What Things Can I Pay My Teen For Doing In Daycare?

[Bkind]

:confused:what things do you have your teen do to help with ur daycare and get paid?
what kind/types of documentation/logs does one keep to use for write offs ideas please
please add anything you may find helpful in this subject thank you

[permanentvacation]

Ha! PAY MY OWN KID!!! NO... The way I see it, since I give her money for the movies, mall, whatever fun activity she goes on, I have prepaid her for YEARS of work!! Actually, I did pay my own daughter one summer. But she then had to pay for her outings from her income. After that summer, she realized she'd rather just help out here and there when I randomly asked instead of having to report to work each day for certain set hours!

However, if you really want to pay your teenager to work for you, you can. Honestly, you need to check with the laws of your area as to what you can allow your teenager to do in your daycare. Here, I can have them do anything except be left alone with the kids. Someone over 18 years of age must be with the children at all times. But I have had my children 'working' for me since they could walk! - Poor kids!

Your teen could...

Help prepare the kids cups, help cook/ set out meals, help clean up after meals

Help with or teach on their own the preschool educational portion that you do

Help prepare arts and crafts and preschool lessons/activities

If you feel comfortable with it, help with diapering/potty training the children.

Simply play/interact with the children throughout the day

Help set up for nap time and help clean up mats/napping equipment

Help monitor the children outside

Clean the daycare area

Honestly, pretty much everything you do, your teenager can help with if you are allowed in your area to have a teenager work in your home daycare.
Just don't leave the children alone with someone under the legal age that is required to be with the children in your area.

As far as how to keep records, you should ask your accountant or whoever does your taxes as to what they suggest you do. Here, I could pay my daughter in cash each week and simply have her sign a hand written receipt that I paid her x amount of money. Then keep all the receipts with my expenses to claim them under the title of "helper".

[Sunchimes]

Here are 3 links to things Tom has said on the subject. There are probably more if you scroll through the daycare and taxes forum.

http://www.tomcopelandblog.com/hiring-family-members.html

http://www.tomcopelandblog.com/2011/02/to-hire-a-relative-or-not.html

Also, one of his books has a section on this. He lists the name in the first link.

[Mary Poppins]

My two work for me from roughly 8am to 3pm and they help with every aspect of my day, from serving food, cleaning up, doing circle time, feeding babies, and they get "paid" with: room, board, food, college money, and we bought them each a car.

They both have other p/t jobs they do to earn extra money for clothes, gas, insurance, college, etc. or they will work longer or do extra stuff for me to earn some spending money.

They are getting medical and dental still because they are on my dh's plan and will be while they are in college. No retirement plan, though, unless you count inheritance of all mine and dh's hard-earned stuff someday .

It works really well for us!