space to get some work done while staying close to their kids. It could mean year-round scheduling, family directed vacation times, and the flexibility to grow community around life-long learning. Yes. That's the dream.
I've only been hosting kids in the space for two days, and I've already moved furniture around. But that's just how this experiment is going to go. I'm learning what works. I'm learning what doesn't. I'm learning that even after a week of waking up at 3:30am with anxiety sweats that I'm still as pumped as ever to move forward with Bonus Room. I'm excited to welcome you all soon.