What Are The Pros And Cons of Having A Home Daycare?

[choirlady76]

Hi all,

What are some of the pros and cons you've experienced with running a home daycare. What do you like best about it? For those who have worked in outside centers, how does running your home daycare compare? Thanks!

[2grls4us]

Pros:
Being home with my daughter.
Being my own boss.
Knowing what my daughter is watching, playing, eating and being exposed to.

Cons:
Sick kids always!! Someone is always "teething".
Dealing with parents that still bring their children sick.
Dealing with nonpayments or late payments.
Not having a steady income. Since people come and go at a moments notice if any notice at all.

[Play Care]

Pros
*the MONEY (I've been doing this for 10+ years and am fortunate to be full and making top $ for each slot)
*the tax deductions for home improvements that I'd do anyway
*Being home for my kids (both are in school now, but being able to come home at the end of the day is so nice. Today both will be home sick. No scrambling )
*Being my own boss
*Being able to get personal things done while working (we have hot homemade dinner each night, I don't have piles of laundry each weekend, etc)
*Being my own boss
*doing something I enjoy and am good at

Cons
*The wear and tear on my house (now that my kids are older I would love a separate dc space)
*dealing with sick kids (the other poster was right about "teething" and "allergies"
*not a ton of flexibility (I have a substitute but before that I was stuck at home and missed some of my kids school events)
*not a steady guaranteed income
*no benefits (health, disability, etc)
*increasing regulations that make it more like you are a state employee without the benefits of one.

So far for me the pros still outweigh the cons, but as my own kids age I see that changing. Also as I age I see it more important to have a job with set hours, benefits, etc. I am hoping that as my latest licensing term expires that I will be employed out of the home.

[DaveA]

Aside from what has been mentioned already, I would add

Pro: set own schedule (holidays, vacations, hours)
Con: having to deal with perception of not being a professional (my in laws spent the first several years of my home daycare asking my wife when I was getting a "real job")

[permanentvacation]

Working in a center, you have to continue watching a child who is absolutely horrible and just ruins everyone's day. Owning your own home daycare, you can kick that child out! Basically, owning your own daycare, you can chose the children you watch and parents you work with. At a center, you're stuck with whoever you get.

More pros about doing home daycare:

You can create your own curriculum or chose not to teach the children - it's up to you. I worked at 3 centers where the kids were bored and I was bored. I tried to teach them through fun games and activities, which they enjoyed and willingly participated in, but the directors kept yelling at me for teaching them. I enjoy teaching the kids, and at my home daycare, I can!

You can hire a substitute/helper/assistant so you can leave work when you want to or need to without getting in trouble from your boss.

Simple things such as being able to eat and go to the bathroom when you want or need to without having to wait until your break.

If it's a nice day and you want to sit outside all day, you can! You can wear your shorts and tank top, sip your tea on your porch, and enjoy a nice day outside as long as you want. You don't have a schedule dictated to you by someone else.

As far as income, If I have 5 kids at my home daycare (we're allowed 8), I am making more than a director of a center here in my area.

For me, owning a licensed home daycare far outweighs going out to work - anywhere.

Even though I do complain sometimes - I just started a thread complaining about voucher parents - overall, I really do love doing home daycare. I think anywhere you work, something about your job will bother you. But, regarding the voucher parents, since I don't agree with the way most of the parents use the system, I have chosen not to accept vouchers. So I don't have to be irritated by them on a consistent basis. So, see, since I own my own business, if something about it bothers me, I just change my policy.

Yes, the requirements to obtain and keep your license can be a bit of a pain. But you don't have a boss looking over your shoulder constantly. In my area, we are only checked in on by our specialist once per year. That's much better than a boss watching you every day!

[permanentvacation]

Another thing

If you work at a regular job, if you get fired, there goes your entire income! But if you work as a home daycare provider, once you have at least 2 families, if one leaves (fires you) you still have income from the other family. That can carry you until you replace the child that left.

[permanentvacation]

pros of doing home daycare

You don't have to go out in the rain, snow, ice, thunderstorms, tornadoes, etc. to go to work.

You don't have to drive/sit in rush hour traffic

You can cook dinner while working, and as soon as your last daycare kid leaves, your family can eat dinner. Or, if you are willing to provide dinner for your daycare kids, your family can eat dinner even before you are off work. Or, if you have an area where the daycare kids don't see your kids and husband eating, they can eat while you're watching the kids.

I could go on and on for days about the pros of doing home daycare.

[Cat Herder]

Pro: I was in control of my own business.

Con: I am no longer in control of my own business.

Eh: I can earn a living while meeting their requirements for a few more years, then I can get the %#!! out.

[permanentvacation]

Cons of doing home daycare:

You get bored. You are talking to little kids all day. You are not intellectually stimulated much at all.

You get lonely. You don't see any adults or communicate with adults during the day.

Ideas for solutions for the above...

Take a college class or two either in the evenings/weekends or online. You can study during nap time as well as after work.

If you have neighbors close enough, while you are sitting outside with your daycare kids, chat with your neighbors.

Make friends with other daycare providers and call each other during the day.

[Blackcat31]

Pro: I was in control of my own business.

Con: I am no longer in control of my own business.

Eh: I can earn a living while meeting their requirements for a few more years, then I can get the %#!! out.

What she ^^ said.

Except, I probably will stick it out for a few more years than her....I've got to pay off the mortgage that goes with my daycare house. Otherwise I have to be a landlord and that is the ONLY job worse than being a provider.

[Shell]

Pros: being your own boss, setting your hours, choosing families you want, curriculum chosen by you, home for your own kids, dinner prep and cooking done by 5, wearing slippers to work every day, enjoying the nice days, watching the kids be kids, not paying for child care, knowing you raised your child during these precious years(I know lots of these are repeated from pp's, but these are my reasons personally.
Cons: lonely, can't get to an appointment without an assistant, income is unreliable. For example, my income was cut in half since I termed a 2 child family. Parents that are obnoxious, sickness, and all the cleaning!

About even?

[Annalee]

What she ^^ said.

Except, I probably will stick it out for a few more years than her....I've got to pay off the mortgage that goes with my daycare house. Otherwise I have to be a landlord and that is the ONLY job worse than being a provider.

::::::AHHHH, the effects of QRIS

[originalkat]

I worked in center-based programs as a director and teacher for 10+ years. Then after having my own kids I opened my home daycare which I have done for 8 years. I would NEVER go back to center based care--EVER!

Pros:
-Make your own schedule, plan vacations, and holidays that suit my needs. I have 12 paid holidays, 2 weeks paid vacation, and 5 paid personal days. That is pretty good and compares even to a city job around here (minus the health benefits)
-Be your own boss, plan what you think works for your dck's, make your own daily schedule etc...
- Tax Benefits
-No commute, driving and getting out in bad weather
-Able to homeschool and be home with my kids
-Home to take care of other things (get dinner started, throw in a load of laundry etc)
-Naptime!

Cons:
-No Health Insurance (must buy your own)
-Little Flexibility beyond planned time off
- Some privacy diminished
-TAXES- this is my least favorite aspect of the job
-Filling spots when kids leave for KG

[Unregistered]

A lot what others have said

I love in home! Despised working in a center. I worked in two centers last year and it was grueling.

[midaycare]

DS is 7, so I love being home for him. I send him off to school, I'm home when he gets off the bus, I'm here when he's sick.

I love having my own business, but I also don't get much time off. To stay competitive with centers, I only take normal holidays, plus a few extra days surrounding the big ones, and an additional week or two if soneone can come in and sub for me.