Ugh, Are My Dreams Of Opening A Center Shot?

[kelbachj9]

I am an RN who has been in the profession for over 8 years. I am also a prenatal educator and I teach babysitting classes for the hospital, but this is not my dream.

MY dream was to open a childcare center. My home is not set up for daycare, but my grandma's is. Though, being residential, and I don't live it in, I would not be able to do childcare out of it (per Ohio law).

I was bummed to hear this today because I have been researching and so excited to start this venture...but now what?

My husband is looking into commercial property....

I am afraid this is going to be too risky...

Please let me know your thoughts, I am nervous. I have about $10K for start up costs, but I am afraid well burn through that with a commercial property.:hug: Thank you for your input

[Sugar Magnolia]

Ok, I'm not in Ohio, but maybe I can help. I've been through EXACTLY this. I would need more details. What is the law you are referring to? Is it because the property is zoned residential? Don't give up. I almost gave up too. You can pm me.

I'm wondering if Blackcat31 can help also. She has a separate home for daycare, as a home provider, I think. And Meeko too. I went a different route and used a residential property to be licensed as a center.

[NightOwl]

Can gma hold the license? But you operate everything?

[Sugar Magnolia]

Can gma hold the license? But you operate everything?

This may be possible too. Only grandma lives in the house currently?
I'm thinking rezone is the way to go, if OP wants to go with a center. State law governs who gets licensed, but the local municipality governs zoning.

[Unregistered]

You will have to fo to your city hall and ask for a council meeting to rezone the house.It's xostly and time xonsuming but it can be done.It took me $525 just for them to hear my case.They send letters to neighbors informing them and then you wait for them to put it on their agenda.You will have to speak in front of them with your business plan.They will want to know how the traffic will impact the surrounding area,noise pollution,your plans for trash removal and just in general how you will run it.You play up the fact that it will be an asset to the community.
I'm not sure about the laws in Ohio,hopefully they are simlar and your dreams can come true.

[Sugar Magnolia]

You will have to fo to your city hall and ask for a council meeting to rezone the house.It's xostly and time xonsuming but it can be done.It took me $525 just for them to hear my case.They send letters to neighbors informing them and then you wait for them to put it on their agenda.You will have to speak in front of them with your business plan.They will want to know how the traffic will impact the surrounding area,noise pollution,your plans for trash removal and just in general how you will run it.You play up the fact that it will be an asset to the community.
I'm not sure about the laws in Ohio,hopefully they are simlar and your dreams can come true.

Yes, yes and yes.....all that. It's all very do-able and not at all impossible. I too almost lost my dream and was saved by a lengthy, complicated zoning process. I wanted to be a center and held out for the system to work, which it did.

OP.....commercial real estate IS SCARY, more scary than rezone. If your grandma will continue living there though, you can't have someone residing in a commercial center, that puts it squarely in the realm of family, in-home child care.

[kelbachj9]

thank you

Thank you guys for your input. My grandma actually passed away and there are tenants in the house currently (for another year). My father owns the property at the moment.

Per the lady in ohio that I spoke to, she said that if it is rezoned, it still has to be ran as commercial. Therefore, no child can be alone in any room. Now, I know this, but I would have the downstairs as the main daycare area and the upstairs as sleeping quarters. The downstairs has a living room, dining room, sun room, playroom and bathroom. But, she is stating that any wall that makes it a separate room means an adult would have to be there. (If a kid is in the playroom and the other occupied in the living room they can't be alone) Therefore, I would have to hire and seclude the children to one room.

I have to call the city and talk about rezoning....I just don't know. The lady made it sound like it was a bad idea...I feel like a center is going to be over my head and I don't want to bite more than I can chew....

[Sugar Magnolia]

Yes, you would have to provide direct supervision, but you'd have to provide that in any location. My center has walls, because it's a house! There are two of us, so we can use two different rooms simultaneously. How awesome is it that you can use the upstairs!! I can't use my upstairs except for office and storage. You don't have to hire people to sit in one room all day in case a child wanders in there, and if she presented it that way to you, then that's just dumb. You just have to provide direct supervision and be able to see all kids at all times.

I was discouraged by many people! Realtors, zoning, licensing.....they all said it could be done, but it would be sooooo hard. They were right, it was hard, but not impossible. Talk to zoning. YOU CAN DO THIS.

[jenboo]

In my state, there is a little difference between the supervision of children in a home daycare vs Center.
For a home daycare, they can be left alone for a short amount of time. For example, while I go to the bathroom, assist someone in the bathroom, etc. In a home daycare, they can also sleep in separate rooms without you being in them (just have to check on them every 15 min).
In a center, a child can never be alone or out of sight. At once center, the bathroom was right outside the classroom door but we still had to take the whole class to the bathroom if someone had to go potty.

But..... With a center, you can get licensed for a lot more kids so it might not be so bad to hire someone. Maybe it could just be you and everyone stays in the same room until you grow your numbers enough to hire someone.

[Meeko]

I did do daycare in another home for a while. We were licensed for 16 kids. I was not zoned commercial but was zoned "large home business" which is more complicated than a regular home-based business. Had to have a public hearing etc.

We then bought a home in the next city to the south of us. My son (my assistant) continued to live at our old home and became the licensee as regs state the licensee must LIVE where you do daycare in order to be classed as a home daycare. I just commuted every day. (only about 7 miles)

We sold that home a couple years ago now and moved the daycare to our basement in our home. We are still licensed for 16, but do not need to be zoned any more. In Utah, if you have the square footage available, you are automatically licensed for 16 as long as you have a second care giver once you go over 8 kids.

[Blackcat31]

Yes, I have a family child care in a residential home that no one lives in.

In my state, the provider does not have to live in the home.

I am the licensed provider.

It is very common here as there are at least 4 other gals I can think of that also own second homes to run a child care.

We do NOT have to be licensed as a center. I did consider it but centers here HAVE to take school age children and I do NOT want to take SA'ers.

I did not have to get any type of special permission and didn't have to talk to anyone in zoning or city council.

My child care house looks like any other family home in the neighborhood.

[kelbachj9]

Waiting

I've been waiting a couple says to hear from the zoning guy for our city to see if it is possible....crossing my fingers...