Has Anyone Ever Heard Of This?

[Unregistered]

Years ago when I first got the idea to do daycare, I checked out how-to books from the library. One of the books mentioned that some providers sell dinner plates to families. it had all kinds of quotes from providers who had done it for years. I can see the logic behind it, but I have never actually met anyone who does it. Tonight I am cooking this lovely chicken and dumpling recipe. Big shout out to this website. I have been meal planning and creating shopping lists on this site for about a month, and dinner has been fabulous with little food going to waste in the fridge. Back to the story. There is one little girl who tells me that she eats hotdogs for dinner every night. Her mother is single with several children and always the latest to pick up her child. She always comments on how good dinner smells when she gets her child, and I thought I should start selling dinner. I am actually not planning to do it right now, but thougt it would be a good idea to start maybe a year from now. Of course when I fantisize about my future I am always a lot calmer, the children are sitting perfectly while I prepare enough food to feed 10 families. The families would love everything I cook, and never complain, and this would add mucho dinero $$$$ to my cash flow. Then I snap back in reality and say.."NEVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!" This is not realistic for me. I wish it was. I'd like to help and make more $$$, but I'd rather keep my sanity. Has anyone else heard of this?

BTW: I am only set to unregistered because I forgot my password, and everytime I try to reset it the link doesn't work properly.

[Michael]

What was your username? I can send you your information.

[sunlight]

I think it's a great idea! Especially during the winter months I love to use my slowcooker to make soups and stews. I also have my families ask me what's for dinner. I think some of my families would pay me to make an extra few dinners a week for them. I also have some families that probably wouldn't pay for dinner. They are the ones that are always asking me how much do I owe you this month? Or, how much extra for the preschool curriculum etc.

Can you tell me what books you read in the past that talked about cooking dinner for the families? I am super curious!

[cheerfuldom]

From a parents point of view, I would be concerned about my daycare provider cooking instead of watching kids. Food for 11 families total has got to take quite a bit of time and planning each day. I just personally cant see many families being accepting of you dividing your time so much....its got to take away from the kids at a certain point.

Even if you offered it to select families, there is going to be some resentment somewhere over it.

UNLESS you hire an assistant to help with the kids in the afternoons?

[daycare]

From a parents point of view, I would be concerned about my daycare provider cooking instead of watching kids. Food for 11 families total has got to take quite a bit of time and planning each day. I just personally cant see many families being accepting of you dividing your time so much....its got to take away from the kids at a certain point.

Even if you offered it to select families, there is going to be some resentment somewhere over it.

UNLESS you hire an assistant to help with the kids in the afternoons?

you beat me to this...

One time as a lesson, I had the kids helps me cook chicken enchiladas and a green salad. I learned to make from a great friend of mine. It took almost 3 hours to complete from start to finish. It was free and I even gave out my Tupperware with a note requesting it back.

I say you find your niche in your daycare and run with that...
Not one family returned the Tupperware and only one family said thank you.

[littlemissmuffet]

A similar thought discussed here not too long ago: https://www.daycare.com/forum/showth...ght=sell+meals

[Unregistered]

What was your username? I can send you your information.

Thank you Michael. My username is Binkybobo

[Unregistered]

I'm not sure of the book titles, sorry. These were books I checked out years ago. I think there is a way to find out. If I do find titles I will let you know. You all bring up good points. I suppose the best way for someone to do this would be to do cook and freeze meals. Probably spend one day a month cooking all day and put it in a deep freeze. It may be worth the money. I have a friend who is a soccer mom. She takes meal orders from all of the other parents, and brings prepared plates to practices and games(her children are involved in many sports). She claims to make very good money doing it.

[Crystal]

I would have to absolutley LOVE cooking to do it!

But if I did, I would consider it. I did a LONG time ago....hubby had the idea of buying a big barbeque pit and grilling meat (I claim rights to this idea!) every day and I would do the side dishes. I think, if it is done right, it could be very lucrative, and you could hire an assistant for a fraction of the income from it.

[nanglgrl]

I'm all for dreaming and often have dreamed about things I could do but then my logical, suspicious side comes out and brings me back to reality. I hate to be that side for you and I could be completely wrong but you asked so... I have no idea what the laws are in each state but it seems to me there could be some health codes that you would have to follow. It also seems to me that this could be a potential liability. If you bought lettuce and unbeknownst to you the lettuce was contaminated and someone got ill I could see a potential lawsuit. What if someone bought a meal but didn't handle it properly, contaminated it, their family became ill and someone ended up in the hospital? It would be your word against theirs regarding where the contamination occurred. Again, I could be wrong.

[Unregistered]

I'm all for dreaming and often have dreamed about things I could do but then my logical, suspicious side comes out and brings me back to reality. I hate to be that side for you and I could be completely wrong but you asked so... I have no idea what the laws are in each state but it seems to me there could be some health codes that you would have to follow. It also seems to me that this could be a potential liability. If you bought lettuce and unbeknownst to you the lettuce was contaminated and someone got ill I could see a potential lawsuit. What if someone bought a meal but didn't handle it properly, contaminated it, their family became ill and someone ended up in the hospital? It would be your word against theirs regarding where the contamination occurred. Again, I could be wrong.

You are totally right. I am not sure exactly what the laws are in my state(TX). A couple of years ago I worked a t a coooking school for kids and young adults. The kids and parents were aoud to eat or taste the food on campus, but were not aloud to leave with it for all of the reasons you just listed. We did not have a food license which was legal as long as they did not buy the food from us or leave with it. Not being licensed left us unprotected shoyld they choose to leave the food in the car overnight, eat it the next day, then get sick. It was nice to dream for the moment.

[countrymom]

that would be such a great idea. I too have alot of, "smells good" "what are you making" even breaky in the morning smells good. Acually, I do alot of stuff during nap time so really its not that hard to make some extras.

[Mommy2One]

This is great in theory! As a parent who works outside the home all day (and hates cooking) I'd love to pick up a yummy, healthy meal for my family when I pick up my daughter. It'd make our evenings go much smoother and we'd have more family time instead of cooking/clean up. I'd prefer a home cooked meal to frozen or prepackaged entrees which are often loaded with yucky ingredients like MSG and too much sodium, fat, etc.

But the other ladies have good points about dividing your time between cooking and the children, and health regulations that would go along with selling food from your residential kitchen. There are also food preferences and dietary needs/allergies to consider - would you print up a menu and have parents pay per meal? That could make pre-planning difficult (some days you'd have 1-2 meals, other days 10). What if they didn't care for it - would you offer refunds?

It would make a good business idea separate from daycare. A restaurant that sells only to-go meals, packaged for families and was only open from about 4:00pm-8:00pm. Kind of like Boston Market does but with more variety (maybe a rotating menu of 4-5 meal choices each day) and healthy options.

[Loveyoustinkyface]

What if you tried offering your DCP's one dinner per week, say on Wednesdays and asking for a "love offering"??

[daycarediva]

It would make a good business idea separate from daycare. A restaurant that sells only to-go meals, packaged for families and was only open from about 4:00pm-8:00pm. Kind of like Boston Market does but with more variety (maybe a rotating menu of 4-5 meal choices each day) and healthy options.

I said this to my hubby JUST the other day! Most of my daycare parents don't get home until 6, I can't imagine as I usually prep meals and can pop them in the oven to eat AT 6. Always convenience meals, etc.

One of my Moms gets a rotisserie chicken every single day on her lunch break and pops it in the fridge at work. :: She has a MILLION chicken recipes (I have stolen some, the kiddos LOVE chicken ala king, I just don't use instant potates! )