How Many Here Are Also Foster Parents?

[Kelly'sKids]

I was reading a few threads and noticed a couple others who were also foster parents. :-) I have a few questions. I am opening my home daycare next week (had one about 10 years ago but due to the bad marriage I was in at the time I couldn't continue doing it), I am also a licensed foster parent. I guess I'm worried about the stress level. Sometimes CPS drives me CRAZY!!!!! How do y'all handle that AND a home daycare? I love being a foster parent, but honestly don't know how much longer we will continue. I know this question may seem out there, but which do you enjoy most? Being a foster parent or having a home daycare? Which makes you want to start drinking more? (I don't drink, but keep joking that I'm gonna start ). Thank you in advance for answering my off the wall questions. :-)

[LysesKids]

Some states don't allow you to be a foster parent & childcare provider at the same time; right now, I care for 2 foster babies ( from a family of 8 foster kids) as their respite care or when parents have to go to court & the kids aren't allowed. I take them as Drop-ins only because my priority is the childcare... it keeps me in the loop without the added responsibility of hauling special needs kids to DR appointments al the while dragging the childcare along... nope, I like my set up

[Kelly'sKids]

Some states don't allow you to be a foster parent & childcare provider at the same time; right now, I care for 2 foster babies ( from a family of 8 foster kids) as their respite care or when parents have to go to court & the kids aren't allowed. I take them as Drop-ins only because my priority is the childcare... it keeps me in the loop without the added responsibility of hauling special needs kids to DR appointments al the while dragging the childcare along... nope, I like my set up

I had to look where you were from real quick, the 2 littles we have now (ages 2 & 3 are part of a sibling set of 8, then I realized you said 8 foster kids :-). Luckily Texas allows you to do both. I love my kids, but I'm thinking we want a little of our life back for a little while. Home daycare would do that for me, if that makes any sense

[GKJNIGMN]

I do both.

When we got licensed for foster care, we stopped taking on so many daycare kids at a time.

I also only take on daycare families that want their children in a home environment. I allow the kids to learn though play, we spend a ton of time at the park, but I do not teach a curriculum and if for some crazy reason I needed to go grocery shopping in the middle of the afternoon, I would take whoever was here along without a second thought.

I actually only have one DCG this summer and no foster placements And I am loving it. We have been getting calls left and right for both but for me it just took learning to say no.

The big thing that helps too is that my husband works a 4 day schedule so he is off Sunday - Tuesday every week. That means that we have Sundays as a family and I schedule appointments and visits on Mondays and Tuesdays when he is here to help.