A little off topic but curious if anyone does this...

[Missy08]

Hello!

I was wondering if anyone runs (or knows someone close to them) who runs an in-home daycare facility? I currently have 2 daughters (6 and 18 months) and DH and I have been tossing around the idea of possibly adding to our family. However, I would really like to be a SAHM if we do that, as it's been very hard for me to be away from my kids all day. We do need my income, though, so me not working isn't an option...I was thinking about watching a few (4) kids in my home to help supplement DH's income and then also allow myself to be home with my kids.

I was just curious if anyone else does this and, if so, how it's working for you/do you enjoy it?

Thanks!

 

[May55]

I do! I have my own daycare and it was the best decision I ever made. It takes a lot of patience and planning but i left a desk job to do this..now im home with my 2 1/2 year old +5 other littles who I love and I could not be happier. There are days just as any job you want to pull your hair out, and it is a very demanding job as im sure you know but would i advise doing it? YES!

 

[Missy08]

I do! I have my own daycare and it was the best decision I ever made. It takes a lot of patience and planning but i left a desk job to do this..now im home with my 2 1/2 year old +5 other littles who I love and I could not be happier. There are days just as any job you want to pull your hair out, and it is a very demanding job as im sure you know but would i advise doing it? YES!

Thank you so much for the input! I've been thinking about this since my oldest daughter (now 6) was born but we're now in a house that would actually work for it (extra space, fenced yard, etc.). I want to be home with my girls so bad and want to be able to expand our family if we want to, but I still have to bring in some income, so this seems like a good option plus it'll still keep me busy!

I've got a couple messages in to get some info on the regulations for in home daycare in my area

 

[LilFooshFoosh]

I'm not sure where you are but definitely check out the regulations, here you can only watch 5 under 5 yo (2 under 2, 6 under 6 etc) and your kids count against that number. Your kids count until they turn 10. So it might limit your income.

Also, it might take a while to get the word out. You might want to start networking at your DD1s school as soon as you decide, but again that depends on your area. Here most people have daycare lined up well in advance with signed contracts and deposits.

Good luck!

ETA: I had everything in place (business license and all!) to run an at home daycare but before I started getting interested parents I ended up being offered a well paying desk job. About 2 weeks after I started the job I started getting interest in my daycare, but I didn't want to give up the steady pay. It took 4 months from when I started getting the word out until I got several inquiries.

And, this is something our provider learned the hard way, just because someone is interested in your service doesn't mean they have the means (or desire) to pay you for it. You have to protect yourself. (That makes it sound like we didn't pay her, we did...she had someone try to pay her with product from their home business and someone else who needed "emergency" care for a week and didn't pay at all).

 

[Missy08]

Yes, these are def. things I'm concerned about! I did check the license requirements (I'm in Kansas) and it looks like I can have up to 10 children (depending on age--only 8 if 3 are under 18 months) in my care, which is way more than I would have, even with my own. I only plan to have only 4 other children (besides my own) in my care and my oldest will be in school during the day, so that would give me 5 total for most of the day.

I do worry about getting the word out...There are a couple agencies in my area that I can "advertise" through and I live in a smallish town with a lot of kids and one of our biggest daycare facilities just shut down due to mold so I think that left a lot of people without childcare I do also have a few messages in to providers in my area to see if they have problems with enrollment...I would be leaving a steady paying desk job (which we need) so I would have to make sure I have interested clients before I could leave. I had thought about setting a specific opening date (August 1st) then staying at my job and trying to get the spaces filled before I leave my current job. As long as I have at least 3 kiddos enrolled, this would take care of us financially.