Unlicensed Day Care Question ...

[rhondawarren]

Okay ... I need someone that can answer this for me.

I am currently an unlicensed child care provider. I recently built a new home with a child care room on it and am getting the room in my new home ready to re-open. So I will soon be filling my spots available as an unlicensed provider.

In the state of Indiana we are legally allowed to keep 5 unrelated children. I have three children of my own that are over 7 years of age but ... I am 5 months pregnant. Someone told me they believe my baby will count for one of those spots once she is born. Does anyone know if this is true???

I have always only been told I can watch 5 unrelated children and my own do not count ...

[Leigh]

I can not answer for YOUR state, but in mine, a provider's own children or foster children count in the numbers up to age 2.

[rhondawarren]

I can not answer for YOUR state, but in mine, a provider's own children or foster children count in the numbers up to age 2.

Okay, thanks Leigh!

[Cradle2crayons]

In my state, my own do NOT count at all, regardless of age or how many here are.

I can watch 5 unrelated children also.

[Blackcat31]

Indiana rules say

470 IAC 3-1.1-26 Exemption from licensure
Authority: IC 12-13-5-3
Affected: IC 12-17.2
Sec. 26. Licensing is not required for a child care home if the provider:
(1) does not receive regular compensation;
(2) cares only for children who are related to the provider;
(3) cares for less than six (6) children, not including children for whom the provider is a parent, stepparent, guardian, custodian, or other relative; or
(4) operates to serve migrant children

I read that as your own children do NOT count in your ratios. However, I would maybe consider contacting the licensing agency and double check just to be sure.

[rhondawarren]

Okay ... I need someone that can answer this for me.

I am currently an unlicensed child care provider. I recently built a new home with a child care room on it and am getting the room in my new home ready to re-open. So I will soon be filling my spots available as an unlicensed provider.

In the state of Indiana we are legally allowed to keep 5 unrelated children. I have three children of my own that are over 7 years of age but ... I am 5 months pregnant. Someone told me they believe my baby will count for one of those spots once she is born. Does anyone know if this is true???

I have always only been told I can watch 5 unrelated children and my own do not count ...

Okay .... I called the Licensing Consultant for my county. She said that as an unlicensed day care none of my children will count against my five. That would only change if I were to become licensed. So as long as I am not licensed I am perfectly legal keeping all of my children plus five unrelated children!

Good to know!! Just thought I would share that with all of you!

I am looking into becoming licensed but ... not sure I will decide to go that route simply because of a few hurdles I would have to jump through like planning and zoning etc for my area. So I may stay unlicensed. Still looking into everything and trying to decide.

[rhondawarren]

In my state, my own do NOT count at all, regardless of age or how many here are.

I can watch 5 unrelated children also.

Thanks so much! I just got a call from our Licensing Consultant in our county and she said that my children do NOT count toward my five either! I can legally watch five children unrelated to me since I am unlicensed. If I were to get licensed then that would change and my unborn child once born would count.
But ... as long as I remain unlicensed they do not count!

[KIDZRMYBIZ]

What a dream! I wouldn't bother with licensing if I could have income for 5 kids, do things MY way, and not have all the extra expense of the license and its (often silly) requirements. Especially when my own kids were little. Here, we can only have 3 without a license. If Indiana were south of me, I'd be moving!

[KidGrind]

Indiana rules say

470 IAC 3-1.1-26 Exemption from licensure
Authority: IC 12-13-5-3
Affected: IC 12-17.2
Sec. 26. Licensing is not required for a child care home if the provider:
(1) does not receive regular compensation;
(2) cares only for children who are related to the provider;
(3) cares for less than six (6) children, not including children for whom the provider is a parent, stepparent, guardian, custodian, or other relative; or
(4) operates to serve migrant children

I read that as your own children do NOT count in your ratios. However, I would maybe consider contacting the licensing agency and double check just to be sure.

at the bolded part!

[NeedaVaca]

What a dream! I wouldn't bother with licensing if I could have income for 5 kids, do things MY way, and not have all the extra expense of the license and its (often silly) requirements. Especially when my own kids were little. Here, we can only have 3 without a license. If Indiana were south of me, I'd be moving!

Plus, I believe in Indiana once you are licensed it only allows you 1 more child-you can watch 6 kids instead of 5. Doesn't seem worth the effort for just 1 more child... (I might be wrong on this but I think I read that somewhere.)

[rhondawarren]

What a dream! I wouldn't bother with licensing if I could have income for 5 kids, do things MY way, and not have all the extra expense of the license and its (often silly) requirements. Especially when my own kids were little. Here, we can only have 3 without a license. If Indiana were south of me, I'd be moving!

LOL, I hear ya! That is why its tough for me to make the decision about getting licensed. They don't make it easy. I have to go to planning and zoning to obtain a Specialty Use Petition and all kinds of stuff. It is easier to just remain unlicensed for sure.

I have a nice room set up with its own entrance and bathroom off of my house. We built it especially for child care when we built our new house Either way licensed or not licensed it will be nice for the kids to have centers and things to play

[rhondawarren]

Plus, I believe in Indiana once you are licensed it only allows you 1 more child-you can watch 6 kids instead of 5. Doesn't seem worth the effort for just 1 more child... (I might be wrong on this but I think I read that somewhere.)

No, once you are licensed you can keep 12 and I believe if you have an assistant it may be a couple more. If it were only six I probably wouldn't consider it.

[katzan]

Wow, those rules are definitely different than my own here. I can only watch 1 child that is unrelated to me or I need to be licensed. My own kids under 13 also count :S At this point, I can ONLY take 1 child that is unrelated to me because I babysit one that IS related to me and I have 4 kids of my own under the age of 13.

[TwinKristi]

What a dream! I wouldn't bother with licensing if I could have income for 5 kids, do things MY way, and not have all the extra expense of the license and its (often silly) requirements. Especially when my own kids were little. Here, we can only have 3 without a license. If Indiana were south of me, I'd be moving!

Amen!!! I try not to watch more than 5 personally (2 of my own count) so it would be perfect. I could still participate in the FP too!

[Laurel]

Wow, those rules are definitely different than my own here. I can only watch 1 child that is unrelated to me or I need to be licensed. My own kids under 13 also count :S At this point, I can ONLY take 1 child that is unrelated to me because I babysit one that IS related to me and I have 4 kids of my own under the age of 13.

Same here.

Some people have all the luck.

Laurel

Edited to add: But licensing isn't that hard to get here either. No zoning stuff at all. We have a "state" law that we are allowed to operate. The only thing cities or counties get a say over is a large family child care home and the counties can add more regulations than the mimimum state standards (our county does that). A regular one is legal everywhere in Florida.