Thinking About Getting Into DC

[Unregistered]

Hi. I am thinking about getting into in home daycare. I have been a teacher for 8 years now. Loved teaching, but NCLB has really ruined it for me more and more over the years. And now RTT (race To the Top) and Common Core are taking the problem and making it even worse, so much worse. I am forced to stay on a pacing guide while teacher, so if I really need to spend more time on something, too bad because the pacing guide says it is only suppose to take one day. I feel so bad for my students. If I could use my own brain and make decisions that make sense for my students I would be all about staying in public education, but at this point I am so frustrated. The paper work is also adding up so I leave my home at 7 AM and most nights I do not get home until after 6PM. At which point it is 2 hours from bedtime for my daughter and I still have not cooked dinner.

Sorry I am getting long winded. Anyway, I have been looking into opening my own in home daycare. I was wondering if there any of you out there that have made the transition from public education to in home daycare and what your thoughts on it were. Or just in general switching from a more traditional job to in home daycare.

I am thinking it will solve a lot of my problems. I can teach how I want to with my preschoolers. I can spend time at home with my daughter and make sure she is getting what she needs. I would be open from 7:30 to 5:30 so I would actually decrease my working hours (I know I would have to clean, but I need to do that anyway). My biggest concerns are getting daycare children. But I have heard I will be fine from people in the area as long as I put myself out there. Any thoughts would be welcome. Thanks.

[Michael]

Suggest you register on this forum. Here is a helpful Thread: https://www.daycare.com/forum/showthread.php?t=598

[grandmom]

Oh sweetie, switching to home child care will not eliminate these problems.

In fact Race to the Top will complicate MY life immensely because I'm in one of the states that got money for birth-to-five. Ugh.

Before you look at a switch, find out what the regulations are in your state. Talk with some providers who have been around a while and find out how they have changed in the last 10 years. Mine were just rewritten and they are so stupid and imposing on my own life and home.

Example: I must now keep children away from bodies of water. Which is defined as anything bigger/deeper than a 2" pot hole.

Are you kidding me?

[grandmom]

Oh sweetie, switching to home child care will not eliminate these problems.

In fact Race to the Top will complicate MY life immensely because I'm in one of the states that got money for birth-to-five. The licensing agency can't wait to implement this on us. Ugh.

Before you look at a switch, find out what the regulations are in your state. Talk with some providers who have been around a while and find out how they have changed in the last 10 years. Mine were just rewritten and they are so stupid and imposing on my own life and home. I've been licensed more than 20 years and words cannot describe the frustration in the changes.

Example: I must now keep children away from bodies of water. Which is defined as anything bigger/deeper than a 2" pot hole.

Are you kidding me? God made pot holes for little kids. The deeper the better.

[Unregistered]

I just reread my post. So sorry for all the typos. I was very distracted and did not reread it before hitting the submit button. I swear I am smarter than that.

[amarie]

Hello! I am new to this thread and new to childcare in general, but I have been a teacher in public school. I 'retired' when I had my first child and have not regretted it yet. I LOVE teaching and children- HATE the standards and unrealistic expectations. I now just care for teacher's kids, which is working out great so far (started last August). Do you have any co-workers needing childcare? I care for my old co-workers children and love it!

[newtodaycare22]

I taught kindergarten -2nd grade in both private and public schools, prior to opening my own daycare. In my area, they kept threatening layoffs and, with all of the stresses you described, I decided I would take things into my own hands. I resigned and rolled the dice, opening a 'preschool only' daycare. I have 3-5 year olds and I can still TEACH them like in a pre-k situation. The parents love having this option because I'm cheaper than a preschool center but the kids get the same benefit and they are not mixed in with younger babies.

It was definitely a great choice for me. I'm much less stressed although, of course, there are disadvantages to every job. At least you didn't mention parents as a major reason for leaving teaching....because they will still be a pain in the but with a daycare::. The nice thing though? You have the luxury of picking your families.If you have a kid who is off the wall or a parent who is downright rude-you don't HAVE to take that. That's a nice change from the public school system!

[melskids]

I agree with Grandmom.

Check with your states regs first. Many have the same regs/expectations/standards as the schools when it comes to curriculum and such.

I dont know much about Race to the Top, I havent really looked too far into it, but I'm sure if you are in a state that will be receiving it, it will surely affect home daycares as well. Like I said, I haven't looked that far into it yet to know if that's a good thing or not. :confused:

Our state DID NOT receive Race to the Top funds, so I'm pretty sure now all the changes they were going to implement here have been put on hold.

Sure, its YOUR business, but you are still going to have people to answer too.

And you wont have summers off

Also, Be sure there is a need for home daycare in your area as well. In this economy, many providers are having difficulty filling their spots.

I dont mean to sound like a downer. I love what I do and would never do anything else. I'm just saying, make sure to do some research to see if its what you really want to do. (And I would say that to anyone switching careers, no matter what they were )

[Mearaj]

FplpWLeBYyQbQXTS

I've always used rgaelur daycares for my daughter, so this is based on that experience. Her current daycare has a 1-4 adult to child ratio for infants under 12 months old, 1-5 for 12-18 months, 1-6 for 18-36 months, 1-7 for 3 4 year olds, and finally 1-10 for the 5 year olds.I would worry that my child (especially a 6 month old) would not be getting the attention they need and deserve with one adult caring for 2 small infants and 4-5 toddlers. Children under 3 need much more adult assistance in everything from feeding to going potty/diaper changing. I'm not saying that it couldn't be done because I know some families have that many children of their own. I recommend that you spend a lot of time getting to know the caregiver and viewing the home to see how your child will be cared for before you make your final decision. This is the care and safety of your child we are talking about.Best of luck as I know this is a tough decision. I would love to be a SAHM for my daughter, but financially our family needs my income.