What Do You Like About Owning a DC?

[Blackcat31]

Thought we should all take a look at the other side.....

[Jack Sprat]

1. My daycare kids
2. Being at home when my oldest gets home from school
3. Being home with youngest
4. Being able to have dinner ready for DH and kids every night
5. Being my own boss
6. Being paid to be outside and get dirty !
7. I am MUCH happier now then I was at my old job.
8. The connections I'm making with my daycare kids. I love it!
9. The smile on my youngest DD face when she asks "do we have daycare today?"

[Heidi]

1. Being as close to a SAHM as I can realistically be.
2. Being able to keep control of my house and still make an income. Arranging a plumber, throwing in a quick load of laundry. Wait, that's SAHM again.
3. Sitting around the table with the kids eating breakfast. It's a bit hectic right now, but I love that part of the day.
4. Our daily walk.
5. I am lucky right now and have great dcp's and kiddos (ok, except for the screamer, but I do adore him, too, when he's not screaming).
6. NO OFFICE POLITICS! Last job I had, I voted MYSELF off the island.
7. I make better money (although I work longer hours) than my old job, I wear what I want, and I write of 30% of anything I buy for my house.

[butterfly]

1. My daycare kids
2. Being at home when my oldest gets home from school
3. Being home with youngest
4. Being able to have dinner ready for DH and kids every night
5. Being my own boss
6. Being paid to be outside and get dirty !
7. I am MUCH happier now then I was at my old job.
8. The connections I'm making with my daycare kids. I love it!
9. The smile on my youngest DD face when she asks "do we have daycare today?"

And being my own boss with the freedom to change my own hours and pay if I desire.

[blandino]

1. Those sweet moments, where you know you have made a difference
2. Grateful parents, even when they don't fully understand the magnitude/difficulty of the job
3. Making my own schedule
4. Living in my own little world, where I am the mayor
5. Nap times where everyone sleeps
6. Compliments on what the children have learned

[Moppetland]

There are a lot of reasons to be disgruntled in doing this business, just like there are working in somebody else's business. But I got into this business because:

It's my own...

I'm home when my daughter is out of school...

There's no traveling to and from work, getting stuck in traffic...

I love being the other person to partnership with parents in providing high quality care to their children...

I get to use my talents to be creative...

Even though there are those parents who don't appreciate you, most of mine do and some of my past parents still invite me out to their child's events (that is saying something )...

I don't have to be under anyone else's clock...

I can go on, but you all get the point.

[mrsnj]

Making my own hours.
Closing when I want.
Setting my own rules and curriculum
My DCKs
Not having a dress code (so to speak)
Teaching and watching my kids learn
Laughing, singing and dancing and just having fun
Being with and for my own children
Being able to throw a load of laundry in or doing dinner early cause I am here

[jenn]

I am home with my daughter. This is the closest thing to being a SAHM that I can do.

[Play Care]

Making my own hours.
Closing when I want.
Setting my own rules and curriculum
My DCKs
Not having a dress code (so to speak)
Teaching and watching my kids learn
Laughing, singing and dancing and just having fun
Being with and for my own children
Being able to throw a load of laundry in or doing dinner early cause I am here

I've maintained that a bad day here still beats a fabulous day at the office.

My kids are in school, but I love not have to sweat the many days off from school or half days. When they are sick they can just stay home. I see so many of my friends having a hard time with this.
And while this is crass, I do make a very good salary. So much better that when my old job called and offered me $30,000 to start back, I told them I couldn't take the pay cut::

[spud912]

Thanks Blackcat for posting this thread . I lovethis positive threads!

There are absolutely so many things I really love about doing daycare.....I'll try to post only the big things because the list would be a mile long otherwise .

• I really am lucky and have some wonderful families. I know I am lucky in this respect, but all of my families are very involved, helpful, encouraging and respectful.
• I love the kids. I love watching them grow and accomplish little things. I feel we are truly blessed with a unique job where we actually have the ability to watch a young child blossom!
• I love to cook and bake. Even moreso, I love that I have a captive audience that loves my food!
• I love that I wake up literally at my job and my commute is about 20 seconds from my bedroom to the front door haha!
• I love that I can wear more comfortable clothes and nobody looks at me cross-eyed if my clothes look dirty by the end of the day.
• I love that we only have to put gas in our van once every 3 weeks.
• I love having the opportunity to be at home with my children and I can hug and kiss them anytime I please.
• I love how I have complete control over the rearing of my children, at least until they go to school. No worries about bad influences, someone feeding them junk and they have an enriching environment daily.
• I love how I can go outside practically all day if I want to and the weather is cooperative. I LOVE the outdoors!
• I love toys. I like to buy them....I like to watch the children play with them....shoot, I like to play with them!
• I love how I'm practically re-living my childhood.
• I love how I have 6 little people who think I'm super smart because I can answer their questions haha
• I love to play "monster" and hide-n-go seek and chase the kids around.
• I like how I'm forced to be creative....it doesn't come naturally to me but what I have done so far I really like!

[LoraJenkins]

* Watching the children grow & learn.
* Getting paid to play.
* The "I love you's" and kisses I get a million times a day.
* That I am my own boss, set my own hours & my own pay.
* That I am always available for my children, even though they are now adults.
So many more....but those are the top reasons I love having a daycare.

[e.j.]

1. I loved being able to stay home with my own kids.
2. I love my commute - especially in the winter!
3. I love the kids in my care and their families. Now and then I experience
   the same irritations that every other provider experiences but I've been lucky overall! My families have been very respectful of my policies for the most part.

[Brooksie]

1. Being home with my daughter
2. Having the option to be home with any FUTURE children
3. Being my own boss
4. Having my own hours and policies to work by
5. The 'commute'. My live-in boyfriend drives an hour to work everyday.. it takes me 4 seconds to walk downstairs <3
6. Being able to wear yoga pants to work ( used to work in fine dining: dress shoes, dress pants, white undershirt, white button down, and a long black full apron talk about restricting and uncomfortable)
7. NOT working nights OR weekends OR holidays happyface
8. Being a positive/strong force in all my DCKs and DDs development. I love that I know I'm getting them all started on the right path lovethis

[Josiegirl]

Kids are not judgmental and don't hold a grudge.
They love you no matter what you look like or how silly you are.
They help you laugh at yourself.
They help you see things in a whole different way.
Their smiles brighten up a terrible gloomy sad day in seconds.
I have a chance to teach someone something important that doesn't involve higher mathematics or chemistry.
I don't have to spend 20 minutes warming up my car in the dead of winter, it costs $0 to get to work.
I don't need a fancy wardrobe.
I love working at home, being the introvert that I am.
I don't like dealing with office politics.
Something I always tell my kiddos...."I'm the boss applesauce".

[daycarediva]

And while this is crass, I do make a very good salary. So much better that when my old job called and offered me $30,000 to start back, I told them I couldn't take the pay cut::

FOR REAL! And that doesn't include the child care costs for my own children. I easily make double+ what I did before, and have turned down a few child care related job positions (lead prek teacher, director of special programs in the last year) because it would have been a significant pay cut.

1. I set my hours/schedule/days off. I actually have the same 10 days paid as I did in the workforce
2. I set the dress code
3. I am home all day. I am a total homebody and hate to go anywhere.
4. Fewer adults to talk to. I really disliked coworkers, the obligation to show up to every stupid party, contribute to every baby shower, birthday cake, get well floral arrangement, etc.
5. I love love love outside and being outside as much as possible IS like a dream. Getting paid to do it, that's like icing on the cake!
6. I LOVE being my own boss. There is nobody to be on my case, tell me what needs to be done, etc.
7. I love working with kids. I love seeing them grow and thrive while in my care. I love the hugs, kisses, I love you's, being handed weeds for flowers, planning/doing things that I know they will love.
8. Watching MYSELF grow as a parent, provider and business owner.
9. Helping to bring professionalism to this field.
10. I love the classes, I always learn something, even if it's how NOT to do something, or from more experienced providers.
11. Checking on them at nap. It's my secret favorite thing to do. They are SO STINKING CUTE.
12. Appreciation from parents/kids. It means SO MUCH to hear a parent say "I don't know if I could leave _____ with anyone but you."
13. The feeling of being a stand in mom for these kids. I DO end up really caring for them and loving them. It's hard on me to see them go, but at the same time, that's what Moms do, work ourselves out of a job!
14. When you bump into kids you used to care for and they fly over to you to hug you and update you. This happens to me often since I have SA kids who grew up with day care kids and we see them at school, sports, etc. Nobody's ex-boss ever says "Hey thanks again for finishing those reports before the deadline. It changed my life." but my dck's have said things like "Thank you for helping me learn to read. I just read ______!"
15. Knowing that every single day, I make a difference in people's lives. The parents who feel safe and confident in the care their children receive. The kids who love coming here and cared for as if they were my own.
16. Today at the end of the day, the last kid left and I shut the door. I leaned on it for sec and took a deep breath before turning around to take in the playroom, still a mess, the kitchen, dishes in the sink, dinner almost done, my own kids setting the table and my 5 year old walks up to me, looks at the playroom and says "and we do it again tomorrow because it's ALLLLLL GOOOD!" (from a Pete the Cat book) and starts cleaning up singing "Cleaning in my daycare socks. Cleaning in my daycare sock. Cleaning in my daycare socks."