Home Daycare Rates/Provider

[melizaarora]

Demand for Day care centers has reached peak level and continues rising. If you love working with children & decided to start a child care. That would be a smarter and enjoyable business choice.
Here are few basic ideas on how to start a day care center-
1. Requirements for setting up Day Care Center
• Understand the pros and cons of operating a day care.
• Determine whether you are ready to handle the behavioral issues and emergencies arise when working with kids?
• Get first aid, CPR training and potentially classes on childcare.
• You must have a degree in education or experience teaching or working at a day care before opening your own.
• Be aware that you'll be in charge of employee management, bookkeeping, marketing, and other responsibilities.
2. Make sure what type of day care you want to start whether
• A home day care - Operating at home-like environments for children. They are typically small and usually open to kids from the neighborhood.
• A day care center or commercial day care. Day care centers are operated in commercial spaces.
3. Understand the licensing requirements based on your location. To legally operate a day care, it's necessary to obtain a license, which must be renewed each year.
4. Decide on a location.
5. Create a fun, attractive and safe environment for the kids

 

[GracieB]

A regular full time daycare is about $500 @ week. An hourly nanny for two kids, $25-30 per hour.

 

[indimom]

Woh, Zombie Thread. lol.

 

[mistysue]

Deleted my response when I realized how old this was!

 

[sk!mom]

I always wanted to be a teacher but now turning 30 next month and with two little ones at home and no college degree that dream is slowly vanishing so I need to figure out what I wanna be when I grow up.
Thanks for any help.

Just to encourage a different choice. I, also, always wanted to teach but was reluctant to go back to school. Finally at 30, I decided that it was now or never. I went back and have been teaching for 17 years. It was the best decision I ever made. In six more, I'll be able to retire. Another benefit was always being off when my kids were.

My mom has done in home childcare for many many years. It is extremely confining. My only advice on that is if you do it, set it up like a business. Write paid sick days, paid holidays, and paid vacation into your contract. My mom takes two weeks of paid vacation, I think 5 sick days, and all the regular vacation days are paid days. No one here can really advise you about rates. You need to now what the prevailing rates are in your area.

 

[OnceUponATime15]

Things to consider when choosing to provide child care in your home..
Insurance. Accidents happen, while we don't like to think anything will go wrong - it can. Make sure you have generous liability coverage on your home policy (or separate coverage/policy if that is what is required in your area) While you are looking into your home policy inquire about your auto coverage, better to be prepared then to be left scrambling after the fact.

Contracts. If you are choosing to join a licensed agency to get your clients, they will have standard contracts for you to use. Along with stringent rules & regs you will have to follow. If you are doing this on your own, cover yourself by drafting a contract with your parent families and having a frank discussion about it before you start a working relationship - get it signed (witnessed if need be). Lay out clearly your expectations regarding Sick days (yours & the clients) when is the child "too sick" to attend & what you expect to be paid for if they are too sick. Statutory holidays, paid or not. Vacation time, how many days/weeks per year of both paid & unpaid time, For both parties. Who supplies what is important, you could find yourself covering basics or more if it isn't spelled out clearly.

Regulations. Research your local reg's thoroughly .. Just because you may chose not to be licensed or work with a licensed agency there are going to very likely be regulations. Health Dept. Fire. Zoning. Be prepared. Know what you are getting into.

First Aid & Child/Infant CPR certification. self explanatory.
Workshops. Seek out & attend any child centric workshops which provide a certificate that you can list & use to market yourself as more then just a babysitter. It can be the difference in getting the client or not.
Income tax. Learn if you are considered to be self employed and see what the positives & negatives are. One angry parent can upend your life if they report you to the IRS if you are "working under the table" (or it can be a happy parent claiming a tax deduction that requires a receipt you may or may not be willing to give)

Don't mean to sound complicated.. I am speaking as an Early Childhood Educator (BECE) who was a home visitor for a licensed child care agency for a dozen years. I've seen the good, bad and down right scary when it comes to Home based childcare... While I am in Canada, some things I'm mentioning are worth considering no matter where you live.


ETA. *****didn't realize that this was such an old thread! Thinking it was bumped by someone else seeking info on the same subject??

 

[powellrj]

Since she has a link in her post, I am going to assume that is why she bumped the thread up. That is usually the case!

 

[Lisa71]

I would only use a licensed provider so I think that is key..it helps with safety although nothing is fool proof. Most states it involves a fee, inspection, and fingerprints for all adults living in the home. So much abuse and so many potential problems. Also be sure you are insured to protect yourself just in case. Child care givers are worth gold so I would not cheapen your price. Look into going rates and aim for the top 1/3. Parents should sign a contract and agree on a rate and here in CA the fee is paid even of the child is sick or they go on vacation.