Do You Have Help?

[Maria2013]

I even liked when my granddaughter who will be 8 next week came this summer. I had someone who could actually hold a conversation with me. ::

Laurel

yup I'd take a good conversation with an 8yr old any day ::::

[Laurel]

I do not have help....other than my DH who comes in for lunch daily. There are times he can't make it due to his own workload but for the most part he comes in everyday and helps out with lunch time.

Once we get the kids fed and down for rest time, he and I eat our lunch together.

I care for 10 children (ages 1-4) every day. We are legally allowed to have 10 with NO assistant.

Once you get a good routine going, it's all good.

It sounds like you have help. Lunch and nap time is when I'd want help the most.

Laurel

[melilley]

I do not have help....other than my DH who comes in for lunch daily. There are times he can't make it due to his own workload but for the most part he comes in everyday and helps out with lunch time.

Once we get the kids fed and down for rest time, he and I eat our lunch together.

I care for 10 children (ages 1-4) every day. We are legally allowed to have 10 with NO assistant.

Once you get a good routine going, it's all good.

10!? I don't think I could do that all by myself! Well maybe if they were all at least 2.5 or 3, but even then, I don't know!

[Laurel]

The first few years I was opened I did it all myself. And it was very hard! My first assistant was okay, nice to the kids, but didn't take direction well. I got smart and picky. My last two have been AMAZING! Having them allows me to make appointments, volunteer in my own kid's classrooms, or just catch a break in my 11 hour work day. Having done it both ways, I won't go back. Now, mine are only here when I need them and are no where near full time.

Just today I had a dentist appointment and stopped for coffee afterwards by *myself* that didn't stink at all

What are their situations that they can just work occasionally? I could see maybe a college student or grandma maybe.

Laurel

[Laurel]

I wish! I can only have up to 6 kids by myself and one is my own so it wouldn't do me any good financially to pay someone to come over.
Well I do have my sister who is qualified to come over and take over for me if I need, and I call her my "assistant" but I only have her come if I have an appointment or if one of my kids has an appointment and my dh can't take them. And she is a RN and my sis so I totally trust her to be here.

Here, anyone who watched the kids except in an extreme emergency has to be qualified in order to be here if I am not. That means background checks, fingerprinted, cpr, first aid, 5 hours of training a year, blood borne pathogen and shaken baby syndrome trained (can't think of what else right now) needs to be done.

Anyone who watches children for me here is considered a sub. They have to take a 6 hour training class (just once), be fingerprinted and background checked, cpr, first aid every 2 years, have character references. Plus I have to have one sub to operate. Most of us use our husbands or a friend or neighbor and they have their own jobs.

Laurel

[melilley]

Anyone who watches children for me here is considered a sub. They have to take a 6 hour training class (just once), be fingerprinted and background checked, cpr, first aid every 2 years, have character references. Plus I have to have one sub to operate. Most of us use our husbands or a friend or neighbor and they have their own jobs.

Laurel

That would be nice! I can't even use my husband unless he goes through all of the qualifications! My licensor even said that unless you have to go to the hospital, it's not an emergency. I do have to have 1 or 2 emergency people who live no more than 10 minutes away.
It's so weird how it's different in different states! You would think that (most) rules for childcare would be universal.

[Laurel]

yup I'd take a good conversation with an 8yr old any day ::::

Me too!

Laurel

[Laurel]

That would be nice! I can't even use my husband unless he goes through all of the qualifications! My licensor even said that unless you have to go to the hospital, it's not an emergency. I do have to have 1 or 2 emergency people who live no more than 10 minutes away.
It's so weird how it's different in different states! You would think that (most) rules for childcare would be universal.

Oh I meant that my husband 'does' have to go through all of the qualifications as does a friend or neighbor.

Laurel

[Laurel]

I do not have help....other than my DH who comes in for lunch daily. There are times he can't make it due to his own workload but for the most part he comes in everyday and helps out with lunch time.

Once we get the kids fed and down for rest time, he and I eat our lunch together.

I care for 10 children (ages 1-4) every day. We are legally allowed to have 10 with NO assistant.

Once you get a good routine going, it's all good.

We can have 10 but because of the age restrictions for certain ages some would have to be school age and the only way that would work would is if I would have only 5 full time younger ones rather than 6. Adding on 4 school agers doesn't make sense if you have to give up one year round full time child to do it.

Can your 10 be any age?

Laurel

[melilley]

Oh I meant that my husband 'does' have to go through all of the qualifications as does a friend or neighbor.

Laurel

oh I see!

[Blackcat31]

We can have 10 but because of the age restrictions for certain ages some would have to be school age and the only way that would work would is if I would have only 5 full time younger ones rather than 6. Adding on 4 school agers doesn't make sense if you have to give up one year round full time child to do it.

Can your 10 be any age?

Laurel

I had 12 last year alone. (my regular 10 plus 2 Kindy aged kids that didn't actually go to school due to early birthdays)

Our kids are considered school age May 1st in the year they are eligible to attend NOT whether they actually attend or not.

Yes, there are age limits to the group we can have.

My license reads 14 maximum with no more than 10 under school age of which no more than 4 shall be infants and toddlers of which no more than 3 can be infants.

(infants are up to 12 months/toddlers are 12-24 months/preschoolers are 2 -5)

Depending on the number of infants and toddlers you have in care, you can either have 6 or 8 preschoolers.

I have 2 kids age 1 yr old and 8 kids ages 2-4.

[nothingwithoutjoy]

I had 12 last year alone.

Our kids are considered school age May 1st in the year they are eligible to attend NOT whether they actually attend or not.

Wow! 12 is a lot! I can have 8, 2 of them school-aged. And my homeschooled daughter (and any other school-aged kids not enrolled in school) has to be considered one of the younger 6, no matter how old! (Isn't that insane? So if, for example, I had 8 10-year-olds, homeschooled, and no other kids, that would be "too many" kids.)

[jenn]

I don't have anyone that regularly comes to help. My husband and mom have both taken all classes to legally run their own daycare, so they fill in for me if I need to leave or get sick. If my husband is off work, he will help that day. My mom is retired, so if she is bored she comes and helps

[Christina72684]

Maybe it's because I've only done this for 2 years now, but I could never do it alone! We have 12 kids, with 9-12 a day and they're all under the age of 3yrs old with 3 of them under a year. The only times we need 2 people is meals, diaper changes, and getting down for nap. How do you all do those with just one person? Especially with babies and kids learning to crawl and walk. I can't trust one boy in a room by himself because he bites and hits. But I really don't like to leave any of them in a room alone and our potty room is in the back and the play room is in the front. We're hurting for money right now so if I could cut back on payroll that would be a huge help! I just don't want to go insane trying to do all this by myself.

[spud912]

I had 12 last year alone. (my regular 10 plus 2 Kindy aged kids that didn't actually go to school due to early birthdays)

Our kids are considered school age May 1st in the year they are eligible to attend NOT whether they actually attend or not.

Yes, there are age limits to the group we can have.

My license reads 14 maximum with no more than 10 under school age of which no more than 4 shall be infants and toddlers of which no more than 3 can be infants.

(infants are up to 12 months/toddlers are 12-24 months/preschoolers are 2 -5)

Depending on the number of infants and toddlers you have in care, you can either have 6 or 8 preschoolers.

I have 2 kids age 1 yr old and 8 kids ages 2-4.

Wow that's a lot! More kudos to you for being such a great provider !