Closing my daycare

Have you been doing this job for years?! My hat is off to you! I have only been open for 8 months and I just gave notice to parents that I will be closing my doors next month. I had the most amazing families, the most amazing children, a great contract and play space and I still didn’t feel into this job. It is HARD! The extremely long hours with little to no break, the constant cleaning and house work, dealing with parents “parenting”, working around 5-6 little personalities and behaviours. I did do this to be home with my children, but really my dream was to be a stay at home mom and I thought this would be the “best of both worlds”. Boy was I wrong!! My children were my biggest challenge as they saved all their behaviours for me (understandable) and with watching 5 other kids plus my own , I hardly felt like I got to see them! I couldn’t go out anywhere like I had hoped (library, drop in center, etc)…so being confind to the house, with the occasional trip to the park, was really hard! Being my own boss and setting my own rules was nice, but the no benefits, no EI, no vacation time or sick time, no one to fill in for me if I had to close, etc was another big downfall! Never knowing how secure my work was was a constant stressor as well....I had one family that was going to leave for a Center spot, another family who only work seasonal so were going to pull their child for the winter...one that was planning on getting pregnant within the next few months so would pull their child when they went on mat leave! I wish I knew it was going to be like this, I wouldn’t have taken in all these wonderful families who I am now leaving stuck to find alternative care…but it sure was a good learning experience!! To all of you still doing this job and actually enjoying it/loving it and not just making it through each day….good for you!! Thank you ladies for all your help and support over the last few months, if it wasn’t for all of you I wouldn’t have lasted one day!!

My hat is off to you for realizing this business isn't for you and making the decision to close as opposed to sticking it out and being miserable. Life is too short :) to be stuck doing something you don't enjoy. Good luck with whatever you want your next endeavour to be and your input will be missed if you are leaving the forum.

I understand completely. I too stayed home to be here for my kids. I miss every class trip, can't take them out on PD days and pray for 2 hours of quiet in the summer. LOL

But they're getting older and don't need me as much, so I'm ok with it. It allows me to be home if they're sick without a second thought. I don't have to worry about daycare for them or anything else.

I have learned over my 2 years of doing this that I need to plan time for myself. The secret to my success is planning time off in advance and not feeling bad about it. I took 7 individual days off this summer, 4 day work weeks all summer! I've also changed my policies to 3 weeks off a year. And if I need to close... I do.

I have figured out ways to deal with parents behaviours and not adhering to my policies.

The first year is really really hard! And I admire you for getting out with your sanity in tact! I sometimes think of moving on, but it's not time yet. This is what I'm happy with for now, but I won't do it forever.

Good luck in your next adventure.

It is always good to know when to move on. We are all on different paths and your path is veering a different way now. Good luck to you in your future endeavours!

Over time we learn not to worry so much about how neat or clean the house is or if the kids are in matching tops and bottoms or just whatever wasn't dirty and that every toy we have doesn't have to be sanitized every weekend and that takes the some of the stress off and clears up evening and weekend hours for our own families.

Home daycare is actually hardest when our own children are really little. Hard to enjoy our children too when it seems like they are not giving us a break. How many of us have wished we could send our children somewhere at the end of the day too and just be done with kids for awhile.

Ahhhh yes I too miss being able to just pop off to the store for that forgotten item or spending the day at the beach with my kids .... Before I started my daycare I was home with m two youngest for 3 years and it was glorious .... I do miss that however I do have this little thing called a mortgage and I make a decent wage without ever leaving my home .... I don't have to commute and put my kids into care..... So here I am..... I do have three weeks paid holidays and five paid personal days and I'm lucky to have never been sick enough to have to close. All my dcks sleep in the aft for 2.5-3 hours so I get a nice break and I can prep my dinner. My families are fantastic so I can't ask for anything more. My youngest goes off to full day Jk in sept and it is so true that our children are the biggest challenge in daycare. I finish work 15 minutes after the bus drops my kids off at the end of the day so the nights are ours!! I wish you all the luck in your next endeavour !!!

I'm so glad you have realised that this job isn't for you and your getting out for the right reasons. There are tons if providers that dislike what they do and not only do they suffer but the children suffer.

I wish you great success in your new endeavors.

Hugs

Aw, sorry you are leaving the business but I wish you all the best in the next chapter in your life. I was burned out in the first few years too but I really learned how to streamline, especially meals, crafts, routines and now the days fly by. But I'm really enjoying being self-employed. You are right, it isn't for everyone.

Congratulations on finding the courage to realize this is not for you. So many people stick with this job without having any passion and it reflects in the care that is given. I am truly happy for you that you have learnt from this experience and now are able to get on the path that is the right one for you as an individual and will be best for your family. It is great to be at home for you own children every day but not if its at the expense of being a happy person. It is far more damaging for our children to spend more time with us but with increased amounts of unhappiness in our hearts, than if we have to work outside of the home, which generally sucks lol, but then when we are with them we are able to take more pleasure from what we are doing. This results in us being better caregivers and role models for our children which is so incredibly important. It's Quality vs Quantity remember. It's not for everyone, and as so many say, it takes a certain kind of person to do what we do. After 7 years I know my spark is fading and I am taking steps to change paths also. It was fantastic when my kids were young but now it's time for a change.

I applaud your courage and strength to be honest with yourself, and take real action to make a change for yourself. Bravo and best wishes :flower:

Thank you ladies, these comments brought tears to my eyes....thank yu for your kind words and encouragement.