Wondering If It's Worth It...

[coolconfidentme]

I'm re-certifying & am over all the documentation for my DC licensed. All the paperwork can get overwhelming & is time consuming.

I sometimes think to myself, I can have 5 kids & jump though NO hoops or have 10 kids & spend all my free time on paperwork. I'm not sure if it's burn-out or just sick of the paperwork involved with having a license. I truly love the kids..., not some of the parents.

We are open 1st & 2nd shift in a house we do not live in. I do 1st shift DCH does 2nd. Sometimes we do not have but 2 kids on 2nd shift & it's not cost effective. We think about going just days, with the both of us & no second shift. We would have evenings together...., yeah we do like spending tome together. (I miss him most days) If we do that, licensed we could have 20 kids, not that we want that many, . Unlicensed we can have 10 kids & NO hoops, no paperwork, evenings off, etc.

PLEASE help me with the pros & cons.

[rosieteddy]

I would take less kids and no liscence .Especially if the 2nd shift is such a low enrollment.If you can afford less money for more time go for it.Good luck.

[KiddieCahoots]

I would take less kids and no liscence .Especially if the 2nd shift is such a low enrollment.If you can afford less money for more time go for it.Good luck.

......

Less exhaustion and stress this way too!

[TheGoodLife]

Are you sure you can have 10 kids (twice as many) w/o a license? I thought that was that case here, but it's a set number per HOUSE, not provider. So even with my DH, we're limited to 3. If so, that's awesome!

[coolconfidentme]

Are you sure you can have 10 kids (twice as many) w/o a license? I thought that was that case here, but it's a set number per HOUSE, not provider. So even with my DH, we're limited to 3. If so, that's awesome!

It reads provider. Here it is:

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.

[Country Kids]

It reads provider. Here it is:

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 this as saying:

(1) You cannot be being paid regulary (are your parents paying you on a schedule plan)

(3) You can only care for 5 children at a time

I'm personally not seeing anything about being able to care for 10 children?

[NeedaVaca]

I think you should call to check on unlicensed number of kids because I think that is 5 per house. I would definitely stop doing 2nd shift because you would get your evenings back and for 2 kids it's not worth it.

If you were both working during the day you could dedicate a lot of time to paperwork so you aren't doing it after hours. Or you could do paperwork during nap and your helper could prepare other activities/clean etc.

Unlicensed with 5 kids is awesome but I don't know that it would pay your bills if you are still paying on the childcare house.

[TheGoodLife]

That's the way mine reads too (similar at least) but it does mean one provider, one home. I'd call licensing to verify. That who told me my DH wouldn't qualify us to be more that the 3 allowed in my state. I'd hate to have you and him caring for more than 5 together and be cited, if you did decide to go unlicensed.

[Country Kids]

Ok reread op and you did site laws for unliscensed. You would only be able to have 5 children which you did say-sorry.

The one thing I still think though is you wouldn't be able to bill parents as it does say:

Cannot receive regular compenstation.

To me that means you can't be receiving money from them on a schedule. It sounds as if some of it has to be free.

Does anyone else read it this way?

[coolconfidentme]

Concerning this requirement.
Sec. 26. Licensing is not required for a child care home if the provider:
(1) does not receive regular compensation;


I asked this before I was informed by licensing the statement means licensing is not required IF I do not get paid for a child(ren) I am caring for such as a grandchild(ren).

[NeedaVaca]

Concerning this requirement.
Sec. 26. Licensing is not required for a child care home if the provider:
(1) does not receive regular compensation;


I asked this before I was informed by licensing the statement means licensing is not required IF I do not get paid for a child(ren) I am caring for such as a grandchild(ren).

But you can watch 5 kids and get paid for them if you are unlicensed. As long as you have less than 6 kids you would be fine. The only thing I would wonder about is 10 kids in the same house. If you can't have 10 then I would stay licensed and change to daytime only.

[Blackcat31]

If we do that, licensed we could have 20 kids, not that we want that many, . Unlicensed we can have 10 kids & NO hoops, no paperwork, evenings off, etc.

I'm confused about where the 10 and 20 kids comes into play?

The ratios you posted don't say anything about 10 or 20.

Where are you reading that info?


In my state a provider can have 10-12 kids alone (depending on ages) but 2 providers only makes it so that we can have 2 more for a total of 14.

We can't just have two providers with 10 kids each and have 20 kids.

Can you post the regs from your state clarifying the part about numbers...I'm not reading it to see anything about licensed/unlicensed, single or dual providers and that many kids.

I found this statement for your state:
All ages: (1:12) the maximum capacity in a child care home is 1:12 plus 3 children during the school year who are enrolled at least in Grade 1

[TheGoodLife]

Correct me if I'm wrong, OP, but I believe she's saying she can have 5 and be unlicensed. So if she AND her husband are there at the same time (rather than operating back-to-back shifts) they can have 10 total- 5 each person. I do not think that is correct, I would say its 5 total no mater if there's one or two providers at the time. I would call licensing to verify.
If you somehow could do 10 total with both of you, Id do that. Of course you'd have to have a backup plan for if one of you couldn't work- you couldn't take all 10 kids unlicensed with just one of you.

[coolconfidentme]

When we decided to go to two shifts we wondered about the cross over from first shift leaving & second coming. The state inspector informed us the number of children is per provider who have met their requirements. She then stated, “If you two are here at the same time you can have 6 children under 16 months & 14 over 16 months because you meet all state requirements.” Both our eyes budged at the thought of it. As a side note we can additionally have 3 SA during the school year! Yes.., that is a LOT of kids!!! We try to keep our numbers to a very manageable level. Today I have 6, one is my g’son who doesn’t count.

If one of us is sick, It would be the same if one of us is sick now. I bring in day help. We also have an apartment upstairs & they are technically still here. I do not know if the unlicensed have to be in eyesight like the licensed.

[coolconfidentme]

ps...,
I also have outside income from my rental properties. I'm also the one converting the jail I own into a haunted jail. The 6 weekends the haunted jail will be open will potentially will bring in the same amount of income as our night shift does for the entire year.