Sadly, I think I must.... :(

Unfortunately, due to personal and professional reasons, I am taking a hiatus from the home daycare biz.
I have been feeling very uneasy for sometime now, and couldn't put my finger on why. The hubby and I had a long talk last night, and I think I have things figured out now. For the time being, I am seeking outside employment. I will still keep the one little guy that I have here p/t, as he is only 6 days a month.
I am saddened, but as I have been advertising for some time now (with very few nibbles, let alone interest), it is the best thing to do and probably the best time to do so. I have also felt like I am burning out, and it seems like my kids are paying the price. I don't think it's any one thing, but a combination of circumstances.
Have any of you taken a break like this? Should I tell the remaining family the whole story? Or just let them know that for now, I am not advertising to fill the empty spaces?

Sorry to hear you are having a hard time.
This business can be so tough.
When I first started out it took me months to fill up.
Then I had a burnout and closed for a few months and started back up when I felt better.
These things happen.
As far as the daycare family is concened, personally I would keep the details to myself and just go about my business.
As long as you can still care for their son that is, if they need to be looking for care elsewhere I would at least give them 2 weeks notice.

I sort of have had a month of breaks built into my daycare because hubby is military so about every 5 years we moved (lived in Calgary from 1985 - 1990 and that is where I started my daycare). Getting the daycare up and running is one of the first things we do in the new city after getting the kids registered for school. It also means changing rooms, paint colours, setups etc and that can be refreshing. The nice thing about daycare is that there is a time in our lives when it is really fun and that is when our own children are young and part of the group. When they get a bit older it starts to get in the way. Yes nice that you are home if they are sick or whatever. And I am finding it nice now that I am almost 54 and entering that could be their grandma phase. In the middle if it had not been for the fact we had a special needs child there is a chance I might have looked at going back into teaching or something related just to be out of the home some too.

I wish you all the best in your new endeavour and remember daycare is a job you can always come home too - literally, lol but there is a whole world waiting out there so enjoy. As for your family now I would wait till I had my plans more in place but at the same time if you find a job and they want you to start right away it puts you in a bit of a bind in giving notice.

How long have you been advertising for an open space? Right now is a slow time I find for filling a spot. It usually picks up after Christmas a bit and then again in the spring. This is definitely a hard business to be in, nothing is guaranteed and things can change so fast. How long have you been doing this for? Maybe a break will help refresh you.

Sorry to hear :( you just may need a change and your moving in this direction for an amazing reason. The great thing about us daycare ladies is that we are extremely patient; we can handle several tasks at once. We know how to enter a room and see what is going on all around us and still be able to focus on one specific thing.

We have great sense of humors and we will smile with whatever comes our way! Even when we are covered in poop!

So keep telling yourself you’re a strong, smart, independent woman who will be successful in whatever endeavors come her way!

Good luck!

Keep us posted on where your new job takes you!

I didnt WANT to do daycare, but eventually the need for me to draw an income if I wanted to be with my kids became a necessity. When I first started, I took on to much too quickly, lasted about 3 months with a full daycare (5kids plus my own 2). I was extremely overwhelmed, burnt out, depressed all on top of several non daycare related personal issues. I basically just put it to my families as just that. They understood (or at least let on that they did!). Took a break for a few months to deal with some of my 'stuff' reorganized myself and started a new, slowly this time, and purposly took several months to fill up.

I feel I am there again, burnt out, tired, frustrated with the kids and parents (although I am also preg and hormonal) and racking my brain for another source of income that I can do from home, with a newborn!

I feel bad that you are going through this too, its no fun, although you must be looking forward to getting out of the house for a bit of a breather! And when you are ready, you can always go back to it! As someone already suggeted, I dont think you need to tell your remaining family all the details, if you are going to continue with them....

Good luck, and hope you feel better about things to come! :)

I burnt out about a year after I started, gave parents three months notice and started applying for evening jobs. The one parent found alternate care with in a month and the other one convinced me to keep their daughter and I got the evening job and did both for six months. I went back to doing daycare full time after the birth of my daughter two years ago and am loving it alot better and feel way more capable than I did when I started!

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Originally Posted by lilac

I didnt WANT to do daycare, but eventually the need for me to draw an income if I wanted to be with my kids became a necessity. When I first started, I took on to much too quickly, lasted about 3 months with a full daycare (5kids plus my own 2). I was extremely overwhelmed, burnt out, depressed all on top of several non daycare related personal issues. I basically just put it to my families as just that. They understood (or at least let on that they did!). Took a break for a few months to deal with some of my 'stuff' reorganized myself and started a new, slowly this time, and purposly took several months to fill up.

I feel I am there again, burnt out, tired, frustrated with the kids and parents (although I am also preg and hormonal) and racking my brain for another source of income that I can do from home, with a newborn!

I feel bad that you are going through this too, its no fun, although you must be looking forward to getting out of the house for a bit of a breather! And when you are ready, you can always go back to it! As someone already suggeted, I dont think you need to tell your remaining family all the details, if you are going to continue with them....

Good luck, and hope you feel better about things to come! :)

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You could try contractxchange.com . They are a legitimate work from home business where you sort of do call centre jobs. I did that for over 2 years. Depending on what contract you get -the hours and income can fluctuate based on seasons though so I wouldn't recommend if you absolutely need to make X amount of dollars. It is good for someone looking for some extra $$ though and who doesn't depend solely on it. There are times I made great money and then months where it slowed to a crawl.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

I also feel tempted to quit and get an outside job at least once a month. Usually it happens after a bad day. I also haven't had so much as a nibble for any openings I have but luckily I have someone secured for next year and that should be enough to get by even if I am not full :)

Oh wow, thanks for that website! Its kinda exactly what i was looking for! its hard to trust work at home websites when you dont know anyone who has actually done it and can vouch that its legit!! Thanks again! :)

Thanks everyone, for all your support. I am so glad to hear that I am not the only one who has ever felt like it would be best to step away from the job for a bit. I was feeling a little incompetent!! LoL
Funny enough, I took a couple hours during naptime (hubby stayed with the kiddos) and handed out some resumes (haven't had to type up one of THOSE in a long time!!) and got a job on the spot! In exactly what I was looking for, which is the hospitality/hotel industry. I start on Saturday. Hahaha.
I will continue to care for my one part-timer, but unless it comes up (my kids have big mouths sometimes!) I will not mention it to that family. It isn't going to affect them in any way, so I can't see how it matters.
When we have the use of our basement suite again, I will look at starting up the daycare once more. That way I can have a separate space for home and work. My kids will hardly notice if it's set up like that. In the meantime, I will work a little, and enjoy some adult interaction for a little while. That's something else I haven't done for a while, LoL!!

Think it's okay if I still hang around here with you gals? I learn a lot from all of you! :)