Daycare climate in Barrie ON

Hi All,
I am pregnant with my second child and I am seriously considering opening a home daycare instead of returning to work at the end of my maternity leave. I just hated leaving my first behind while I went to work all day. I was just wondering if there are any providers in the Barrie area who could tell me how long it took them to fill up when they first started out? Is it hard to stay full with five full -time spots? Is that cool to ask? - I don't know if people on this site divulge exactly what city they are in....but I need to seriously look at the financial aspect of running a home daycare to make sure I can pay the bills before giving up my job....
Any advice would be appreciated!
TIA

I am not in Barrie, but I think you are very wise to try to talk to providers in your area to get all the info you can before making your decision. I did just that before I started and it was invaluable information! If you don't find enough info on this site, you could try to network with daycare providers at local playgroups or parks (once spring comes obvioulsy for the parks). I met many daycare providers through parks and playgroups and I found they were pretty happy to share info (though maybe I was lucky?). Best of luck to you! This site is wonderful for getting all kinds of help, support and information :)

I'm not sure if there are any providers on here from Barrie. What I can tell you is that, on average, it takes a new daycare approximately a year to become full. It really all depends on the need in your area and how many dayhomes are operating in that area. Some people fill up really quickly, while others find it hard to fill spots. This has also been the slowest year many have seen in a while in regards to inquiries for care.
There can be a lot of turn over in this business, and while most of us want long term clients (having a child from 1 yr old to 4 yrs old), the fact is that many times we lose clients to maternity leaves, moves, job changes etc. So, every year we may need to find one or two new clients.
What I suggest you do, is look at current ads in your area (just put in your postal code on the home page here or look on kijiji etc) and see how many home daycares are in your area, what they charge etc. to see if this is a viable option for you. You can go to your local Early Years Centre (or something similar) to see if they have any information regarding daycares in your area and if they have any resources for you. You could also contact a home daycare operator to see if they are willing to answer any questions that you may have. Most of us are willing to help out new comers, and welcome the opportunity to provide information.

Sunnydays, we must of been tying at the same time!

Marie, my best caregiver friend here in London grew up in Barrie and her parents are there so she visits lots of weekend. I will definitely ask her if there are any places you can contact to meet other providers. I don't have a vehicle so she picks me up every Monday evening and we get our groceries together. I'll ask her and get back to you.

I definitely agree that it takes a while to become established in most cases and there is a definite learning curve to become a successful self-employed businesswoman. You have to learn to keep your business mind for the parents and have a fantastic contract and then you must have a wonderful/fun/program/schedule/nutritional menu for the children.

Thank you for the replies and the advice.
I just moved to this area about a year ago so I don't many of my neighbors yet. The families on either side of me have kids but they are stay-at-home moms so I'm not sure if they would know the local daycare providers or not. I am already a member at The Early Years Center so I will see if they have any resources for me next time I'm there. I haven't noticed any daycare providers at the park but I usually go there on the weekend....once I'm on maternity leave and the weather is nicer I will go during weekday mornings and check it out.
My search of my local neighbourhood turned up some home day cares in my immediate area so that gives my an idea of what to charge I would just feel weird contacting them to ask questions about their business you know.....also a kijiji search showed a lot of daycares in my general area advertising spots - and they seem to be advertising that they are ok with shift work, part-time, overnight, etc...
It makes me nervous that I wont fill-up as I have nothing to distinguish myself, I don't have an ECE or anything, and I don't want to be open 24/7 or really early....this is a scary leap to make but at least I have lots of time to make my decision.

Hey, I am 20 minutes outside of Barrie so I charge Barrie prices. I just started in September and it has been quite the experience. I have, and will continue to learn so much. This is the best site to learn from. So here's what I know so far.
1. Set the hours for what your comfortable with. Mine: 7:30- 5:30 and they will show up early or late.
2. Get a deposit!!!! I can not stress this enough. Clients of mine just left and did not pay me.
3. Get paid in advance. I wish I did this.
4. charge more for part time then full time.
5. have a minimum of days per week that they must pay for. Parents sometimes start as full time and eventually start coming less and less.
6. Have a NSF charge. You may get bounced cheques.
7. Have a bounced cheque policy that if you get one then you no longer accept cheques from them.
8. Have an arrive early or pick up late policy.
9. Tell parets once they arrive to pick up their child they are in charge.
10. If the child does not want to leave NO they can not come back later to pick them up.
11. Your house will be abused by the kids. Set boundaries and rules. Your house will take a beating.
12. Be prepared to have the parents push you to the limit any way they can. $, time, etc.
13. My backyard now has no grass thanks to the kids.
14. I charge 35 day for min three days a week. 30 for five days a week.
15. Before and after school care is a lot of work. They eat a lot and use a lot of craft supplies. Not really worth it to take them in.
16. You really have to think of every possible senario. eg; What happens if a parents car is damaged in your driveway because one of the kids throws a toy at it?
17. Keep some of your kids toys separate so they dont feel like they are all being used by tons of kids.
18. I now feed the kids in the playroom because they are way too messy to eat in my dining room. Some parents do not have the same expectations as I do about manners and learning to eat over plates ect. It's frustrating because it is not hard to have propper table manners. You have the opportunity to practice three time or more each day.

So those are just a few things that I can think of right now. LOL. I would be happy to chat more with you anytime. PM me if you like. I have no full timers. Nobody needs it. Somehow people find others to watch their kids so they can save $. Grandparents! Which is not a good idea in my opinion because the poor child is all over the place in reagards to schedules and rules etc.