SAHM Branching Out to DayCare Mom

Wow - Gamma G, that was a great post! Also R. - just talk to people in your area about child care. Every area in the US is different, so look around to see what providers in your area are offerering. Here on Mamapedia, you can look at local businesses and their reviews (mine is in Minnesota, listed as K.'s Kids Child Care), that will also give you ideas of what providers are offering, and what parents are looking for. You sound a lot like me when I started out 17 years ago! It can be a good job if YOU make it so. Contact me if you'd like, we can chat. Good luck to you!

As far as a pre-school program to put in place, if you decide to go this route, my last in-home daycare provider followed Mother Goose Time (http://mothergoosetime.com/). My daughter and the other kids loved it!

Like the other said, look into what your state and local area expects from you...
I am a licensed home provider, but am letting my license lapse... Why? In MI we need to be recertified in CPR (adult, infant, and child) YEARLY, plus, Blood borne pathogin training (as with a lot of laws the wording is so vauge, noone really is sure if its yearly or a one time thing. They say its up to the licensing agent for the area... Which changes frequently and without notice... So you really have to just do it, cause it might be ok with the one you have now, but not the next one and they would write you up as in violation... ), 10 clock hours of training yearly, and that is just the yearly stuff, not counting the logs that you have to keep monthly or daily for tornado drills, fire drill, attendence, menus, etc...
While I am all for all of the above because it helps better the providers and maintains a safe facility, I also have 4 of my own kiddos (One of them is 9 mos old)... So, although licensed for 6 kids, I can only care for 2 at any time because yes, YOUR kids count.... :-)
I can not in good consious charge the "going rate" knowing that the economy in MI is horrendous and the families I would be caring for are barely scraping by... so on our taxes it looks like I am operating as a loss business and I have been warned by our CPA that that is one really quick way to get audited... My hubby works 50 - 60 hour weeks so I would have to pay someone to watch MY kids so I can take the time "off" to get the trainings... Yes, some places offer night time trainings... But not all places do it consistently for you to fulfill the hours required.... (YOU can not leave the kids in the care of anyother person... EVER! Unless they are licensed under you = even less break away time even if hubby is home.)

I loved doing care! But I also want to be able to focus on my munchkins for a while.... :-)

I was licensed for 9 years and here are some of the things I did not realize when I first started...
You do not work a 40 hour week... If you are caring for a family full time its more like 50 plus hours... 5 days a week... depending on their schedule. You will have their kiddos THEIR whole shift, plus drive time... That means early mornings and late nights for you. If you have filled your legal allowence, You will not be doing your daily errands daily... Who wants to take 6 kids grocery shopping? So all those get pushed to the weekend and cut into the only "family" time you have unless you do care on weekends too... Then your shopping at midnight...

One year I had 6 kids in my home all summer 7,6,2,2,3 mos, 3 mos (my kids were the 6, one of the 2, and one of the 3 mos)... 12 hours a day, 5 days a week... I did have fun... right up till the point that my 5 month old ended up in the hospital (due to all the activity I was not able to sit and nurse him as long as he should have nursed so he got REALLY skinny during a growth spurt!) and the family switched providers and never paid me $300.- they owed me (they said the "check was in the mail" lol)...
You may have to be the only discipline a child ever recieves! And that is a tight rope walk!!! The 2 yr old mentioned above came to me and on the first day here he called me the "B" word 3 times... He bit, he hit, he swore, he played in his own excriment, he swore like a sailor... His parents blamed it on "friends who thought it would be funny"... But they did not stop them or teach him differently. It took me a week of just sticking to the rules (and lots of time outs) but he got it! He was a smart awesome kid that just needed guidance as to what was acceptable... His parents were even stunned at the change in him... Its been 3 years since they were in my care, but when we run into them in town he runs over and hugs me still! :-) (And the parents try to hide cause they have the guilty consious of not actually sending that check ... lol)
You will need to talk to the parents to find out how THEY punish their children and what THEY are comfortable with and will probibly at times have 2 sets of punishment standards... One for your kids and one for the other kids... Your kids will see this!

Also, do your drs and other appointment places have late hours, cause you will have to start doing all those AFTER the kids get picked up..

Yes, you can sign up with food programs and get a portion of your food expenses reimbursed back to you, you can get grants, you can claim a percentage of your expenses on your taxes...

Check what your laws are... Price out the actual cost of getting licensed (Furnace inspection, water test, finger printing, back ground checks, tb tests, to name a few)... Try it... I loved it... But also stay aware of your limitations.:-)

You have some great suggestions here and I just wanted to lend you some support. I have been doing child child for nearly 10 years now and some days I love it, some days I seriously consider a new career.
Daycare is a job with long hours and hard times. It is work and can be stressful, but it is also wonderful and rewarding. I have two rooms sectioned off as daycare rooms and the kids are not allowed in the rest of the house. It limits the wear and gives the kids a place to play without constantly being told to be careful all the time. It also gives me a place to get away from work. Dividing the daycare toys from your children's toy with make your children happier too.
I would suggest that you visist a few local daycares and talk to the providers there. They can tell you what types of kids and parents you will be dealing with for your specific location.
If you are still interested my advice would be:
1. Start small with a few kids and see how you like it. You do not have to be licensed in CO to watch kids from the same family.
2. Set a side a place in your home for the daycare and leave the rest of the house private.
3. Be picky about your kids. Do a two week trial, if they are not a good fit tell the parents that. I had one set of brothers that I would only take one child because they were too destructive together.
4. Stay professional and keep parent communication open.
5. Do not plan personal activities while the kids are awake. You will not get them done and you will end up angry with the kids for interrupting you.
6. Do not provide childcare just for the money. If you do not want to spend your entire day playing with the kids and solving their problems, find another income source.
7. Never forget that this is a job and it will be stressful, but it will be rewarding and fulfilling too.

Good Luck

You have been given some great information so far, I will add a bit that wasn't mentioned so far. What will you do for vacation time? What about if you are sick? Your own children are sick? Your hubby is sick? There is a LOT of wear and tear on your home (both inside and outside), furniture, walls, toys etc. Where will the kids play, sleep, eat? Do you have a fenced in yard? There is a cost to buying more toys (could be second hand), blankets/mats for sleeping, all the costs asociated with getting registered/licensing fees etc. Have you thought about just taking in 1-2 other children without getting licensed for some extra money? That might give you a better idea if you truly want to pursue it longer term. So, my questions are not menat to discourage you,, I have been doing this for 17 years, just want to be sure you have thought of other things as well. I think SO many people decide to start a home daycare for the money without realizing the time and expense that is put into. I know we buy furniture more often, fix dings and marks on walls often, buy new toys more frequently, spend wany more on groceries, and have higher utility bills. You kids also have to learn to share you with others and sometimes that is tough. Hope this helps your thought process.

I do in home daycare. I do have to say that it is wonderful and stressful at the same time. Your children might have a problem with sharing their things and their mommy! I keep a separate 'play room' so that my kids room is off limits. I live in AZ and their are not many laws that affect me. There are a few programs out there that offer reimbursement for meals but you have to maintain certifications. I have learned that having a consistent schedule everyday helps maintain my sanity...EX
730- breakfast
800-older kids to bus
8-930 free play-OUTSIDE time (weather permitting) group games, races, etc.
###-###-####-preschool lessons
1030-1100 clean up time
11-1145 lunch
1200-1230 story time
1230-200 quiet time (this is a must)
2-3 craft/color/paint
3-5 free play/outside
I have set hours and will charge parents late fees after a certain amount of time. Please feel free to email me with any questions-I have some really good websites and resources for inhome daycares. ____@____.com
Good luck!