Starting up - how much to charge

[mom-in-alberta]

If you plan on using EI in the next 5 years (but NOT within a year), it seems to be a decent program. I looked into it when we decided to have our last baby, but I learned that you have to have contributed for (over?) a year. So I couldn't make use of it.

Before I opened, I googled "opening a home daycare" and "setting up a home daycare" and looked at about a million and one websites. I looked for websites of actual providers, not just the ones that want to sell you a document package. I googled images of home daycares, and checked out sites like godaycare.com, kijiji, and of course daycarebear.ca to see what the going rate was for my area.
Have all of your ideas in order, your home set up and all your paperwork together BEFORE you begin to interview people. Know what you will be doing for holidays, sick days, correcting the behaviour of the children, etc. When I first set up, I was telling people all about what I was "going" to do, in terms of creating a "baby area", etc. I learned that they don't care! They want to see it, now. Your home doesn't have to be pretty, with matching toy storage and such. It has to be functional. Depending on what age you are going to be dealing with, I would try to be around kids that age in advance. If you only have your little one and not a lot of experience with kids at other stages, do some dry runs babysitting for friends/family, or put up some ads for p/t sitting to break yourself in a little. It is VERY different dealing with someone else's 2 1/2 year old, compared to your own little baby. You will need some other toys and equipment, such as some booster seats, napping spaces (like a playpen, etc), baby gates and cupboard locks, etc. Again, it doesn't have to be brand new, but get it from a reputable source, so you know it's in good condition.
Also; check the govt for what to expect when it comes to tax time:
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/bsnss/tp.../menu-eng.html
Good luck!!!