For the Providers on Facebook...

[Crazy8]

Make a FB for your daycare as a "Group". It's primarily for businesses and organizations. You can switch back and forth from your personal account to your business account using the "Account" then "Use FB as page" link on your upper right hand tab in FB. Then you click on your daycares profile.

To create one go here, then click the green "Create a Page" button, then click "Company, Organization or Institution". Choose a category (I put mine under Education) and then Type in your business name and agree to the terms. Once that's done you can edit your page.

The only thing is that you can't "request friends". You have to tell your DK parent's to find your page and "like" it. Then they can get updates each time that you post something.

oh, I do have a business page - but anyone can "like" it, you can't invite people who aren't on your friends list (aside from just giving them the link)and you can't make photos private, etc. so its much more limited than a personal page. I did create a "group" too - I know you can do a little more with the privacy settings on that one but I haven't played with it much yet.

[countrymom]

I wouldn't do it, then your going to feel like your daycare never ends. And what happens when you get rid of a parent but they have already seen pictures of the kids and what you do all day, it can get risky. I have one mom that is my friend on fb, we are really good friends and hang out all the time, the kids get along really good, and she has a sick sense of humour so its great, but I just can't imagine other parents seeing what she posts on fb, some just don't have that kind of humour.

[laundrymom]

I have some parents on mine and some not.

[Mom_of_two]

Once I get to know a family if I feel comfortable I tell them to go ahead and 'friend me' if it every comes up. I never 'friend' them first- up to them. I don't share things on FB i wouldn't tell them, so it doesn't matter. i feel like it allows them to see a little more of my world and who I am, which is a good thing.

ETA- I would not accept the dad's request just yet. I would get to know the family first. I have two young girls etc, tight now that guy is just a man you don't know- safety first!

[Stacy214]

Once I get to know a family if I feel comfortable I tell them to go ahead and 'friend me' if it every comes up. I never 'friend' them first- up to them. I don't share things on FB i wouldn't tell them, so it doesn't matter. i feel like it allows them to see a little more of my world and who I am, which is a good thing.

ETA- I would not accept the dad's request just yet. I would get to know the family first. I have two young girls etc, tight now that guy is just a man you don't know- safety first!

This is me too, I just have 4 children all of who's parents r pretty close too me. I'm going to be a grandmother in a couple of weeks and they have really felt apart of my family and all the excitement. I will post pictures but also have set my privacy so where you can't find me . And I never add random people or friends of friends.

[SandeeAR]

I created a second Facebook account just for my daycare--it's a regular account, using my business email address and my business name instead of my real name. It's set VERY private, and the parents know this. I post updates of what we eat, what we do, pictures of the kids playing, etc. I invite families to it once they've enrolled and paid their registration fee...when a family leaves I will unfriend them. Nothing personal; the page is just for current clients.

I do this also, however, I don't list the meals and constant updates. Mainly use it to update photos for parents. I extend the "friends" to family members and friends of the family that the current client approves. I also have a couple of my personal friends on there, that send me referrals from time to time.

I do have a couple of my parents on my personal fb page, but we were personal friends before I started doing daycare.

[anya]

Thanks for all the input ladies, I definitely didn't want to add him without even having started working with them yet, who knows what they are like, but it led me to wonder about setting up a separate page. Your suggestions are great, I hadn't thought of setting up a regular page so I'd have more control over privacy etc, I really like that idea. And it'd really be for sharing photos/fun updates/articles/reminders with parents more than advertising anyway, so I think I'll do that. Thanks!