starting an in-home daycare? honest thoughts please!!!

Question

has anyone done this or have any experience sending your children to one?
i am currently an elementary art teacher and i am due in the middle of the next school year. it's my first baby and due to the terrible maternity leave policies in the US, i will not have much time with my newborn (MAYBE 8-10 weeks, most likely 7.) i was trying to think of options for different work instead of returning to my job that would allow me to stay with my child during the day.
i was thinking one option could be to start a small in-home daycare and care for several small children during the day as well as my own. has anyone done something like this? would you consider sending your own children to an in-home daycare? am i ridiculous for considering this option since i have almost no experience with babies, just elementary age kids? any other ideas for at-home work that can be done while caring for an infant? thanks so much in advance.

Answer

First off would totally send my child to you, toddlers would have so much fun and I bet you'd be great at sensory exploration and activities to help them grow. Honestly do not think you are crazy. Best wishes.

Answer

The idea itself is actualy great! My mum has done it for almost whole my life (since I was 6 or 8). Some psrspective of the child:
- watch your working hours and be strict about it (my mum did too much, too often, no schedule- she ended up not having time for us/being too tired to play with us (I was older than the kids, who came to us, however I saw with my sisters- they weren't left out, but they also had to fight dor attention
- it can be hard on your own child either way... if you e.g. sent her to the kindergarten (because she needs to learn how to do things without mommy)- and you'll stay at home with other kids- it's hard to understand... and if you let her stay- you're risking, taht she won't know how to behave with other adults, how to funktion in a group (because with you nearby- she will always count on you). To find balance here- very hard...
- decide what about the vacation/new year's eve, weekends etc. (My mum was caring fir the children on any occasion- we needed the money, but- we were missing the "family" time again and again)
- your home would change a lot. So you need to talk with your husband (do you have space for additional toys/beds? Is it going on in your living room or do you have a spare room?)
- think about feeding the kids. It's very hard to cook with 1 baby... imagine 3...
Ok, I think I went too far... because my mum went to far...
If you're thinking about taking care of your own baby and 2 other babies similar age- I find it a great idea... 
I feel so lucky, that we have a year of parental leave here! Ok, we get about 60% of the salary, but it's still heaven!

Answer

You’d def be an ideal director/owner of daycare I would use, bc these days, sending a young child to daycare is so scary to me! I think your experience will def make parents feel comfortable and make it easy to keep your spots filled for sure. My only concern (if I were doing this myself), would be juggling breast feeding while caring for other small children. But if the baby is at an age where they aren’t needing to be fed quite so frequently, I don’t think it’d be a prob! Hope it goes great for you!

Answer

I think you’d be great! I would just look up insurance for it and make sure you’re covered that way, otherwise you sound like a qualified person, and your experience with elementary kids could make you a good fit for that weird time of day between school and work for a lot of families.
Good luck!

Answer

My son was the first enrollment for a brand new in home daycare that a former preschool teacher started when she had her first. We love it.

Answer

The only comment I have is that my Gramma did an in home daycare for years and tried to keep it reasonably priced however that only left her with $20 extra by the end of the month and she had at least 5 kids to look after. I’d definitely trust you with my babies and think you should go for it! But if you really wanna make dough, I’d say really think about what you’re gonna charge people not to mention if it’s going to be per kid or not

Answer

Some things to keep in mind:
Depending on where you live there are certifications, insurance, etc that you'll have to figure out as you'll essentially be starting a business. 
Taxes are very different for business owners so be sure to track your income and "on the job" spending well for reporting purposes. 
Child care is often a lot more expensive than parents think, so make sure to do research and figure out the approximate pay in your area for someone with your experience. (Do not let them low-ball you and try to pay like $20 a day. Believe me, it happens.)

Answer

My husbands aunt runs and in home daycare. She did it for the same reason you did. She’s been running it for 35 years now. She looked after her 3 kids and her sisters (my MIL) 3 kids. Then started taking on neighborhood kids after school. Shes now in her mid 60’s and watches my daughter, one of my friends sons and 2 other kids she’s gotten from outside referrals. She has been super successful with it. Weve had to help her with her tax stuff before and she’s making a good 60,000k a year. she’s licensed and everything too.

Answer

I personally wouldn't start a home day care mostly because that would just stress me out too much 🤣 but if it's something you want to try I'd say go for it!

starting an in-home daycare? honest thoughts please!!!

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