Opening a in-home private daycare in Clarington, Ontario

Hello, my name is Rebecca and I am new to this website. I am currently a stay at home home and on my Maternity leave with my 7.5 month old daughter.

I am currently looking into starting a private in-home daycare, so I can be home with my daughter, and make an income. I have a ECE background, along with being a Behavioural therapist working with children with autism.

What are some pros and cons to opening a daycare??
Where do I begin??
Where to find information on writing a professional contract??
What do you roughly charge for each of your daycare kids? Infant/Toddler/Preschool
Pros and cons to just running before/after school/ pa days

Thank you all so much, This looks like a great website with very nice and non judgemental people.!!

Very refreshing. :D:)

First, be aware of the new daycare laws in Ontario - the Childcare Modernization Act, or Bill 10. Under these new laws, you can only care for 5 children under age 13, including any of your own under age 6, and no more than 2 under age 2. So if your 7 month old is your only child, you would only be allowed 4 daycare children, and only one of those can be under age 2. Going over in ratio is a very serious offence - the gov't has raised the fines to up to $250,000 for having additional children at one time.

Look into adding a daycare rider to your home insurance - not every insurance company will do it, they have different rates, and some only allow a certain number of children. State farm is one a lot of us use.

Check out your local kijiji for an idea of rates, availability, and what other providers offer. Your background would attract clients, and the new Bill is making it difficult for many people, particularly parents of under 2's, to find care.

You can find sample contracts online fairly easily. Tailor it to your needs, and BE SPECIFIC! You will quickly learn that if you give clients an inch, almost all will take a mile. Spell out your policies clearly, and stick to them. It may take some time to find the right clients, but as hard as it is, don't take the first client that wants a spot, if they don't agree with your policies. Daycare can very easily take over your life and sanity. For example, if you close at 5pm, do not let anyone talk you into staying open until 5:30. Soon it will be 5:45, or 6, etc.

If you're looking at only b/a school and PA day care, set up your space to cater to older kids. Toys for older kids, a homework area, etc. Look at local schools and see if they have after school programs (many do through the YMCA) and find out what they charge. In my area, they charge a fortune and have very limited spots. However, in some cities it's different, and if your local schools have lots of spaces and only charge $15 a day, for example, you probably won't find many people who are willing to pay more. B/A school children will still take up one of your 4 spots whenever they are in your home, until they reach age 13, so only taking school-age kids will reduce your income, unless you find younger kids that happen to only need care during school hours.

Some providers charge more for younger children, some charge a flat rate for a spot. I used to charge more for infants, but I've now raised all my rates to the same higher one. Younger kids may need more hands-on care, in the way of diaper changes and such, but older kids eat a ton and need a lot of activities and distractions to keep them occupied. A spot is still a spot, and you don't have that many to offer.

I'm sure I'll think of more in a few minutes, but quiet time is almost done and I've got a full house today. Number one piece of advice is to put absolutely everything in writing. Add in specific sick policies in to your contract, detail exactly what you will provide (for example, I provide table food, but parents supply all baby food a child might still be eating, and I provide a glass of milk at lunch. Parents are responsible for bottles/sippies of milk or formula. They provide all diapers, I provide wipes, etc). Spell out payment for stat holidays, how much notice they have to give to leave your care, how much notice you have to give, and add in a clause for immediate termination if the child's or parent's behaviour is endangering the safety of other children. It needs to happen more than many realize, and you need to be able to terminate a child on the spot if it comes to it.

Thank you so much!