Set Up Advice

[CountryMommy]

So after moving to another province, I will be re-opening my home daycare in October. I will be offering care for children ages 0-12 years of age.

I have read a ton about how challenging it is to mix little ones with school aged children. But because of the ages/ratio rules I will have to offer before and after school care.

I am wanting to set up my daycare area in such a way as to make it as easy to mix the different ages as possible. I have a very big, open space room and a bedroom I can use exclusively for my daycare. Originally I was thinking about separating the big space in two areas (one for the littles and one for the older kids) and then use the bedroom as a nap room. Now I'm wondering if I should use the bedroom as a room that can be used for the older kids to eliminate the chance of the littles always getting into their stuff. Then I would separate the big area into two areas, a nap area and then the daycare area. I could separate the areas with curtains to make the nap area private and darker.

What do you think? Any ideas you have to make it easier to mix those ages would be great too, even if the ideas aren't about the set up.

[Truly Scrumptious]

My schoolagers actually seem to enjoy being with the little ones and they are great helpers! But, I do have a divider so the older ones can do activities without being interupted by the little ones when they want.

[melskids]

I would make a seperate space for the SA.

What I do here is the playroom is for everyone, (dramatic play, blocks, writing desk and library) with a small space set aside for the infants, then art and manipulatives are in my dining room, sensory and water table in the kitchen, and the SA stuff is in my living room.

It's all open so I can see everywhere, but it gives them all a defined space when they want to play with stuff the littles can't get in to.

I don't have an exclusive "nap" space. We put out the mats at nap time and put them away when we're done. The pack and plays get wheeled in to my room when not in use during play...rolled out for nap...rolled back in for afternoon play...and rolled out again at night so they're not in my space at night. I can't be bothered setting them up constantly, so I made sure to find ones with wheels.

[cheerfuldom]

If the school agers are only there after school hours....why cant you set up a school agers room and still use it as the nap room when the school agers are not there? This is assuming the room is baby friendly still or that all of your kids are in PNPs or that you sit in the room during nap time.

[AfterSchoolMom]

IMO, SA's require more constant supervision than littles. If your separate room prevents you from being able to see them, I wouldn't do it that way. Is there a way that you can divide the big room just for the morning and afternoon?

[Lianne]

I use a small bedroom for my older kids (2-8yrs) as a playroom but it's also used for two little ones in playpens to nap in. The big kids lay down on cots in my younger playroom at naptime because it's a bit bigger. I put the cots out each day but the kids (3-5yrs) tidy them up after nap time. If I have someone here that's over 5yrs old, it's usually only for a day or two. The older kids are welcome to play in the younger playroom but they also like having a separate space to play without babies wrecking things.

[CountryMommy]

Thanks for your input. I think I will use the bedroom as a nap/storage room and then separate the big room into two areas.

I'm thinking about having a couch with a coffee table in the bigger kids' area. There would be a storage unit for board games, puzzles, arts and crafts, books that would be age appropriate for the older kids. I'm also thinking about having an air hockey table in that area. I'm thinking that after the kids get here after school, we'd spend most of our time outside so they could spend all their stored up energy outside. But I obviously need an indoor area for them as well. Does that sound like a good set up for the older kids? Anything that you have found very useful for the older kids?