Preparations for Starting?

[tratliff]

Wow, I just typed this huge post and it disappeared!
I will start again... And sorry that this is so long, I have a lot of questions. Please let me know if I should just separate the post into multiple threads. I am going to be starting an in home daycare sometime after our second child is born in December. I am trying to figure out exactly what I can do now to prepare and make this transition go as smoothly as possible, especially for our almost 3 year old. We will be moving within the next few months so I can't start taking any clients now. That also means that I can't set up the space or apply for licensing. What can I do in the meantime to prepare? I don't want to overlook any details, no matter how small. The more I can do now, the better. My plan is, at least at first, to not take any infants/young toddlers. Just start with 1-2 kids within a year of my ODS age. He will be 3 this month, so it's not too much stress and we all can adjust. I will have my 2 kiddos, and I plan to keep it small, no more than 3-4 DCKS at a time, but only start out with 1-2. Is that a reasonable plan? Should I create a full business-plan or is that not worth it. I know I should create a contract, any other paperwork I can do?

I will be getting licensed with my state, but I have never had any formal training. Should I look into it? I feel pretty confident with myself now, but I know some parents might want to see other credentials. Would it be worth it? Any suggestions?

How do you deal with parents who have very different views? Do you not take them at all, or just be very upfront about how you do things? There are lots of things I wouldn't be comfortable doing. I will be checking out exactly what is or isn't allowed in the childcare guidelines, but haven't got there yet. Anyone ever have to deal with parents requesting things they just weren't comfortable with?
When we do get things set up, are naps or cots better?

I am kind of fanatical about car seat safety. I plan to do field trips or outings with the kids, so how do you handle car seats. Do you provide your own? That seems like it could be really expensive. I would absolutely not feel comfortable forward-facing a child under 3 in my own vehicle. Is this something to put in the contract? Does anyone have parents provide the extra seat or request a specific seat? I have no idea how all this works, but I do know that we had to spend quite a bit to get my above-average son a good seat that would keep him rear facing for at least 4 years. I know there are parents who just are unaware of car seat safety or don't care, how do you handle that?

Also, I will be breastfeeding our second child as well, and my first hated to be covered. He would have a meltdown and not eat if I even attempted to cover him. Any mommas have a nursling around DCKS? How did things work out?
Good resources for healthy meal planning to save time and keep costs down? I will be providing all meals and snacks so that all the children are eating the same thing and no fighting over what the other has will go down. (Unless there are allergies of course) Oddly enough, feeding several kids seems like the most daunting part of the day. I don't want include much processed food or anything of the sort.

Right now, in our home, we combine lots of different learning philosophies. There is lots of free play, outside time, and some tv. I am considering making the daycare screen-free. Any thoughts? I just know that if I was paying someone to care for my son, I would not want him watching tv. I want to save that for those miserable times when I need to buy myself 5 minutes. We also have a designated school room that has a lot of Montessori type activities. Could I incorporate this into the daycare? What other types of educational activities should I look into? I am definitely aware of the value of free play and outside time, so that will be a major focus as well, but I know there is a lot of pressure to prepare preschool age kids for kindergarten, and I kind of want to incorporate the best of both worlds. Is it possible? We plan to homeschool our children, so I'm not really worried about that, but I know that I will have to work to meet the needs of other parents as well. I don't want things to super structured or adult led, but I don't want kids completely running wild either. There has to be some kind of balance in between, right?
Wow this just keeps getting longer and I'm realizing how little I know! Good places online to look for just the general ins and out, pointer and tips, day to day stuff. I will keep reading everything I can on here. Thanks in advance for any help!

[Jack Sprat]

To answer a few of your questions and not in any order...

I provide my own car seats. Yes, it can be expensive but, they will be used for more then one child.

My state requires some Early Childhood classes. You can talk to your licensor and see if you can get those done before actually applying for your license.

Food wise - get on a food program! I love ours and it helps $ wise. And you won't be using processed food as it doesn't count on a lot food programs.

BFing, I would let parents know your plans and let them know it will be done in front of their child. Not a big deal to me at all. Most kids I know wouldn't even blink an eye.

Screen time - We are screen free (except for last week a new dcb brought his dvd with him, well his mother did. long story). But, we are back to screen free now. We just don't watch it and I don't feel the need for it. No other reason really.

I use nap mats and PNP for the littles. Cost wise the nap mats were cheaper and they take up less space. I prefer cots though. But, the kids don't care they would sleep on concrete if I let them.


I use a preschool curriculum but not everyday. Def. use your Montessori items!! Make learning fun! I crochet and count my stiches. DCB who is 20 months counts with me. He is also "learning" to crochet and counts his "stitches" as he goes.

I am fairly new to this as well. So I am sure many others will have great advice. This is a good place to come for questions/concerns.

[Michael]

Welcome to the forum. I upgraded your status. How did you find us?

If you are looking for having credentials consider Penn Foster's online courses: http://www.pennfoster.edu/affiliate/...ion/index.html

[butterfly]

Wow, I just typed this huge post and it disappeared!
I will start again... And sorry that this is so long, I have a lot of questions. Please let me know if I should just separate the post into multiple threads. I am going to be starting an in home daycare sometime after our second child is born in December. I am trying to figure out exactly what I can do now to prepare and make this transition go as smoothly as possible, especially for our almost 3 year old. We will be moving within the next few months so I can't start taking any clients now. That also means that I can't set up the space or apply for licensing. What can I do in the meantime to prepare?prepare a great contract/handbook, plan out your rules and nonnegotiables I don't want to overlook any details, no matter how small. The more I can do now, the better. My plan is, at least at first, to not take any infants/young toddlers. Just start with 1-2 kids within a year of my ODS age. He will be 3 this month, so it's not too much stress and we all can adjust. I will have my 2 kiddos, and I plan to keep it small, no more than 3-4 DCKS at a time, but only start out with 1-2. Is that a reasonable plan?This is basically how I started too. Started with 2 kids for a few weeks, got my feet wet and kept adding on slowly as I felt comfortable.Should I create a full business-plan or is that not worth it. I know I should create a contract, any other paperwork I can do? I didn't need a business plan, but a contract is very important

I will be getting licensed with my state, but I have never had any formal training. Should I look into it? I feel pretty confident with myself now, but I know some parents might want to see other credentials. Would it be worth it? Any suggestions?contact licensing, let them know you'd like the paperwork to get started (even if you are moving) you'd atleast get to see what is required in your state. CPR and first aide training would be the minimum you could always continue to get education as you go

How do you deal with parents who have very different views? Do you not take them at all, or just be very upfront about how you do things? Grow a backbone. Stand your ground. It'll be hard at first, but somethings need to be nonnegotiable to be able to keep your sanity and ensure your families safety.There are lots of things I wouldn't be comfortable doing. I will be checking out exactly what is or isn't allowed in the childcare guidelines, but haven't got there yet. Anyone ever have to deal with parents requesting things they just weren't comfortable with?

When we do get things set up, are naps or cots better? I prefer cots, started with mats though because they were cheaper - but they ended up tearing so I replaced with cots

I am kind of fanatical about car seat safety. I plan to do field trips or outings with the kids, so how do you handle car seats. Do you provide your own? That seems like it could be really expensive. I would absolutely not feel comfortable forward-facing a child under 3 in my own vehicle. Is this something to put in the contract? Does anyone have parents provide the extra seat or request a specific seat? I have no idea how all this works, but I do know that we had to spend quite a bit to get my above-average son a good seat that would keep him rear facing for at least 4 years. I know there are parents who just are unaware of car seat safety or don't care, how do you handle that?I don't transport, liability is too great!

Also, I will be breastfeeding our second child as well, and my first hated to be covered. He would have a meltdown and not eat if I even attempted to cover him. Any mommas have a nursling around DCKS? How did things work out?Just be honest with dck families. Shouldn't be an issue

Good resources for healthy meal planning to save time and keep costs down? I will be providing all meals and snacks so that all the children are eating the same thing and no fighting over what the other has will go down. (Unless there are allergies of course) Oddly enough, feeding several kids seems like the most daunting part of the day. I don't want include much processed food or anything of the sort. Once you get licensed, you can get on the food program. it will reimburse you for some of the meal costs. Our program also offers menu samples, etc

Right now, in our home, we combine lots of different learning philosophies. There is lots of free play, outside time, and some tv. I am considering making the daycare screen-free. Any thoughts? Most parents don't want the screen time at daycare either.I just know that if I was paying someone to care for my son, I would not want him watching tv. I want to save that for those miserable times when I need to buy myself 5 minutes. We also have a designated school room that has a lot of Montessori type activities. Could I incorporate this into the daycare? yesWhat other types of educational activities should I look into? I am definitely aware of the value of free play and outside time, so that will be a major focus as well, but I know there is a lot of pressure to prepare preschool age kids for kindergarten, and I kind of want to incorporate the best of both worlds. Is it possible? yesWe plan to homeschool our children, so I'm not really worried about that, but I know that I will have to work to meet the needs of other parents as well. I don't want things to super structured or adult led, but I don't want kids completely running wild either. There has to be some kind of balance in between, right? The dck will pick up a lot of the homeschooling even if you think they may not be listening to you teach...

Wow this just keeps getting longer and I'm realizing how little I know! Good places online to look for just the general ins and out, pointer and tips, day to day stuff. I will keep reading everything I can on here. Thanks in advance for any help!

I tried to quickly answer some of your questions above. My nap time is nearly over so it was a quick response.

Research, research, research... try to network with lots of other daycare providers - this forum is great for that. Good luck!!

[butterfly]

And welcome to the forum.

[tratliff]

I found some forums just randomly searching for info online. Then I started reading the forums and there is some awesome stuff!

[originalkat]

Should I create a full business-plan or is that not worth it. I know I should create a contract, any other paperwork I can do?
I would not create a business plan, but I would create a contract and parent handbook. You can find a lot of examples online and then piece things together to meet your style.

I will be getting licensed with my state, but I have never had any formal training. Should I look into it? I feel pretty confident with myself now, but I know some parents might want to see other credentials. Would it be worth it? Any suggestions?
First, check with the state licensing regulations (found online through a quick Google search). Most states will have at least some basic inservice hours or classes you have to take.

How do you deal with parents who have very different views? Do you not take them at all, or just be very upfront about how you do things?
I am clear during my tour with each potential family what my policies are and what my philosophy is. I am honest with them about what will or will not work with my program. If it isnt a good fit then I do not enroll them.

When we do get things set up, are naps or cots better?
I use cots because they are very durable and stay in place on the floor. But, they do take up a lot of space so that is something to consider. There are many providers who prefer mats. Really its personal preference.

I plan to do field trips or outings with the kids, so how do you handle car seats. Do you provide your own?
Do what you feel comfortable with. I only do 4 field trips per year so parents bring their seats on that day. If you doing outings weekly or more, you will probably want to purchase the seats to use. They are tax deductible.

Any mommas have a nursling around DCKS? How did things work out?
No advice on this one. I was never BF when I did daycare.

Good resources for healthy meal planning to save time and keep costs down? I am on the CACFP food program which reimburses for the cost of meals. Look into participating in that program.

I am considering making the daycare screen-free. Any thoughts?
This is personal preference. I do about 30 minutes per day while I prepare lunch.

I don't want things to super structured or adult led, but I don't want kids completely running wild either. There has to be some kind of balance in between, right?
We also homeschool our kids (1st and 3rd grade). I have a daycare room with a lot of the free play activities and then I have a learning room set up more like a classroom with math tubs, alphabet activities, and other things with lots of pieces that need more structured time. My girls also have their homeschool desks(tables) and supply tubs/ workboxes set up in that room. It is a great mix between structure and free play. You will find what work for you!