Operating an Unlicensed Daycare

[sweetcinna]

Just yesterday they had a report on a child that had died in a New York Licesned Daycare. I wish i had the link.

[mac60]

I felt I should add to this topic after reading the posts. I am currently an unlicensed home care provider. I owned a large center for 10 years that was licensed. Hard as I tried, my staff didn't always follow the rules when they thought no one was looking. Having a license DOES NOT mean that the rules are being followed. In fact, I think that unlicensed providers work harder to follow the rules because they have more to lose if they dont. If a licensed provider doesn't was his or her hands after a diaper change? They get written up, but they don't lose their business. If an unlicensed provider doesn't wash? It becomes a federal case and she is closed down.

I am unlicensed because I do not believe having a license makes you a good caregiver and I do not believe in the system. I have seen the people who work for the state first hand and I have seen the inconsistancy and lack of knowledge these people posess. I believe child care is between the parent and the provider. End of story. If a parent is happy, they will stay where they are. If they are unhappy, they will leave. Child abuse and neglect is a sad fact of life. But it will happen, license or not. Parents should take responsiblilty to ensure their children are safe. By putting their faith in a system that is outdated, underfunded and often run by people with no background in early childhood education parents have a false sense of trust. Parents visit the daycare everyday. How often does the state visit the center?

Just my 2 cents

Amen, licensed or unlicensed, there is bad with both. Period. Sometimes the government gets their nose in things where they don't belong....well a lot of times.

[Unregistered]

I'm a mom and a nurse (tax payer)

I'll tell what makes it my business.....i have to pay taxes on my earnings. This daycare providers income is hers!!!!!!!!!! She drives a new car (a charger). I guess it pays well. That along with all the welfare she qualifies for because her income is not reported.....yeah, it makes me mad as hell!!!!!!!!!!

[Unregistered]

I have been trying to decide if I want to become a liscenced provider or not. I want ot go above and BEYOND what is required for the liscensing daycares . The main reason why I don't think i could get a liscense is because after reading the requirements, I cannot meet one,and it is something very minor . In my state they do not want a home child provider to have a dog ANYwhere that the children will be in that home. I have a indoor dog and she would never be left unsupervised. She does spend a bit of her time gated in our kitchen or luandry room. But this won't work,because uner the rules i would have to keep er somewhere where the chidlren woudln't be. That would have to be in my luandry room,or my bedroom. I feel it would be inhumane to keep a dog in one room(away from all people) pretty much all day long. She is great with kids ,doesn't bite,etc..etc.. and like I said i would never allow her to run free if i was not in the same room,if i couldn't watch her I would gate her in the kitchen. My food prep area would be on the counters. Her head is about 8inches off the floor,so she'd never ever affect food . I'd keep her medical records as proof of her being up to date on everything. I would even print out all the state guidelines for a licensed home child care provider so the parents can see that I am gonig above and beyond those requirements. I just can't give up my dog or put her up in another room all day long.
Also, I would keep only the amount of kids legally allowed for a unliscenced daycare (2 ),at least starting out,then I'd only want no more than 4kids at a time longterm. I want to save my $ first so Icould have a set up that blows away any (home) daycare I have seen yet.
With that said, do you all think it is a good thing to have paperwork showing the requiremtns to so parents can see (on their own) that I have exceeded those requirements? It seems some parents care more about lisencing regardless of the quality of care they are actually getting.

[Unregistered]

Mom/nurse/tax payer ,
Did you ever think that she gets assistance from the gov (I am assuming this is what you mean by Welfare) Because she just doesn't make enough,even with her daycare income?
I know someone who is a LISCENCED registerd daycare and very qualified,but because she is a signle mom and has a house payment,car,payment,insurance,etc..etc..etc..etc.. she still qualifies for assistance in some form or another ? I know becuase I used this person before and She has a tx id number .
IF I ever get the daycare I am dreaming of having one day, whether it is liscenced or not, I know I will pay my taxes because I believe in obeying the law. Don't judge everyone because there might be a few out there who might not be paying taxes,etc..

[Unregistered]

I'll tell what makes it my business.....i have to pay taxes on my earnings. This daycare providers income is hers!!!!!!!!!! She drives a new car (a charger). I guess it pays well. That along with all the welfare she qualifies for because her income is not reported.....yeah, it makes me mad as hell!!!!!!!!!!

How do you know that she doesn't pay taxes? How do you know she receives welfare? Have you confirmed your statements with the appropriate agencies or are you making an asumption here?

Parents write off their childcare payments on their taxes. To do so, they need her SSN. Do you honestly think the IRS doesn't cross check to make sure she's reporting her income?

SIGH . . .

[GretasLittleFriends]

This is a story of a licensed facility that apparently didn't follow the rules, resulting in an accidental death of a toddler.

http://www.earlychildhoodfocus.org/artman2/publish/NY/DA_Child_Care_Owner_Asst_Director_Arrested_After_Cchoking_Death.shtml

This is a story of what I believe to be an unlicensed provider caring for and abusing an infant in the infants own home.

http://kstp.com/news/stories/s949827.shtml

Unfortunately horrible people are everywhere.

[mac60]

I'll tell what makes it my business.....i have to pay taxes on my earnings. This daycare providers income is hers!!!!!!!!!! She drives a new car (a charger). I guess it pays well. That along with all the welfare she qualifies for because her income is not reported.....yeah, it makes me mad as hell!!!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately you will find those that abuse the tax system in many professions, housekeeping jobs, window washing jobs, home assistant jobs, and I am sure there are many others. I have always done it legally.

[Unregistered]

it's none of your business

"People need to mind there business. If she is not bothering you, then why are you worried. Let that woman make her money. If she was abusing or neglecting the children, nobody would have anything to say. That's what is wrong with the world today, people report the wrong things."

First of all, get yourself a spellchecker.....it's THEIR not THERE. Further, unlicensed daycare cast a pall upon all the good care providers out there that follow the law. What's wrong with the world is people like you that think only certain laws and statutes are important. Operating an unlicensed day care is the equivalent of operating a restaurant without the proper safety and cleanliness guidelines. If the woman wants to "make her money" then let her comply with the same statutes and laws that licensed day care facilities must abide by.

If she is not bothering you or anything on your property, it should be of no concern to you. Obviously the parents' who are bringing their children to her daycare are aware of her being unlicensed and trust her completely or they wouldn't be leaving their children there. It's people like you that are nosey neighbors and probably don't have a job or a life and just want to ruin everyone else's thing. Just mind your business and let her run her business.

[Unregistered]

unlissensed day care

what are the laws to having a unlissensed day care in the state of tn

[Chickenhauler]

Mom/nurse/tax payer ,
Did you ever think that she gets assistance from the gov (I am assuming this is what you mean by Welfare) Because she just doesn't make enough,even with her daycare income?
I know someone who is a LISCENCED registerd daycare and very qualified,but because she is a signle mom and has a house payment,car,payment,insurance,etc..etc..etc..etc.. she still qualifies for assistance in some form or another ? I know becuase I used this person before and She has a tx id number .
IF I ever get the daycare I am dreaming of having one day, whether it is liscenced or not, I know I will pay my taxes because I believe in obeying the law. Don't judge everyone because there might be a few out there who might not be paying taxes,etc..

A Tax ID number does not mean someone is getting assistance payments, it means they are a business (either operating as a corp or sole proprietorship).

Tax ID numbers are issued to business's, not welfare recipients.

I'll tell what makes it my business.....i have to pay taxes on my earnings. This daycare providers income is hers!!!!!!!!!! She drives a new car (a charger). I guess it pays well. That along with all the welfare she qualifies for because her income is not reported.....yeah, it makes me mad as hell!!!!!!!!!!

Psst-I'm going to let you in on a little secret that some here will maybe flame me on (flame suit zipped up tight) IN HOME DAYCARES PAY LITTLE TO NO TAXES.

There, it's out in the open.

EVERYTHING is a tax write off-utilities, heat, water, power, garbage, mileage on the car, repairs and maintenance on the home, toys, apparatus, PETS, cleaning supplies, food, furniture, even the lawn mower and any repairs/supplies needed to run it.

Self employed persons only pay taxes on the PROFIT, not the GROSS REVENUE. Tally up the reciepts and subtract the expenses and VOILA, you're suddenly below the poverty level, and no tax is due.

Those who are self employed running a small business out of their home don't pay diddly squat for taxes. You'd be appalled if I showed you our taxes once.

[mac60]

I have been a provider for 10 years, and I have ALWAYS paid taxes. I pay federal, state, social security, city, and a school tax on my income. Yes, by the time I deduct what I can, I am just above poverty level wages. But think about it. Of the 14 hours each day that I am up and in my home, I am doing daycare related things or actually caring for daycare children at least 12 of them. Lights out at about 9:30, furnace/ac turnded down, etc. When you figure in the 40% of my utility bill that I can deduct, I am the one getting shorted. I use the majority of my heat/ac/electric, etc during daycare house, but I can't deduct all that I use.

For example: On a hot humid day here in the summer, I will have my air on all day long to where it is comfortable for the kids, maybe about 76 or 77. Kids leave at 5:15, we go to bed here about 9:30, and our air gets turned up to about 80 so it won't run thru the night unless it gets really hot. This is why I feel we don't get compensated truly for what we use.

[Chickenhauler]

I have been a provider for 10 years, and I have ALWAYS paid taxes. I pay federal, state, social security, city, and a school tax on my income. Yes, by the time I deduct what I can, I am just above poverty level wages. But think about it. Of the 14 hours each day that I am up and in my home, I am doing daycare related things or actually caring for daycare children at least 12 of them. Lights out at about 9:30, furnace/ac turnded down, etc. When you figure in the 40% of my utility bill that I can deduct, I am the one getting shorted. I use the majority of my heat/ac/electric, etc during daycare house, but I can't deduct all that I use.

For example: On a hot humid day here in the summer, I will have my air on all day long to where it is comfortable for the kids, maybe about 76 or 77. Kids leave at 5:15, we go to bed here about 9:30, and our air gets turned up to about 80 so it won't run thru the night unless it gets really hot. This is why I feel we don't get compensated truly for what we use.

Either you're rolling in some serious revenue, or you need a new accountant-the amount of deductions allowed for a home based business are unbelievable if the accountant knows their tax law.

One major one that is overlooked is business mileage deduction, which for 2008 was 58.5 cents per mile when used for business purposes. Trip to the grocery store? Business. Toy store? Business. Training and certification? Business. It adds up fast, and if you keep an accurate journal, you'll find that an overwhelming majority of your miles is business related. Ten here, 20 there, and before you know it, you have a $5k+ deduction in mileage.

I always urge anyone who is operating a business to talk to a quality CPA who specializes in self employed persons. A good accountant will save you their fee in the first 15 minutes of the appointment.

You may feel you're getting the raw end of the stick on your power bill, but who else gets to write off their pets, lawn care, snow removal, furniture, carpets, etc on their personal home?

[FingerprintsHappen]

Psst-I'm going to let you in on a little secret that some here will maybe flame me on (flame suit zipped up tight) IN HOME DAYCARES PAY LITTLE TO NO TAXES.


Chickenhauler, I beg to differ. My husband claims 0 on his deductions AND pays an extra $100 /mo, PLUS we paid $3500 in April, all in taxes on my income. we are paying at a higher rate than if I was employed because self-employment taxes are higher than other rates. yes, I can write off part of my utilities, part of my mortgage interest, etc, but even with those and all the actual 100% business expenses (like infant toys- my youngest child is 14) I still paid an arm and a leg in tax this year
SOME OF US do things honestly

[mac60]

Either you're rolling in some serious revenue, or you need a new accountant-the amount of deductions allowed for a home based business are unbelievable if the accountant knows their tax law.

One major one that is overlooked is business mileage deduction, which for 2008 was 58.5 cents per mile when used for business purposes. Trip to the grocery store? Business. Toy store? Business. Training and certification? Business. It adds up fast, and if you keep an accurate journal, you'll find that an overwhelming majority of your miles is business related. Ten here, 20 there, and before you know it, you have a $5k+ deduction in mileage.

I always urge anyone who is operating a business to talk to a quality CPA who specializes in self employed persons. A good accountant will save you their fee in the first 15 minutes of the appointment.

You may feel you're getting the raw end of the stick on your power bill, but who else gets to write off their pets, lawn care, snow removal, furniture, carpets, etc on their personal home?

I have 2 dogs, and I do NOT write off my pet expenses and never have. I do take mileage, my husband mows the lawn, I clear the snow, we have not bought new furniture since I have been doing dc or new carpets. I do have a CPA that does my taxes, and I DON"T make big bucks. Hell, I only get $85 per child for a fulltime kid here, well I should say $80, $85 is my new rate coming up.