PIxie Dust and Advice- Starting my Own Daycare

[MaryPoppinsFan]

:mickey:Good Morning,
I have been laid off since Janaury and since the market for telecommunication workers is pretty bad in Michigan I have taken the steps to open my own daycare. I worked in our school one for awhile and I am now baby-sitting a 7 month old boy from there. A few other parents have approached me and since I love kids I thought I would give it a whirl.
So I'm asking for pixie dust that it goes smoothly and that I'm making the right decision (my heart says I am). and .....
does anyone else out there have a home daycare, or take your kids to one? if so how do you do it, and if you take your kids what do you like or dislike about it?

Thanks!!!!

[disneydeb]

There is always a need for good quality daycare! I applaud your decision. Get in touch with your state for guidelines, people there can be a great help to you!

[OhToodles!]

My DS goes to an in-home sitter. He's 9.5 months and has been there since he was 7 weeks old. I like that it's a more personal and intimate surrounding for him since he is young. He gets more attention (I believe at least) there than I think he would at a large day care center. I believe in my home state (MO) you can have up to 4 kids (not including your own) if you're not licensed, but can have more if you are licensed. So far so good - we haven't had any problems and will continue to send him there until school age most likely.

Good Luck!

[wdwgrl377]

I agree with DisneyDeb on this too.

Sending :pixie: :pixie: for all to work out! And for you to come in contact with the right people to help you get started! :mickey:

[Mickey'sGirl]

Good luck Lisa! :pixie:

My children have been in Daycare since they were 6 mos old, and I year old. We have tried home daycares, Montessori schools, formal building daycares and "Organized" home daycare...and home daycare has worked best for our kids.

My advice is to be as up front and honest about everything. The more open the relationship, the better off it will be for everyone. Prepare a formal paper outlining your weekly rates. If the amount goes up when school is out, then let the parents know before the fact. Give plenty of advance notice for your own vacation time and days off needed. You will find that several families will plan their time around yours.

The lady who has been minding our kids since DS10 was 4 treats them like her own. They get time outs and hugs just like they would at home. She does not like to cook, and uses a lot of prepared foods in her home. I do not expect her to arrange her household's habits around mine, so she provides the snacks, and I prepare and send lunches for my boys. This way I know what they have had, and it works for us.

I wish you all the best. Our provider and her family have become wonderful friends to us, and great additional supports to our children. I wish for you the same experience!

[AZ Disney]

I have two boys that have been in home daycare since about 5 months old. It has been a great experience for all of us. The first in CA, she had been doing it for many years and had the perfect set-up and was licensed. She and I became very good friends, but with the daycare was always business and I always followed all the rules for payments, vacations etc. Like one PP mentioned she would give us her vacation schedule well in advance and we would usually try to plan our vacations accordingly. My oldest is now 9.5 and we still go back to visit her when we're in the area.

The second was when we moved to AZ, and was looking for care for my youngest. I was really struggling on finding care as I really didn't have a network here. It was literally the Friday before I was suppose to start work the next week and I still hadn't found care that I was comfortable with. Got the mail, and there was an ad in our communities newsletter for a home daycare. There was an instant connection with her (can't really explain it), but I knew this was it. The connection between you and your parents is very important. She was just starting out and was not licensed. She quickly got up to speed with contracts and schedules and all that stuff. Her business is thriving from referrals and it was a very sad day when my youngest left for pre-school last month. Again, our friendship was seperate and we always kept the daycare as business. She never had to ask me for payment etc. She has had some trying times with families that never paid on time and dropped off early and picked up late.
I've been very fortunate to have found two very loving, business oriented women that took wonderful care of my boys while I worked outside the home. I think as long as you have good families attending your daycare that you'll love having your own business.
Good Luck.

[tinkerbellybutton]

There is always a need for good quality daycare! I applaud your decision. Get in touch with your state for guidelines, people there can be a great help to you!


I also agree, There is such a need for people who actually care. We owe the wonderful daycare that Carter was in so many thanks. :pixie: What a great job, I hope things work out for you!

[Disney Doll]

I would say to put everything in writing so parents know your expectations. My mom used to do home day care. She loved the kids, but dealing with the parents was sometimes a pain. Parents tend to take more advantage when you are running a business out of your home. They would show up early without warning, pick up late without any notification, forget to pay on time, etc. You could never get away with stuff like that at a center, but somehow people just think of it differently when it's a home provider. You really have to stand up for yourself and take steps to prevent this kind of behavior by being very clear about your rules up front. Best of luck to you!!

[MaryPoppinsFan]

Thanks for all the words of encouragement. Its great to hear so many good experiences with home daycare. A teacher from our school used to run one so she is wakling me through the whole the process. It's liek having my own personal guide.
I'm very excited about teh whole thing, and I can't wait to get started. I'll let everyone know how it goes and with any luck we'll be heading to Disney next June when my son graduates from 8th grade.
:mickey:

[RALPH]

Make sure you talk to an accountant and attorney regarding business structure for liability protection , and taxes. They are intertwined. Also a good insurance agent.

The tax rules for writing off your home as a business for a day care center are pretty complex, so good guidance here is a must.

[ElenitaB]

Good luck with your new business! I had a terrible experience when my son was in home daycare but from your posts, it's clear that you won't be anything like the woman who ran the place where my DS was.

I do agree with Ralph though. It is essential that you speak to tax and legal advisors, but also an insurance agent. I bet your local small business administration could help you get started.

[tinkerbell04]

We had my DD in a home daycare situation since she was 10 weeks old, with the exception of the summers when I don't work, until she started Kindergarten last fall. I think that she received quality care and attention and wouldn't have wanted her anywhere else! So here is some :pixie: that you are making the right decision and that it all works out for you.

[conorsmom2000]

She loved the kids, but dealing with the parents was sometimes a pain. Parents tend to take more advantage when you are running a business out of your home. They would show up early without warning, pick up late without any notification, forget to pay on time, etc. You could never get away with stuff like that at a center, but somehow people just think of it differently when it's a home provider. You really have to stand up for yourself and take steps to prevent this kind of behavior by being very clear about your rules up front. Best of luck to you!!

This is exactly what I was going to say....A close friend of my family's watches kids (she's like a sister to me and I've known her since I was 2) and she puts up with a lot from some parents. She watched Conor from the time he was 6 months old until he was almost 5. She charges really, really low prices ($25 a day!) and for years it was fine. She gave us plenty of notice if she was going away, she had a great set up and for the first two years she had Conor, it was only him - so, it was total one on one interaction. She was very involved in her daughter's school (which is now Conor's school) so she used to bring him there all the time - now he gets embarrassed because all the teachers comment on how they remember him as a toddler, coloring quietly or munching on his cheerios! :blush:

But, now she watches 2 kids full time and two others part time. One parent in particular is a problem - and is what is finally causing her to raise her prices. She's watched this baby since he was an infant (he's 15 months old now) and the Mom drops him off at 7 and picks him up at 6, though, she is always late by at least 15 or 20 minutes. When you are only being charged $25 a day, and your child is there for 11 hours, I think being late is pretty rude (she gets out of work at 4:30 but runs errands and stuff after work). Karen gave her parents 6 weeks notice that she would be taking 3 days off in June to get ready for her son's HS graduation (she was chaperoning the over night party) and for her daughters 8th grade graduation (and dance). This Mom was horrified and kept asking her why she needed to be off, how could she do this to her, etc. She will show up on some days with her older daughter, without telling Karen she is coming and she is always late paying. The baby is a handful, constantly wanting to be held or he screams like crazy - and he weighed 37 lbs by his first birthday, so holding him all day isn't easy! She's even regifted Karen at Christmas (as she found out when the older daughter was there, saw the present and said "we used to have that in our house!" :blush: )

The problem for Karen is that most of the kids she watches are friends kids or friends of friends - so, some are more apt to take advantage and Karen finds it hard to tough with them. Now she's seeing that by not having stricter guidelines, she's having a hard time.

But, that's just one situation. Overall, she loves what she does. I loved knowing Conor was safe and happy - and I miss the crafts that used to come home....especially the gingerbread house she would make with him every Christmas! :D

So, I think it can be a wonderful rewarding situation - just have clear expectations for the parents.

Best of luck to you!!

[MaryPoppinsFan]

Thanks for the advice on lawyer, accountant and insurance. I sell Longaberger also so I'm pretty good with teh accounting end of it, but I will contact the rest this week.
This is something I have dreamed about doing forever. I have taught Sunday School and VBS and volunteered in our preschool so I'm good with kids. I also have a parent handbook all ready to go, outlining everything including my time off next June for a DISNEY TRIP!!!
I'm glad almost everyone has had good experiences with a home daycare. and I'm sorry for those who haven't, I think it's the best place in the world to have your kids. and I intend to treat each child like they were my own :) :baby: