Back to being a nanny??

So I just opened my private home daycare from my house in Jan/16 and I currently have 2 pt and 1 full time soon to be 3 pt kids. My income has dramatically decreased since I started. I'm in Kitchener- Waterloo Ontario and I was previously a nanny for over 10 years. I'm contemplating going back to nanny work purely from a financial perspective. I wanted to get some input from you as to weather I am not being patient enough with the daycare? I love it and would like to continue to run my daycare but I am not sure how long it usually to having 4-5 full time kids. Any suggestions or experiences is much appreciated!

It really depends on how is your financial situation. It is always hard to start and then built a reputation but, once it's done then it is worth it. Especially if you love it.

You've tried just four months sometimes it takes longer, once parents in your community know and see how you are when working with children then, they start recommending your services.

You've mentioned you are currently working with part times, it is hard to fill up spots with part times but you can start focusing to attract full time clients, I'm sure you will slowly transition to full time clients.

Sharing from my own experience; I can tell you that instead worrying about my income (because I love children), I focused on doing my best work with one or more children and while visiting parks, playgroups neighbourhood walks. I had opportunities to meet new parents, they became good friends and started the word of mouth system, until now, they keep referring my services. I have also learned that perseverance is the key, for everything we do. Good luck.

Thanks for your input. I actually started 15 months ago. In June all my 3 kids will be 3 days/week. I'm advertising and I have excellent references from current parents. I'm just not sure how much longer I can work as a daycare provider with only 3 pt time kids. I am trying to figure out what is best for me. I do really enjoy running my daycare and I once heard someone say, if you love your job the money will come. So im being patient atm hoping to gain a couple of full time kids. I am only accepting full time at this point.

Do you find you have lots of inquiries, and people come for interviews but don't sign on. Or there are just no inquiries?

Trying to figure out where it is that you are stuck.

Your course of action will be much different if no one is contacting you versus they come for interviews but don't sign on.

If you provide more details about where abouts you live, where you advertise, etc can help some more seasoned home providers give some new ideas to attract more families.

Hi. Thanks for your help. I am from Kitchener Waterloo Ontario. I advertise on Kijiji, care.com and sitter.com. I have only had 2 interviews in a few months and neither signed on. I do have an interview tonight for full time infant but not starting until Sept.

When I started it took me a full year to fill all my spaces .... I also do not take part time as I found it too difficult to fill the other days and especially now with the new age ratios in Ontario... advertise on this site ... as well as my local fb groups ... make sure you hours are reasonable and maybe change up how you do your interview... I start mine with a run through of how ours days go here then I let them know what I provide ( play pens and bedding for naps , high chairs/booster seats, all food ect) I let them know what they need to provide ( diapers, wipes, change of clothes ect) I show them my first aid Coe very and my police check and I have my references on the table if they want to look at them and I ask them some questions and then I ask if they have any questions ... this business is unpredictable and some times it's feast or famine

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Originally Posted by childcare

Hi. Thanks for your help. I am from Kitchener Waterloo Ontario. I advertise on Kijiji, care.com and sitter.com. I have only had 2 interviews in a few months and neither signed on. I do have an interview tonight for full time infant but not starting until Sept.

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I think this might be a case of inadequate advertising.

My advice: Start by creating a free website via wix.com or webs.com. It is really easy as it is a template that you just pretty much fill out. Pick a name for your daycare that begins with a letter that is close to the beginning of the alphabet. Register your business with "Google my Business", it's free and puts the location of your daycare on google maps which means that when people google home daycare Kitchener/Waterloo, your business with a link to your website will always come up. Choosing a business name starting with a letter at the beginning of the alphabet means that any search results generated as alphabetized will make yours come up early. Lots of people don't search beyond page one of results.

I find that different providers have different experiences with Kijiji. I personally don't find it a good source of business and I know lots of people who no longer advertise there because of the dodgy inquiries they would get. That being said, I have also heard of people who only advertise there. It's clearly not working for you either. care.com and sitter.com are not big league advertising options. 2nd to your own website listed on Google my Business, advertise here on daycarebear, another free option. Ask your families to add a review on your listing on daycarebear as they will go a long way with prospective families.

I am not sure about wix.com but I know with my webs.com website there is a free option for stats so I get a monthly report on website traffic. I also have a contact me form making it easier for parents to get ahold of me.

Make it very clear that you only accept full-time children too. Anyone reducing their days needs to understand that fees will not change.

I wouldn't go back to nannying if it is about money as it isn't a very well paid job. Once you fill your spots in your home daycare, even after all of your expenses you will make a good chunk more than nannying.

Best of Luck!

Yes, I would put a strong focus on advertising. Not only do you need to find new sites to advertise but you need to take a good, critical look at what you have up. Change it up. This is your first impression for parents, they will read it and either meet without or move to the next ad. Do you have any friends that would be willing to read it over and give feedback?

My kijiji ads were long and detailed. Lots of photos. It linked to my website which had even more photos and more detail. It had a daily schedule, meal plan sample, a page about myself and my philosophy, what we do each day etc. Again the website is like an interview. Many people will use that as a decision as to whether to meet you so it NEEDS to be a solid reflection of you and give them the desire to meet you.

You can't sign on more families if you do not do more interviews, so this is where you need to change it up.

Have a look for local facebook groups too! All my current families came through facebook. I post on local family groups, mom buy & sell groups and the region's daytime sitters group. I made some posters using the Canva app to show photos of my dayhome (backs/hands of children, or ones with only my children) and our activities. I post a description of my dayhome (what I offer, etc) along with 2 posters, and they generate a lot of inquiries.

Thanks everyone for all the great advice and tips. I will be sure to advertise on these sites and revamp my ads and hopefully it will pick up for me soon. Thanks ladies!