Curious If Anybody Knows...

[Josiegirl]

I was wondering which states are the easiest to become a dcprovider and which are the hardest?

If anyone has input about your state----good or bad, feel free to offer it. If you'd rather keep it private, you can PM me.
With both my dds leaving the area within the next 6 months, there's nothing holding me here anymore. And I'm kind of toying with the idea of going someplace different. Time for a change.

[jenboo]

Nevada is easy!! I'm in Vegas but not for too much longer.
Licensing is almost a joke here.

[NoMoreJuice!]

Kansas is easy, as long as you follow the rules, which are not difficult. I think they're very sensible and promote safe environments for children.

[LysesKids]

Do you want to become licensed or stay licensed exempt... that in itself will tell you which states are easy to start in; just pull up the regulations. MO is easier than KS... AR you can have 5 kids without a license & Indiana is still 6 I believe for license exempt... TN is 4 for, WV is 3, MD - ZERO, OK - ZERO. Many states are asking providers to become QRS or stars providers and there is a lot of drawback to that in some states; again it depends on if you want to be full license or not. ME, here in TN I would only be allowed 4 regardless of license or not because I take 18 months & younger only

[Heidi]

WI has a lot of licensing regs, and if you want to be able to take state assistance, you have to participate in the QRIS (or you can anyway).
.
I don't think they're particularly hard, although some are beyond health and safety, IMO. Licensing "meddles" in our parent contracts, for instance.

You can care for up to 3 kids under age 7, and unlimited over age 7, without a license. There is also a "certification" option for 3 kids or less in order to be on the food program (you have to be regulated somehow for FP in WI).

We see our licensers approx. once a year. They are very by-the-book and try to be consistent, but generally polite and respectful.

[Annalee]

TN license is attainable but TOUGH! QRIS is difficult with an annual mandated assessment which is written in the law here so each daycare center and family child care have a report card. I have rolled with the change since QRIS started in 2001-02 and have been in business since 1992 but I would NOT want to start a new daycare here now.

[daycare]

in regards to LIC, I think that CA is super easy. However, in other terms, it's very difficult to get up and running when you have illegal daycares all over the place and the need for daycare is often saturated due to the easy application process.

I found it difficult to build my daycare when I was new and really had a hard time getting it to take off. CA is also very expensive to live, so it's hard to find a good place that is not super crowded and allows space for daycare, parents to park and etc.

I love living in CA, I don't love the cost of living here. Currently I pay $3600 a month for a 1200sqft house. So it's hard to do daycare and even cover my operating cost, some how I make it work by offering an educational preschool program. I am able to charge more than other providers who just babysit.

[Laurel]

I was wondering which states are the easiest to become a dcprovider and which are the hardest?

If anyone has input about your state----good or bad, feel free to offer it. If you'd rather keep it private, you can PM me.
With both my dds leaving the area within the next 6 months, there's nothing holding me here anymore. And I'm kind of toying with the idea of going someplace different. Time for a change.

Florida is all over the place. It depends on the county you live in. In Broward County you have to be licensed and can only watch one child or two if they are siblings without a license. In other counties, you didn't used to have to be licensed but I haven't kept up with all that. It could be different now. All I can tell you is that Broward has been 'threatening' QRIS and trying to get it off the ground for years but it has never been implemented. In that regard, I love Broward Co. Licensing isn't too bad here...pretty reasonable.

Laurel

[Sugar Magnolia]

I agree with Laurel! Florida is fairly reasonable.

And one more thing.........
".....the weather down here......so fine"
(Jerry Garcia)




And Josie, I'm from Vermont too. It's culture shock moving here, but you can adjust quickly to life without snow.

[Meeko]

Utah (especially Utah Valley) is one of the fastest growing areas in the nation. There is a shortage of daycare here, which is great for current providers!

Licensing is fairly easy. You can have 4 kids and be un-licensed. You can be licensed and have up to 8 kids alone or 16 with a helper.

Regs are not too bad and licensing staff are very "for" us instead of "against" us.

People and business's are pouring into Utah. Families who need daycare.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2014/11/12/the-best-states-for-business-2014/

I am licensed for 16 and stay full all the time.

[melilley]

I'm in MI and it's easy to get licensed here and you have to have a license/registration to take care of any unrelated children in your home. This doesn't stop people from opening illegally though.
We have family providers who get registered and can have up to 6 children, only 4 can be under 30 months and only 2 of the 4 can be under 18 months. There are also group providers who get licensed and can have up to 12 kids, ratios are the same as above with 2 providers. Infant and toddler care is in high demand. Preschool children are hard to come by because parents want their children to go to "formal" preschool and a lot of GSRP, free, programs have opened up.

Our state participates in the QRIS (stars) program, but it is not mandatory yet.

[therov]

Although I've only worked in one state, Maryland regulations seem to be tougher than others cited here:

- If you take care of any "outside" children in your home, you must be licensed;
- Two children under age two per provider, a max of four children under two in any home;
- Max of 8 children total in a standard daycare home (there are exceptions for large family homes requiring more space, but can take up to 12);
- Your own kids count until they turn 6;
- A week-long course is required prior to licensing;
- Inspections after the visit to establish the daycare are annual and unannounced;
- Continuing education requirements of 18 hrs (year 1) or 12 hrs.