HoosierGuy Posted April 3, 2010 Report Share Posted April 3, 2010 I'm going in the Day Care business! Not! lol. Actually, a friend of mine, a girl I've been going out with and talking with, is going thru some tough times financially. She has four little kids and can not afford baby sitters while she works. So her plan is to start up a day care service over the summer watching kids along with her kids in her house. I told her I would ask around for some advice. So do any of you here have any experience on day care service? Any thing she should be aware of, besides the big hassle? What about legal issues? Should she definitely ask the parents to sign a waiver or something protecting her form little mishaps like a child falling and bruising a knee or something worse like a broken leg? She's going to put up adds in her local church and put an add on that cregslist site. I would be grateful for any advice I can pass to her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bini Posted April 3, 2010 Report Share Posted April 3, 2010 I believe, legally, one must have a license in order to run a home business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hordak Posted April 3, 2010 Report Share Posted April 3, 2010 Best bet is to call the state. In Michigan some lady got charged with running an illegal daycare for watching her neighbors kids 30 minutes prior to them catching the bus.National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierGuy Posted April 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2010 Yes, in Indiana you have to have a license if you watch over six kids. She said she does not want to watch over six. Any other things she should keep in mind? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dravin Posted April 5, 2010 Report Share Posted April 5, 2010 These come in handy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted April 5, 2010 Report Share Posted April 5, 2010 Some laws in states won't let you watch more than 6 kids. They look at ratio of kids to care givers as well. I agree with hordak, find out what the specific laws are for your state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elphaba Posted April 5, 2010 Report Share Posted April 5, 2010 Don't do it unless you really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, like kids. Elphaba Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dravin Posted April 5, 2010 Report Share Posted April 5, 2010 I don't think you're being clear enough Elphaba, are you suggesting that she might want to make sure she doesn't dislike kids before she tries running a daycare? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mormonmusic Posted April 5, 2010 Report Share Posted April 5, 2010 She needs to decide on what kind of family she's targeting. Some daycare professionals will charge a premium, but keep the ratio of kids to adults low so the children get lots of extra attention. They also expect to be paid when the family with the children goes away on vacation. So they give high quality care and expect to be paid for it. In this case you're targeting well-off families who really want their child to have a good experience. Others will take on a lot of kids, and if the paying adults have vacation, they don't have to pay the daycare. The revenue lost is made up in volume of children looked after. Also, she'll have to decide what to do when children get sick -- will she allow them to be at the daycare that day? Or not? We had one sitter who was on the economy plan, and she would take just about anyone, no matter how sick they were. Our daugther got sick a lot from that, and so did we. Of course, we have my wife at home now, so it's not an issue, but these were issues we faced as parents when deciding on who would look after our daughter when she was very young and my wife had to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iggy Posted April 5, 2010 Report Share Posted April 5, 2010 . She has four little kids and can not afford baby sitters while she works. So her plan is to start up a day care service over the summer watching kids along with her kids in her house. The state will count her children - so with that said, will she be able to make it by caring for only two children?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierGuy Posted April 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2010 Well, maybe she can do this without the license simply by ignoring it. I mean, it's only a summer thing. No need to jump through hoops when it's only going to be for a few months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iggy Posted April 8, 2010 Report Share Posted April 8, 2010 Well, maybe she can do this without the license simply by ignoring it. I mean, it's only a summer thing. No need to jump through hoops when it's only going to be for a few months. Yes, she could do that. But can she afford to pay the fine if she should get caught? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MsQwerty Posted April 8, 2010 Report Share Posted April 8, 2010 I'm going in the Day Care business! Not! lol. Actually, a friend of mine, a girl I've been going out with and talking with, is going thru some tough times financially. She has four little kids and can not afford baby sitters while she works. So her plan is to start up a day care service over the summer watching kids along with her kids in her house. I told her I would ask around for some advice. So do any of you here have any experience on day care service? Any thing she should be aware of, besides the big hassle? What about legal issues? Should she definitely ask the parents to sign a waiver or something protecting her form little mishaps like a child falling and bruising a knee or something worse like a broken leg? She's going to put up adds in her local church and put an add on that cregslist site. I would be grateful for any advice I can pass to her.Not sure if I'm allowed to post a link here, but I looked into this many years ago and found a great site created by a woman who runs a daycare at her home. I just did a quick search and found out she still has her messageboard going, with various daycare providers exchanging ideas. I recall finding it really useful even though I decided not to go through with the idea (see Elphaba's comment...). The site is called "Punkys Child Care Chat" (yes, I do know how to use an apostrophe, this is how it's titled) and it can be found at http://forums.delphiforums.com/care. And no, it doesn't cost anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alana Posted April 10, 2010 Report Share Posted April 10, 2010 (edited) I have a day care. I'm in the state of California and although I can legally watch kids from one other family without a license, it's worth it for me to be license because I then qualify for the food program. The food program is the same one at public schools. When day care kids are here, my kids qualify too. This means I get $300 a month for watching two kids four days a week. Getting licensed isn't that complicated. Here it consists of: Orientation, CPR class, First Aid class, Home inspection. There is some paper work to do, but it really isn't that bad... if you read what is required for your area you can get mentally organized and go from there. My number one recommendation is to have a very clear and strict payment policy. Make sure she knows exactly how much she charges and when it's due, penalties for late payment, charges for late pickup ect. Day care is a business, and she deserves to be paid. Something that I think made my transition into day care easy was making it very clear what services I offered and gave the parents an idea of how our day would go. Frankly, parents who want things run exactly how they do things, even though they aren't the ones there, are the hardest part of day care. For instance, I feed the kids great and we all eat together and it goes great, my kids eat so much better when the other kids are here. Sometimes though you'll have parents who will send their kids with their own food, or say stuff like 'he only likes to eat this, or only eats it this way.' If you have a set way things are run in the house, the kids come to know what to expect really quickly and adapt nicely. One other piece of advice, which is especially handy with kids who give their parents a run for their money. Your friend needs to be confident in her being in charge and what she says goes. She needs to have clear and simple house rules for the kids to follow. I've never had a day care kid give me even half the hasstle they give their parents because at my house they know exactly what is expected and know that if they break the rules consequences are swift. WIth this said, my kids are the hardest for me because I have them 24 hours a day and know exactly how to push my buttons:P She may not decide to get licensed, she may find the perfect situation of siblings with parents that are super reliable and pay what she asks. If this isn't what happens, being licensed helps you get more money and more kids to watch. I wish her luck! Edited April 10, 2010 by Alana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hdblue Posted June 1, 2011 Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 I have a day care. I'm in the state of California and although I can legally watch kids from one other family without a license, it's worth it for me to be license because I then qualify for the food program. The food program is the same one at public schools. When day care kids are here, my kids qualify too. This means I get $300 a month for watching two kids four days a week. Getting licensed isn't that complicated. Here it consists of: Orientation, CPR class, First Aid class, Home inspection. There is some paper work to do, but it really isn't that bad... if you read what is required for your area you can get mentally organized and go from there. My number one recommendation is to have a very clear and strict payment policy. Make sure she knows exactly how much she charges and when it's due, penalties for late payment, charges for late pickup ect. Day care is a business, and she deserves to be paid. Something that I think made my transition into day care easy was making it very clear what services I offered and gave the parents an idea of how our day would go. Frankly, parents who want things run exactly how they do things, even though they aren't the ones there, are the hardest part of day care. For instance, I feed the kids great and we all eat together and it goes great, my kids eat so much better when the other kids are here. Sometimes though you'll have parents who will send their kids with their own food, or say stuff like 'he only likes to eat this, or only eats it this way.' If you have a set way things are run in the house, the kids come to know what to expect really quickly and adapt nicely.One other piece of advice, which is especially handy with kids who give their parents a run for their money. Your friend needs to be confident in her being in charge and what she says goes. She needs to have clear and simple house rules for the kids to follow. I've never had a day care kid give me even half the hasstle they give their parents because at my house they know exactly what is expected and know that if they break the rules consequences are swift. WIth this said, my kids are the hardest for me because I have them 24 hours a day and know exactly how to push my buttons:P She may not decide to get licensed, she may find the perfect situation of siblings with parents that are super reliable and pay what she asks. If this isn't what happens, being licensed helps you get more money and more kids to watch. I wish her luck!Hi,I agreed with you. It make me thinking about some thing for my project.Pls try to keep posting. Tks and best regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted June 1, 2011 Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 Since this thread is over a year old I'm going to close it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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