Opening a daycare with WeeWatch

Dear future colleagues,

I am planning to start this exciting journey and become a daycare provider very soon. As of now, I spend all my free time reading this forum and I find it extremely useful and interesting to read. Thank you all.

I have million questions in my head and I will try not to spread them over and somehow structure in this topic.

As of now, I am planning space and backyard.

So, the question is, what kind of equipment usually WeeWatch provide with? And what should I buy myself?

As I understood from some topics here, is that it is a key to wear kids off before the nap time. As I have a spacious backyard, I want to fill it with nice structures. What would you recomment to buy?

We have a small house but several acres of land. So we have a lot of outside space. That said, in the mornings we go for a walk. Why? Because some children, regardless of what you have outside, will migrate to a place to sit down and will play that way vs burn off the energy. We have a loop on the trails that is maybe a couple of kms to complete. Sometimes we make the whole loop and sometimes we just have to monitor the time and half way through the morning turn back and head home again.

In terms of my outside play equipment, the large 2 level play house is always a favorite. Climbing wall, swings, and slide always get a lot of attention. We change it up seasonally too. In Winter my husband will plow a path zig-zagging around the yard. As the snow gets deeper, the banks get higher and it becomes more of a maze than a path and the children run through that endlessly.

In Summer, we have more water tables, water beads and those sorts of things. We have a large barn in the cleared part of the property so my husband attached plastic gutter pipes which will fill with water so they children can sail boats in them - angle it slightly down and have some sort of plug so the water can be drained and freshened regularly.

We have an outside play kitchen filled with pots and pans from the Dollarstore so the children can pretend to cook.

We have another barn wall with closed pipes that the children can shoot balls into.

Last year my son's helped to make an outdoor assault course and that was a hit. Slices of old tree trunks laid out like stepping stones. A balance beam just a few inches off the ground because they remembered balancing on the curb stones themselves as kids - don't see kids do that now days. One of the climbing walls came off the play house and was replaced by a net. There's a lot of things that can just be moved outside.

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Originally Posted by Solangio

Dear future colleagues,

I am planning to start this exciting journey and become a daycare provider very soon. As of now, I spend all my free time reading this forum and I find it extremely useful and interesting to read. Thank you all.

I have million questions in my head and I will try not to spread them over and somehow structure in this topic.

As of now, I am planning space and backyard.

So, the question is, what kind of equipment usually WeeWatch provide with? And what should I buy myself?

As I understood from some topics here, is that it is a key to wear kids off before the nap time. As I have a spacious backyard, I want to fill it with nice structures. What would you recomment to buy?

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I noticed you're going to open with a agency "for-profit", when you sign policies with them they will probably give a list of what they supply (Ive seen some agencies provide with the basic ex. Playpen, stroller, maybe high chair) but also they won't bring it right away, they will bring the equipment once you start with their clients (based in age and needs of the starting child).

Through experience also I have learned that getting your own equipment is best. In case you find your own clients (I'm also not sure if a for-profit agency would allow you that, ask)

Children outdoors is a must try to read the Cceya doc. If you're in Ontario, and become familiar with the new childcare regulations. Children should spend outdoors a minimum of two hours (applied to centres and homedaycares), and also dependis on weather conditions (I'm sure we watch also follows that)

My honest recommendation is, do not buy anything big for your back yard yet (unless necessary or you have your own children that will use it); I live in the city, I have 4 playgroups walking distance, I have around 5 parks walking distance, also nature trail behind my back yard and all summer we visit different splash parks and also year round we visit libraries.

I used to have a lot things in my back yard but we didn't get much use of it unless for 1hr or few minutes before pick up time. And I felt my weekends I was still working just by looking all my equipment outside. I reduced almost all. I only have left a playstructure (which my husband had to rebuilt to suit younger ages), a little tikes plastic house and Im planning to adda more garden beds and nature elements. We had a water table but since it was more fun going to splash parks I do not use it anymore (my water bill decreased;0) most parks here have ride on toys donated. I also donated my sand toys to parks making it easier to go an play and not carrying toys around.

I'm sure you're excited. But try to analize and look for environ mens that will suit children and not only them for you too. Don't forget that it is you who will be spending a lot time in that space too. The more comfortable and attractive it is for you it also will be for children. Every place or daycare I have visited it reflected the personality of each educator or caregiver. Some playrooms very thoughtful put together and some "eclectic".

I hope it helps, good luck!!!

Thank you, ladies!

My problem is that I want everything to be perfect when I start, but honestly, I am ready that it will be a mess when first kids come. Whatever I plan will go to hell and there will be child led transition.

I have another very important question. My son is 8 month old now. He has no clue how to settle down himself for sleep, completely depends on boob and has no intention to crawl. Here is the question: for how long will you wait before starting care of other kids? Does he have to be able to follow the daycare schedule before I can start? (e.g. only one nap after lunch)