Well It's Something!

[Zoe]

After months and months of no potential daycare clients, I finally have an interview tomorrow for a 2 1/2 yo dcg. But it's for a second shift, which is something I wasn't going to do.

Like I said yesterday, as long as the families adhere to my policies and the kids are great, I'm willing to take anything! DH doesn't mind at all that we'd have an extra kiddo in tow 3-4 nights a week because it's extra money to get us out of debt faster.

Have any of you done 1st and 2nd shift at the same time? How did you stay sane? I'm not too worried since my 1 daycare family is part time and this would be part time as well.

[jessrlee]

I have done 1st and 2nd for 5 years now. I do "daycare" during the day and switch to "babysitter mode" at 6. Meaning after 6pm you play, watch tv, play video games, whatever our own kiddos are doing. If we go somewhere you tag along. Basically they become part of the family, and go to bed by 8pm.

[daycare]

I did at the start and it wore me out really fast. I have my own little guy and I felt that it was not fair to him that he never got in any real mommy time. He had to share me now all day and night.

It lasted about 3 months and the changes I saw in my little man was not worth it for me..

However, if I really needed the money I would do whatever it took...

One thing I would have to say is this.....
Don't make the mistake of changing your rules, hours, pay and etc for anyone. Becuase when you do, you will regret it sooooo much later...

You will dread the family, the kids and etc..... My advice would be to stick to your guns and try to only find those families that fit into the schedule you want....
But thats just me..

[nannyde]

After months and months of no potential daycare clients, I finally have an interview tomorrow for a 2 1/2 yo dcg. But it's for a second shift, which is something I wasn't going to do.

Like I said yesterday, as long as the families adhere to my policies and the kids are great, I'm willing to take anything! DH doesn't mind at all that we'd have an extra kiddo in tow 3-4 nights a week because it's extra money to get us out of debt faster.

Have any of you done 1st and 2nd shift at the same time? How did you stay sane? I'm not too worried since my 1 daycare family is part time and this would be part time as well.

Yes for about fourteen years. The ONLY way I could make it was to keep this schedule.

Dinner at five

Movie from five thirty-forty five to seven. I have a huge collection of disney and kiddy movies. Just rotated them over the course of months. I always choose the movie. NO playing during the movie.

Bedtime at seven

NO clothing changes before bed. They had to come in what they were to sleep in.

NO keeping kids up till parents come or keeping them up later on Friday nite.

NO allowing parents to go do anything after work or picking up in the morning. They have to pick up right after work.

NO outdoor play time.

Free play ONLY play.

NO conferencing at pick up. Call me two minutes before arriving... Knock on the door... I will go get your kid and open the door with kid in my hands and hand thru door. NO talking to me. I had to go RIGHT back to sleep so I couldn't be up and visiting or I wouldn't get back to sleep.

NO drama in the driveway. Get your kid in the car seat and get out of the driveway. My neighbors won't tolerate a screaming kid at midnight.

NO loud cars or music. Turn your music OFF before you get in my driveway.

If your car breaks down in my driveway you can NOT come into my house until you get it solved. ONLY exception was dangerous cold exceptions.

No picking up drunk.

NO early drop off. It's always easier to have your kid at my house... no excuses to use extra hours because you work that shift.

Do not call and wake me up to tell me something else is going to happen. Whatever the plan is when you drop off needs to be the plan for pick up.

Make sure you CAN sleep while they are there. My State allows it but now requires being on the same level as the kid.


I loved 3-11 parents. They had SO much face time with their kid every day. Pretty easy group to work for BUT they are always wanting off that shift so you can get a LOT of schedule changes and kids leaving if you don't have room for them on the day shift.

It's pretty good money IF you have an early bed time. I had my staff assistant here until the supper was over so they went straight to bed to watch a movie and then to bed at seven when it was over. I didn't keep kids who needed to go to bed later than seven or kids who didn't want to watch a movie or parents who didn't want their kid to watch a movie.

I was VERY picky about who I took because I could not alter the schedule and be able to do it day after day... week after week. You will get many parents who want their kid up until they get there. You will also run into parents that want a half day shift.. half evening shift. I did not allow that schedule... (no money in it)

[nannyde]

I did at the start and it wore me out really fast. I have my own little guy and I felt that it was not fair to him that he never got in any real mommy time. He had to share me now all day and night.

It lasted about 3 months and the changes I saw in my little man was not worth it for me..

However, if I really needed the money I would do whatever it took...

One thing I would have to say is this.....
Don't make the mistake of changing your rules, hours, pay and etc for anyone. Becuase when you do, you will regret it sooooo much later...

You will dread the family, the kids and etc..... My advice would be to stick to your guns and try to only find those families that fit into the schedule you want....
But thats just me..

I managed it for more than fourteen years.

The secret is direct care hours. I actually do the same number of direct care hours now that I did then.

NO kids on the floor up and playing past five thirty.

The only difference I have now is that I don't do diapering at seven and having to get up in the middle of the night to let kids out the door.

That's BIG though. I'm still a really really light sleeper because of all the years I had to get up four/five times to let kids out the door.

I had clients for seven, eight, nine years during those days.

[Zoe]

I did at the start and it wore me out really fast. I have my own little guy and I felt that it was not fair to him that he never got in any real mommy time. He had to share me now all day and night.

It lasted about 3 months and the changes I saw in my little man was not worth it for me..

However, if I really needed the money I would do whatever it took...

One thing I would have to say is this.....
Don't make the mistake of changing your rules, hours, pay and etc for anyone. Becuase when you do, you will regret it sooooo much later...

You will dread the family, the kids and etc..... My advice would be to stick to your guns and try to only find those families that fit into the schedule you want....
But thats just me..

I do agree with you on that one daycare. If I saw in any way that my children were suffering, I would get out of the situation immediately! I'm only considering doing this because it isn't every day. If she came to me and asked to go full-time I wouldn't do it. The only thing I'm compromising on right now is doing 3-11. My daytime hours will remain the same.

Nannyde, that schedule sounds just great. And jessrlee, when I was on the phone with the dcm, I told her that things would be much more relaxed in the evenings and she HAD to sign a release saying I could take her child wherever/whenever I wanted. I need a life!

[daycare]

Here in CA you can NEVER be asleep with a child in the house, so it just would not work out for me....I need my sleep...

sounds like you had a great system down and made it work... If I ever have to do night care I will for sure adopt something like what you have....

[nannyde]

Here in CA you can NEVER be asleep with a child in the house, so it just would not work out for me....I need my sleep...

sounds like you had a great system down and made it work... If I ever have to do night care I will for sure adopt something like what you have....

A few years ago DHS decided to put that in our regs and the union and big employers put a kabosh on it. Having big companies involved is what tipped the scale. There money to fight it was enough to get the DHS to back down. That rarely happens.

The vast majority of providers who do evening and overnight do day shift too. Where I live, I can't IMAGINE being able to make a living off of that shift. Even hospital based programs have failed here and they have onsite employees to feed into the day care and a day shift to help balance the profits.

[SilverSabre25]

Right now I'm seriously considering offering second shift care, myself. I was already thinking that a schedule like what you propose, nanny, would have to be what I did if I offer it (and get any takers). I do not usually go to bed until well past 11, and staying up past midnight is no hardship for myself or my DH (we're night owls...it's getting up in the AM that is hard. I go totally nocturnal SO EASILY if I let myself).

[momma4many]

For those of you who have done this, did you charge the same amount? Why or why not? I have been thinking of doing 2nd shift as well. I get a lot of calls for care outside of my 7-5:30 schedule.

[jessrlee]

I don't. I also don't really have a good reason for not charging more, I like simple so I charge the same amount across the board. I'm sure you could bump your rate by 20% or so because it is a premium service.