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I honestly don't know how I could have prepared better to open my daycare. I spent almost a year researching and renovating and talking to other daycare providers prior to opening. I had a well-thought out and researched parent handbook, an excellent set-up in my home, a childcare background, and have taken many, many courses related to childcare and ECE. I thought I had done everything. I enjoy kids.
I was so excited to open. I *finally* did about 6 months ago. I loved my new job for the first few days, then everything went horribly wrong. Tomorrow is my last day. I can't wait to have this behind me.
So here, to anyone who is interested in where exactly I failed, is my list of things I did wrong. New daycare providers pay attention! I NEVER expected it to go like this.
1) I accepted a friend as a client right away because I was worried about income. Don't take friends or acquaintances as clients unless you have major backbone. It's so hard to enforce policies without coming off like a major witch.
2) I didn't make the parents read through my handbook with me. I am pretty sure that they didn't even read it at all. My rules were broken so many times I gave up.
3) I accepted a crazy client. I thought she was normal at the time, unfortunately. Then I bent over backwards for her and her spoiled kid. I opened a week earlier than I had planned in order to accommodate them because of issues at their former daycare (red flag!), and I made special foods for her very picky kid because she was my first daycare kid. A couple of days after my official opening date, dcm reported me for very serious allegations involving her child and I was thoroughly investigated and cleared. She had no reason to report me based on the report that I received. However, that incident left me devastated and scared to run my daycare effectively. I totally lost any backbone that I might have had after that, only a few days in.
4) I didn't have a trial period for kids. The kids I had were not easy, and I say this as someone who did childcare for years previously. I had a baby who refused to take a bottle or to be put down, and I had kids who were very wild and rough. These kids made it impossible to get more kids, because they demanded all of my time. Additionally, I was not able to do the kinds of things I had wanted to do (learning time, projects, etc) with these kids.
5) I tried to be nice. I think it's hard for childcare providers especially because people who are inherently nice are drawn to this profession. Unfortunately so many parents take a mile when you give an inch. I really honestly expected people to treat me the way I would treat my own child's daycare provider, if my kids were in daycare. That is, I expected people to be honest and respectful of my house and my business. This did not happen. I also expected parents to treat their children the way I would treat mine - you know, not leaving them here all day when they have a day off, making sure their kids were clean and had a change of clothes and weather appropriate clothes, etc. Sigh.
There are more things, I am sure. Tomorrow will be bittersweet for me, but at the end of the day I anticipate relief. I can't wait to be done.
I was so excited to open. I *finally* did about 6 months ago. I loved my new job for the first few days, then everything went horribly wrong. Tomorrow is my last day. I can't wait to have this behind me.
So here, to anyone who is interested in where exactly I failed, is my list of things I did wrong. New daycare providers pay attention! I NEVER expected it to go like this.
1) I accepted a friend as a client right away because I was worried about income. Don't take friends or acquaintances as clients unless you have major backbone. It's so hard to enforce policies without coming off like a major witch.
2) I didn't make the parents read through my handbook with me. I am pretty sure that they didn't even read it at all. My rules were broken so many times I gave up.
3) I accepted a crazy client. I thought she was normal at the time, unfortunately. Then I bent over backwards for her and her spoiled kid. I opened a week earlier than I had planned in order to accommodate them because of issues at their former daycare (red flag!), and I made special foods for her very picky kid because she was my first daycare kid. A couple of days after my official opening date, dcm reported me for very serious allegations involving her child and I was thoroughly investigated and cleared. She had no reason to report me based on the report that I received. However, that incident left me devastated and scared to run my daycare effectively. I totally lost any backbone that I might have had after that, only a few days in.
4) I didn't have a trial period for kids. The kids I had were not easy, and I say this as someone who did childcare for years previously. I had a baby who refused to take a bottle or to be put down, and I had kids who were very wild and rough. These kids made it impossible to get more kids, because they demanded all of my time. Additionally, I was not able to do the kinds of things I had wanted to do (learning time, projects, etc) with these kids.
5) I tried to be nice. I think it's hard for childcare providers especially because people who are inherently nice are drawn to this profession. Unfortunately so many parents take a mile when you give an inch. I really honestly expected people to treat me the way I would treat my own child's daycare provider, if my kids were in daycare. That is, I expected people to be honest and respectful of my house and my business. This did not happen. I also expected parents to treat their children the way I would treat mine - you know, not leaving them here all day when they have a day off, making sure their kids were clean and had a change of clothes and weather appropriate clothes, etc. Sigh.
There are more things, I am sure. Tomorrow will be bittersweet for me, but at the end of the day I anticipate relief. I can't wait to be done.
I am sorry it didn't work out for you. :hug:
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