Opening Up A Home Daycare :)

[TinyTwigs]

Happy Weekend Everyone!

I am opening up a home daycare in July. I am very excited but very nervous at the same time. I can't wait to work from home and run my own curriculum but at the same time I keep thinking I am won't find any clients and that I won't fill my spots. Any advice would be great also what are the big hits in your daycare that both children and parents love?

:)

[BlueRose]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Home Daycare. Keep in mind that the first year can be the hardest to find kids. Don't advertise that you are new. Mention it during your interview, Only if it comes up. A lot of parents don't want to go with someone just starting up. Half of the providers who start don't make it past the first 18 months. Can scare parents away.

Advertise on Kijiji, daycarebear.ca, on facebook and on community boards. Mention to EVERYONE you meet that you are running a home daycare. Even if they don't have kids, they might know someone or come across someone who will.

Have a good contract and policies set. You can check out my site for ideas on theses:
Running a High Quality Home Daycare www.homedaycarebusin ess.weebly.com (www.homedaycarebusi ness.weebly.com)

Have business cared. hand them out to everyone. leave them in public places. This will help get your name out.

Make sure your daycare space is ready to be shown. You need it set up for parents to see during the interview.

[1515homecare]

I am also planning on opening a home care and eventually a child care centre. I know you can only care for 5 children in your home, Im wondering if you have a separate day care area and staff if you can have more. Does anyone know regulations on this?

[babydom]

No you can't. It is 5 kids PER RESIDENT. Regardless of how many adults are on site

[Suzie_Homemaker]

I am also planning on opening a home care and eventually a child care centre. I know you can only care for 5 children in your home, Im wondering if you have a separate day care area and staff if you can have more. Does anyone know regulations on this?

In home day care normally means one adult and the permitted number of children. Typically, in home carers cannot take on staff to increase the number of children. There lot of providers here who have dedicated space for their day home - basement apartment, with washroom and kitchen and separate entrance, and never cross levels of the house during business hours from home/personal space to business space but the same rules apply.

The limits will be those for your province, per address, even if you have helpers, staff, employees.

The only way around it is to get licensed as a day care center but then all the extra regs come into play - like separating children based on ages, staff to child ratios based on ages, fire regs, employee Labour standards, employee qualification levels, and all the requirements your province places on a day care centre that is located outside a home.

[TinyTwigs]

Not if you are private. If you are private you can only have 5 children regardless of how many staff you have BUT if you are licensed you are able to have 6 kids or 12 if you team up with another licensed provider (silly rules I know). If you are considering becoming licensed to be able to take on one extra child think it over carefully because that one extra child just covers the agency cost. Yes you have 6 but really your working for free with the 6th child since that whole monthly payment would be used to pay the agency. There's always some kind if catch lol