Choosing a DC Name?

[reistered but login issue]

Hi all!

I am just getting the move on from drop in "babysitting" to moving on to homeschooling my kids while running a daycare. I've selected a name. I am registered with my state (WV) but I do not see a licensing option? I'm confused. I want to do FCC in my home, not in a center.

Can I just pick any ol' name and advertise with it? Or do I need to register the name? What about Tax IDs? Do I need to register as an LLC? What about insurance - is it a neccessity for small FCCs or just recommended?

also, slightly unrelated. I have parents who want to come and visit (NOT with enrolled kids) and see how our day goes. That's not happening! But are there any alternatives or ideas to help these parents get comfortable?

[Michael]

You can either email me your username or email address and I can send you a password reminder. director@Daycare.com You can also use this link for password retrieval: https://www.daycare.com/forum/login.php?do=lostpw

[Nebula]

Names names.

It varies from state to state I am sure, but what we did was file a DBA "Doing Business As" form with the County, and it was like $12. The DBA is still run under your name, it just allows you to basically open up a bank account with the DBA name, and you can advertise with the DBA name. If you want to copyright it or register it- those rates vary too depending on State. But I never found it necessary to do so- I just did the DBA and that protects the name!
Good Luck!

[Laurel]

I'm not sure about names. Years ago I went to my city hall to get my occupational license and they asked what my business name was to put on that license. I hadn't even thought to have a name because other provider's just had their names listed for licensing. So on the spur of the moment I thought a name might be cute so blurted out Sunflower Home Child Care because the subdivision where I live is called Sunflower. No one ever questioned it, ever. Dunno.

Laurel