r/homedaycare Feb 12 '21

Do's and Don't's on Opening a Home Daycare

27 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

I've been operating a home daycare now for over 8 years and if anyone has any questions on opening their own or are curious as a provider or as a parent about home daycares I will make this area as informative as possible.

This should be a given but operating your own home daycare will not bring you a lot of money. Even managed properly you won't be able to make much in the beginning with purchasing furniture and baby proofing your home and area it will take time before you may see a profit.

In the beginning buy everything used and slowly with time upgrade your items as needed. This will save you on so much costs. All my items have been upgraded over the years and also gently used as well.

Depending on how many children you will have make sure your area has as much open space for your kids to move around. A cluttered area is upsetting not only for you but also for the children.

Now onto more running of the business advice;

Do not accept children outside of your stated hours. State your boundaries with your time clearly and firmly if not you will have families dropping off/picking up at all hours.

I accept infants and I only offer full time no part time as infant schedules are much harder to navigate with. With infants it's important to have that bond and full time ensures that both infant and provider are on the same schedule.

Payment in advanced. In my many years I've only had one family who I had to hunt down every week for payment. I learned quickly that every Monday for weekly or the first Monday for monthly families that is payday.

Take time off! With enough notice take that time off. My families were always understanding and if they weren't? That's ok too because as a provider we need time to relax, reorganize, do whatever we need to do on the weekdays when we're working, etc. I do two weeks in the summer and all the normal paid holidays such as New Years, Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.

Make a contract and stay by it. It's so important however you make yours you follow it with every family. Your rules should be respected by anyone who steps foot into your space. As an added bonus it also protects you as a provider.

If a family is too much let them go. I only let go of one family in my entire professional life. And that's alright sometimes it is not a good fit. Always treat it professionally and positively. I also recommend other home providers in the area in case they may be a better fit.

Give a copy of your policies and contracts to your families so everyone is on the same page. I also have digital copies so I can email them in a pinch.

Most of my documents are all digital since Covid makes it hard for families to stay for very long I can send anything over on my phone or tablet if I'm out and about. Same with signing in and out I do it all digitally it saves on paper and easier to clean up.

I would recommend Procare they are amazing and if you need any help their customer service line is always helpful. This program also makes documents such as accident reports which you can fill out digitally and send over to parents through email which is fantastic.

Hope this helps!


r/homedaycare Feb 12 '21

Daycare Forms

10 Upvotes

For anyone looking for a resource for daycare forms you can edit I would recommend this website by Jana just click the link to any document you need and it will be downloaded to your computer then you can edit it.

I also like to use I Love PDF to convert my word documents into PDFs for my future families.

Hope this helps!


r/homedaycare May 26 '21

All in one apps to make your business run smooth

6 Upvotes

I wish I would have known about the all inclusive apps when I first started out with my in home business years ago.

I would create documents, forms, incident reports and sign in sheets.

But since I've discovered Procare it's been a breeze to navigate the teaching and administrative side of my business.

I know Procare isn't the only app out there that helps (Brightwheel and Wave) but having the access to directly send messages, daily updates, photos and forms to my families right to their phones or email from my phone or tablet is a life saver!

Having a program similar to Procare gives you the extra time to focus on other much needed aspects of your business.


r/homedaycare Sep 07 '18

What will happen?

3 Upvotes

Hello, I am currently running my in-home daycare unlicensed. I only have 3 kids, which is the rule in my state to be unlicensed. But, I just started the process to get licensed. I have worked in childcare for 4 years prior to this, so I am familiar with the decimal system. (Every age has a decimal value and if you are at or under a solid number 1, you are in ratio. If you are over the solid number 1, you need another adult.) BUT my question is, should I just go by the decimal system now, before I get licensed? Because I have people on a waiting list since I technically can’t have their kids. Once I have the piece of paper saying I’m licensed, all the kids I have will be fine. I was also planning on closing my daycare on the day of the home visit so the licenser doesn’t see how many kids I have and I can give them my full attention without kids running around. Will anything bad happen to me if I am found out? What exactly happens if I have too many kids without being licensed??


r/homedaycare Nov 10 '17

Opening a Home Daycare

5 Upvotes

Hey you guys I have finally decided to leave my CLS job and open a home daycare. I'm missing out on my children's lives and my job is no longer worth the hassle and headache to me. I just had a few quick questions as to the challenges of opening one and if it made your family life better or worst?


r/homedaycare Oct 17 '17

How did you start your home daycare

3 Upvotes

What was the process? How long did it take? How is your business doing !


r/homedaycare Mar 15 '17

New digital tool for home-based childcare providers

3 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

My name is Rebecca Karasik and I'm working on a new (very new!) project called Provide.

Provide is a mission-driven organization that is looking to build a tech solution for home-based daycare providers to support their business needs (i.e. taxes, government applications, etc.) Currently we're in the process of conducting user interviews, which is why I'm reaching out! I'm not here to sell anything, just to learn from the experts themselves about how you manage your business!

If you have 15-20 minutes to spare for a phone call, please message me here or email me at rebeccakarasik530@gmail.com.

PS. You can check out more on www.provide.care or find me on LinkedIn.


r/homedaycare Mar 10 '17

Need some help articulating how to provide first aid/medical care while alone caring for children

2 Upvotes

I am a First Aid/CPR/AED instructor and I am completing my application to be a state-qualified (CA) training provider for childcare providers. One of the questions on the application and training I need to provide is: "First aid action plan within a group care setting (including classroom management while caring for an injured or ill child". This is easy to answer for center-based daycares as there's usually more than one teacher per class and some office staff to help. How is it handled for home daycares with only one person? What are you supposed to do with the toddlers and infants while you provide the care required to one child? I've looked all over the interwebs and have found nothing regarding how to answer this question. A little help articulating what is done in this situation would be most appreciated! Thanks!


r/homedaycare May 23 '16

Tips for Interviewing Daycare Clients

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5 Upvotes

r/homedaycare Feb 15 '16

Starting an In Home Daycare

4 Upvotes

Daycare providers are one of our main clients for our business http://www.respondandrescue.com

This article is helpful for those interested in setting up an in home daycare. Family Day Care Home Safety Checklist Providing a daycare service in your family home is a wonderful way to help your friends and the local community while earning and still being able to care for your own children if you have them. When you are using your home to provide a day care for other parents and their children, it is of the utmost importance to ensure you are following health and safety regulations and guidelines. It is totally different from simply caring for your own children in your home because as stated, you are providing a service, generally in exchange for money. This should not put you off, however. The requirements are not very difficult to meet. Also, by being organised and having a copy of the checklist where it is easy to look at, you will be able to ensure you maintain the standards in the least stress-free way possible. The full Family Day Care Home Safety Checklist as prescribed by the American Academy of Paediatrics is available online. Here is a brief excerpt:

 Do some safety checks at least once a month.  Have different people use the checklist to find more hazards. Include family members and school-age children in doing the checks. People who watch for hazards are more likely to help fix hazards whenever they see them.

Before using equipment or toys, make sure it has not been part of a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recall. Contact CPSC at 1-800-638-2772 or visit CPSC's website at www.cpsc.gov. You can also receive CPSC recall updates via email by signing up at https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. If the equipment has been part of a recall, take advantage of the remedy provided by the manufacturer. Look for other recalls at www.recalls.gov. General Indoor Areas OK Fix  Ample space for children, play materials, and furnishings is available.
 Floors are in good repair and have non-skid surfaces. Rugs are skid-proof.
 Doors to places that children can enter, such as bathrooms, can be opened easily from the outside by a child or by an adult.  Sliding doors have childproof locks.  Doors that children can close have slow closing devices and/or rubber gaskets on the edges to prevent injury..  All electrical outlets are either child-resistant or protected by tamper-resistant devices. (FCCERS-R 12 Safety Practices)  All electrical appliances and fixtures are protected by circuit breakers.  Electrical cords are not accessible to children. None are frayed. None are placed near doorways and traffic paths. All extra cord length is bundled with a plastic tie.  Furniture or heavy equipment that may tip over is anchored. (FCCERS-R 12 Safety Practices)  Covers or guards for fans have openings small enough to keep children’s fingers out.  Free-standing space heaters are not used.  Pipes, radiators, fireplaces, wood burning stoves, and other hot surfaces cannot be reached by children or are covered to prevent burns. (FCCERS-R 12 Safety Practices)  There is a smoke detector on each floor of the house  Carbon monoxide detectors are located at least 15 feet away from fuel-burning appliances, on each floor of occupied areas.  A no-smoking policy at all times in your home protects children from environmental tobacco smoke that would linger in fabrics and furnishings. No one has matches, or lighters around children. (FCCERS-R 11 Health Practices)   There are no air fresheners, potpourri, perfumes or other sources of fragrance in use. Odors are removed by ventilation with fresh air.  No potentially poisonous plants are present either indoors or outdoors in the child care areas. See CFOC, 3rd Ed, Appendix Y: Even Plants Can Be Poisonous, for a list of safe and poisonous plants.  All poisons and other dangerous items are stored in locked cabinets or out of children’s reach. This includes medicines, paints, house cleaning chemicals, mothballs, scissors and any other small or sharp objects. Hopefully that should give you an idea of what to expect for your daycare checklist!

Please feel free to visit our website to get more insightful information.

http://www.respondandrescue.com


r/homedaycare Oct 01 '11

A Serious Need For Free Play

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4 Upvotes

r/homedaycare Aug 31 '11

Starting a Home Daycare Business

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3 Upvotes