Licensed And Ready- How Long Does It Take?

[greenhouse]

I am finally licensed! How long did it take for you to receive calls/interviews after just opening? Were families apprehensive that you were new to day care?
I am still working at my "regular" job and my husband does not want me to quit until I start getting calls. I have 3 months of expenses saved, but I'm very nervous about the gray area time frame between quitting my current job and having a full, successful day care. Calm my fears! or tell me to keep working! What was your experience just starting out? Thanks

[KEG123]

I've been licensed for 3 weeks or so, gotten many calls/emails, only one interview and possibly one more tomorrow.

[Blackcat31]

I don't want to sound discouraging but when I first opened, I had a family of 3 already without advertising and in all honesty, it took me several months to get up and going and almost a full year before I was full with 10 kids. Alot of those ten kids were part timers too and it was hit and miss for a long time until I finally got a full boat of full timers. My DH covered most my expenses for the first six months.
Keep your head up and as soon as you do get a family enrolled I would quit and focus on daycare. You sound like you are prepared with the savings to cover our expenses so I would just stay positive...things have a weird way of working out if you have faith...and it seems like daycare calls go in spurts. Some months I am overloaded with calls for new families and other times I don't get a call for months straight.

[broncomom1973]

When I decided to do daycare 2 years ago, I got my certificate in February, quit my job early March but didnt actually have any children start until May 1st. So, I had awhile without any kiddos. Good luck.

[Little People]

Greenhouse, I done what you are doing. I had a great job, loved my boss and really did like my job, but I was a packer and was lifting 50lb boxes all day. But when i got my work done, I could sit and read. My boss was just GREAT!! I told him I was going to open a home daycare and he said good for you!! So I gave him a 2 week notice, but told him I would stay until I got my first child.

I started advertising, and on my cell phone...I put... Hi this is Miss ***, sorry I can't come to the phone at this moment, I am either working a preschool class, feeding the children or changing a diaper. Your call is important to me and my very best time to return your call is 11:30 (hint:my lunch at work) or around 4:00pm (hint: off and at home)so if you leave me your number I would be happy to talk childcare with you!!

This way people that called thought I already had children. Sometime it is hard for a parent to want to be the first. Then I would tell them at the interview, I only had drop in's and part time (hint: ask there hours first, then you can say well little XX id here from 10:00am to 2pm).

But I got my first call 2 weeks later and she enrolled that day and started the next week. So I left my job!!

[My Daycare]

I became licensed in Oct. and started a baby in Dec.. I have one baby also starting in March and one in July. I'm not looking for any more because I will be at max for infants. I also haven't been looking for older children that are too close to my ds's age (3), so I'm not sure if I would have found any.

No advice on getting your 1st child, except for confidence.

Good Luck!

[greenhouse]

Thanks everyone for the replies.
I decided it felt right and emailed my boss today asking if we could have a meeting next week. I'm going to let her know I can work 2 more weeks and I feel like that's a good compromise. I told my husband I just don't feel like I can keep the house clean, advertise and prepare for possible interviews while working 5 days away from the house. I have to take a leap of faith, why else have I been working towards this the last 4 months? I'm ready!

[lil angels]

when I started I advertised for about 3 months before the opening date and got 5 kids lined up before opening and was able to have 9 within the first year starting. Make sure to think of all the free advertising you can do. Make up a cute flier and hang it up at the banks, churches, hair salons, gas stations I drove around looking for stores that would let me hang it up anywhere. Go a little out of town to because there is always people that are driving through. Put a sign in your yard by your back play area or a sign in your window that faces the road so when someone walks by they will see. Hang in there you will figure it out if you want to.

[nannyde]

Call around to the providers in your hood and ask them how long it takes them to fill a slot. In my area there are HUNDREDS of day care providers. If I had six slots to fill I wouldn't expect to have them filled for a year.

You may find that the only way to fill up is to be super cheap and accept crazy part time schedules.

Not to be a downer but if you were in my neighborhood I would encourage you to keep your job until you really KNEW you COULD actually get kids.

[ninosqueridos]

A little different for me as I had quit my job and was home with my kids..............but I started caring for one child in October, was state registered in December, and had my max of 5 by mid-February. Three were referrals/people I knew and two I found on my own through CL. I suppose it would have been longer had I not gotten referrals. Weebly dot com has a great, free, easy to set up website - and I just added the link to my website on CL which attracted a bunch of families. Sure, I did have to take some crazy schedules in the beginning, but a couple of those ended up being FT after a few months so it worked out great. If I were in your shoes, I'd line up at least 2 kids (or the min you need to cover bills, etc) and then resign. Wishing you all the best!!! And congrats on getting licensed!!

[boysx5]

took me two years to get my business to where I wanted it to be I didn't start making the money I wanted to make til then. I think everyone starts out slow its part of building the business