Couple of Questions

[AuntTami]

Hi everyone, I have a few questions. I'm very new to doing daycare, and since I am not currently licensed, I am only able to keep 3 children legally without needing a license, so that is the number I keep my group at. Plus 3 is plenty for me by myself to handle since I'm very hands on with my daycare kids and they don't get put into a crib and ignored for the rest of the day(apparently that actually happens at some daycares?!)
I have an interview on Monday for a little girl who is around one and I currently have 1 DCB who is 15 months old, so they're very close in age. His mom is fantastic, and I love having him. I have her on my reference list, as well as a couple other drop-in parents. I also have some personal references on there as well, so my reference list is complete.
However, I think some things are hurting me, does anyone have any advice on how to turn the following things from "negatives" to "positives". I have had dozens of calls responding to my ads, and I've had probably that many interviews, but only a couple of bites so far. I have a complete handbook including all of my policies, I have an overview that I go over with parents during the interview, I have a fee schedule, meal information, and my daily schedule that I also go over at the first interview. I have all of the necessary forms, and I keep tweaking my forms folder, but I'm all set there! happyface

1. I am very new to the daycare scene. I have 15+ years experience(I'm 27 and have been babysitting for as long as I can remember!) in caring for children, however, I just started my daycare in August. I don't really think there is much I can do to turn this into a positive. It just kind of is what it is, and I'll have to wait it out.
2. I do not have any children of my own. I think this might be deterring some clients. I'm curious if they're wondering why I chose to do this and they think I'm some weirdo because I don't have kids but I want to take care of kids... In reality, I just love kids. I love teaching them and watching them learn and everything in between.
3. My boyfriend and I are not married. I'm wondering if people are deterred by that. I feel like people would be more reassured if he was my husband verses my boyfriend?
4. We have two large, energetic dogs that like to bark when strangers come in the house. They don't bark more than 30 seconds after the parents leave the house, so they aren't barking all day. But, they bark when people arrive, and since I keep them separated from my daycare space, they KEEP barking through the interview since they cant SEE and say hello to who is here. I'm thinking I may need to just invest in a bark collar, however, I think they're pretty cruel. My daycare is on the second floor of my home, so the kids and the dogs are completely separate throughout the day. The dogs are not allowed upstairs, and there is a door and a solid baby gate that keeps them out.
5. I stumble through my entire interview. I don't have any children of my own, so I've never interviewed another provider, so I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to be asking and telling. I've read A LOT of excellent information from here that has given me the basis of my interview strategy, however I get so nervous and shakey through them that I stumble and stutter through the whole thing. My boyfriend says that it will just take time and the more I do of them, the more comfortable I'll be, but I can't afford to not be bringing in an income in the mean time.
6. I think I may have WAY under priced myself when I started this. I just picked an arbitrary number out of thin air basically, and I think parents are deterred by how cheap it is. I charge $120 a week for children under 3, and $100 a week for children over 3. Full time. I've been considering raising my rates to $150/week and $140/week, but I'm almost wondering if that's still too cheap. I know a provider less than 3 miles away charges $180 and $190 per week.
I really think I'm an excellent choice in a care provider, and I wish parents would give me a chance. If I had children, I would happily leave my children with someone like me, because I would KNOW they're getting the best possible care they can get. But, parents don't know that about me, and I don't know how to convey that to them, especially with my inexperience.

Anyone got any help for me? I'd really rather not blow this interview on Monday, as it's been pretty tight budget wise around here since I began this, and it would be SOOO much help to have a second child in here, but I don't want to seem desperate, but I am! I considered taking a child last week who his own mother said was "kind of out there"...I didn't end up taking him(even SHE never called back!) but I probably would have....

[sahm1225]

1. My first tip is to be confident! You know you are awesome, so show it! Be confudent, ask them question about them and have the mindset that you are going to be picky about who you pick.

2. You could call the local licensing place to get the average rates in your area. Being too cheap is going to deter the good clients and attract the not so good clients.

3. Not having children is a plus - no sick time for you because your kids are sick!

4. Can the dogs go outside or for a walk with your boyfriend during interviews? I love dogs, but that would be something that would concern me. Specially if I couldnt see them and they barked nonstop.

5. Practice your interview skills. Have your boyfriend or friend role play with you. Practice practice practice! I tend to talk a lot & super fast when I get nervous. To control my nerves, I practice what I'm going to say and what I'm going to ask. Then I smile and if I feel myself rambling, I just stop and say 'oh my gosh, your baby is just SO cute!! Which one of you does she look like?' And get them talking

[Thriftylady]

I can ask you one question about the dogs. I have a dog who is very hyper so not allowed around even my own infant grandson, because he wants to get on them and kiss them to death. He does bark from my room when people come in. I offer to let them meet him, but tell them in advance, please hold your child so he doesn't mow them over. Then I bring him in on a leash and they see how loving he is, but also how hyper he is. I think it helps them to just meet him so they can see he really isn't an issue, and I then reassure them he is not around the children.

[AuntTami]

I've considered having my boyfriend take the larger dog, Travis on a walk while the families are here. Charlie doesn't bark unless Travis barks, and Travis ALWAYS barks. He was abused in the past so he has a guarded personality with adult strangers. He isn't aggressive or mean in any way, he just is shy and scared of new people, especially men. He does GREAT around children though. All of my nephews love him and always want to ride on him. He taught my youngest nephew to walk, he would hold onto Travis' tail while Travis walked around the house LOL! But I havn't had my boyfriend take him out of the house because I didn't want it to seem like I was "hiding" something. I'm not trying to hide him, I just keep him separated for everyone's benefit since Travis gets so nervous around new people. After his 3rd or 4th time meeting you, you're his best friend though . Like I said, he's not aggressive in any way, he's just shy. His "defense mechanism" is to bury his head in my neck to "hide" from whatever is "scary" .

[JoseyJo]

The only thing that would be an issue for me if I were interviewing you would be the dog issue. I love dogs, but I wouldn't be okay with leaving my child in a house with a dog that barked constantly.

It makes the dog seem aggressive, even if he is not. These parents don't know you, they don't know that you are telling the truth about your dog only barking when they are there, or that your dog is really nice.

When we got our little yorkie she got to where she would bark at everything, all the time. I could tell the parents were wary of her, even though they had known me for a long time and should know to trust me about it. They could see that she was nice, just barked a lot, but barking makes people nervous about their kids welfare. We ended up getting a bark collar for her, even though I thought it was mean. Turns out it only had to zap her twice for her to stop barking. It didn't even seem like it hurt her, only surprised her (and she is little- 12 lbs) She didn't yelp or anything, just seemed startled. She tried it again and it beeped to warn her, then zapped her. She has worn it for over a year now and anytime she barks it warns her and she stops barking before it zaps her.

I would get a bark collar for the dog. If he is then able to act appropriately around guests then I would introduce the parents to them at the interview. If he can't then I wouldn't have him around the children at all.

[coolconfidentme]

Never hide the fact you have a dog. I always tell potential clients I have a dog prior to the interview. Some people are dog peeps, some are not. My dog weighs more than I do & his size along can be intimidating. He is as gentle as they come though. You can train your dog to stop barking, here is one I found on a quick search. I'm sure there is more out there.

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/pets/dog-behavior/how-to-get-your-dog-to-stop-barking-at-guests

[AuntTami]

Thanks everyone. I have no intention of hiding him. All potential clients are made aware that I have two dogs, but I also reassure them that the dogs and children are always seperate. They're NEVER allowed together. Charlie is allowed to interact with them through the baby gate with the parents written consent since he's MUCH better behaved but travis never is. He's always seperated from the children. I've tried to train him to not bark since I got him but it's never seemed to catch on. I think I'll probably just buy a bark collar. Maybe I'll end up lucky and he won't need to be shocked much before he gets the hint. Thanks for your help everyone.

[Sugar Magnolia]

I don't think your issues are huge. The lack of a license may be a deterrent, especially when combined with lack of experience. Your boyfriend shouldn't be a problem if he has completed a background check. As a parent, I'd want any adult male in the house to be background checked if they are near the kids at any time..

The dogs are likely your biggest issue. Most parents simply don't like big dogs, or noisy dogs, or rescue dogs that were abused. Even if the dog is nice, it simply doesn't look good to potential clients. A provider with no pets may very well be more appealing. I know many providers here have dogs, and it's not an issue, but personally, I wouldn't enroll my child somewhere that has a dog, especially a big one that barks, and I wouldn't care if it was never near the kids.

As far as pricing goes, I think your daycare environment and the activities you provide are the most important factors. If you have a large variety of activities,.an enriching and interesting set up and a clean and organized play area, you can charge the higher rates. Evaluate your environment, compare it to other places with higher rates and go from there.

[AuntTami]

Well, I had an interview today, and I think it actually went well. I didn't really stumble through the interview this time. And we did invest in a training collar for the big dog, and my boyfriend was home and with him while she was here so he only barked one time, and that was before she even got in the house. She also mentioned that they have 2 large dogs as well, so the dogs didn't seem to phase her at all, especially since they were actually QUIET this time haha. She seemed really nice and really seemed to like everything I had to offer. Her husband didn't come as he had an appointment, so she needed to run everything by him, but that she would let me know in the next few days. Crossing my fingers! Thanks for the help and suggestions. They definitely helped!

[preschoolteacher]

I was 27 when I opened my daycare. I'm 28 now. Parents liked that I previously taught preschool. Most of my families I've had have seen my program as a mini-preschool. I'd play up your experience, and I'd mention that this is your career. People don't judge childless school teachers as being weird for working with kids without having any. If you are professional, age won't matter.

The barking dogs are probably an issue for some. Barking does come across as aggressive, but even not, I wouldn't want my kid in an environmental with lots of barking all day. Stressful.

As for rates, I'd nail that down before enrolling. It would be hard to raise rates on families if you realize you're losing money. It's possible to do (I did it, one month after opening), but it made one of my families upset and we never recovered from that. They left about 6 months later (but good riddance, they were unpleasant).

Good luck!

[renodeb]

When I have an interview, I always make sure I have an info pack ready to hand them when the interview is over. I always start out by showing them around the dc space. The parents almost always start talking as we go which is fine. Make sure you have a ready answer to there questions. Have a firm answer about your rates, meal info, sleeping arrangements for the child. I personally hate interviews. They are awkward, and nerve racking. Try and relax. Good luck.
Tip: I do sort of a many interview over the phone so most of the interview is just them seeing the space and meeting you.
Deb