Hi.I’m in the planning stages of opening a home daycare which has been my dream
I'm really lucky to say that my husband is very supportive of all my initiatives (he knew me way before dating i love doing projects, my husband is always along my side making sure my dreams come true:0) I also think this goes both ways I support what he does or sometimes when he wants to make changes. We usually discuss things on the table evaluate pros and cons and then make decisions.
When we decided to have family we were very clear on wanting our child (ren) to grow in our home in a family environment and in our house (so, it wasn't in our planes for me to go back to work any time soon.) Once we had our first child we decided that I'll stay home and raise the family. BUT then I fell in love with the idea of enjoying my days with the kids having fun etc. So, I started my homedaycare my husband supported my decision and we made some changes in the house, and what really helped running it smoothly was to set boundaries from the very begining.
1. It is a job (he cannot rely or count with my presence even if phisically I'm there, he knows my mind isn't; 0) 8-5pm I'M AT WORK
2. Chating, calls etc I answer before 8am and after 5pm. I check my phone only once at noon (when the kids nap or are in a quiet activity) Other ways trying to call me or reach me during my work hours, it means really, really URGENT.
3. My family has their own space. I absolutely respect that as I expect from them to respect my daycare space.
4. I always leave meals in jars ready to warm and eat. So they do not need my presence or my husband is also very reliable in doing fast meals if needed.
5. We both do laundry or vacuum the house, our house chores are pretty much shared. Obviously, my daycare is my responsability.
And all runs smooth. IT wasn't expected from me to be the bread winner or to make a certain amount of income. I was supported to do what I love. And it created a good reputation an a steady solid income. I guess I'm lucky to live in one of the cities with higher daycare demand, which also allows to offer enriched programs and therefore price my services accordingly.
Please note, although it might sound and seem dreamy, EVERY WORK HAS ITS OWN CHALLENGES, specially at the begining but, we continously keep learning to improve and do our very best.
Good luck!