Thinking of just giving up! Ugh :(

[dodge__driver11]

Hi,

Well then you will have to be sure that everyone is on time, most with a basement space from my exp. only open the during pick up and arrival. Say for example, everyone is at your home by 9:30, (you don't have any "late arrivers do you?) then using the living room while waiting for your day to start is not unreasonable.

But for sleeping, can you "disassemble your area?" or are you planing on leaving it up?

Yeah for sure baby monitors are fine, but you just needd to make sure that they have a good "range" so that the tykes can be heard.

Will you have a bathroom?
How will you handle changes?

[sunnydays]

As Playfelt mentioned, sometimes basement can actually push people away. I know I looked for something non-basement when I was looking for daycare because I hate being in a dark basement all day and didn't want that for my kids either. There are also safety concerns if your windows are not big enough to climb out. Having said that, if you have big windows that solves the safety concerns as well as the dark issue and then you can have a big beautiful space to work with. We have been looking at buying a bigger house and one thing I would love is a walk-out basement with big windows so I could have the daycare there. But, if I don't find that, I would prefer to have it on the main floor with the idea that I could actually clean up the kitchen and watch them playing at the same time instead of savign it all for naptime. So, basically, if you think the playroom will be more inviting and will work well for you, then go for it, but if it is going to bring a new set of problems, I would say you are better off on the main floor. Maybe you could look more at what kinds of things you offer in terms of outings, activities, food served, etc. I don't know if any of that is where they issues are, but just a thought. Good luck!

[dodge__driver11]

Yeah that is true, light light light. I live in a condo...so my ECE background, support staff, (alternantes) is what got me my current families

[Inspired by Reggio]

I use my whole house for my program but the main play area is in my basement - I had a large window installed in the stairway for the additional fire exit because my normal windows were not large enough to meet the fire code bilaws for operating a 'business' down there and that really helps to let light down into the basement in general and make it not feel well 'dank' and I also painted it a pale shade of yellow and added lots of lighting so it does not feel like a 'basement' ... but even still I too personally do not like to spend ALL day down there as a dedicated space ... we play in my main floor family room as well and it up in the kitchen and so forth and well to be honest we spend most of our day outside as long as the weather permits and I just offer all my 'program' out there from art to story time under a tree

[playfelt]

What kind of a "program" do you offer and how do you convey that in your ads or interviews?

Most of the people I have interveiwed lately even with babies are concerned about their learning and schooling and academics and the fact I have tons of toys doesn't seem to interest them. I am able to show them the kind of things we do and that makes them place their kids.

The funny reality to all this is that before their child is ever ready to truly benefit form the preschool curriculum they will be off with mom having baby number two so it was all for naught but if that is what pleases them I can show them what I have available for 3 year olds.

If that is something parents in your area are looking for then you might want to find a way to show that at interviews and put into your ads. It is one thing to say you do it but better to be able to show it.

Some areas just have too many providers which gives parents the upper hand to make demands and be choosy. Over time that will change and if you can hang in there till the balance comes back you will get calls/interviews.

As for the basement, unless you have some scary drawings on the walls just leave them as is for now and put up lots of kid friendly posters, cut pictures of kids from parents magazines and put those up to hide some of the wall. Set out active play things like tents, tunnels, balls and net, beach balls, etc. Then when you do your interview you will have the upstairs that you have now but can then say to parents that you take "physical activity" seriously and want to be sure that the children have ample opportunity to use their "gross motor muscles" and so you have an indoor play area for them so that even on rainy or winter days you can still "exercise". (be sure to actually say the words in highlighted as they are current buzz words parents like to hear). That would be a quick change to see if it works for your next couple of interviews.

I like to start out my interviews as a way of breaking the ice with asking the parents to tell me a little about the type of care you are looking for. What do you envision for your child?

That gives me a really good idea of what is important to this family and quickly if it is someone I can work with or if our expectations are not on the same page. If on the same page then run with it and if not get them to explain more and why they consider it important. Often they have read or heard something and need to be talked back into reality.

[Momof4]

I'm late to this thread but still want to send you my support momof5. I would be charging a lot more than $50 for siblings and don't offer a discount. I did it once a long time ago and it wasn't appreciated at all. The parent you are talking about won't appreciate all that you do either so in this case it's probably better to cut your ties and find a great family.

Why should you take a pay cut because the two spaces are filled by one family instead of two? Don't sell yourself short. It costs a lot to feed these little munchkins.

[apples and bananas]

I think that if I were a parent looking for daycare I might be concerned about basement care for the following: Mold or dust and I might need reasurance that my child won't be stuck in a basement all day. Especially in the winter months. So if you do decide to change your daycare space to the basement make sure you focus on those 2 things with your clients. "big windows" or "daily play outside" etc. I don't have a basement to do a daycare in and have never had my kids in one but those 2 things come to mind.

As a provider I'd be worried about drop in parents, early or late. How do I get upstairs to let them in if they're running behind or if I have different drop off times. My parents all come between 4 and 5:30. They have pick up times, but there are those days when they beat traffic and they're here 15 min early. Just make sure you plan for that. Maybe a holding area upstairs with different toys so they can wait for mom and dad.

Just some stuff to think about.

[momof5]

Thank you so very much!! For all your advice and opinions, After reading all this, I'm not going to use the basement, So many things I honestly didn't even realize until you all pointed them out! Thank You for that! I will also look into improving my program, In all honesty i didn't want it to feel like "school" even though we "play" with shapes colours etc... and do many crafts involving those, maybe not as much as I should. I didn't think parents with under 3's would focus so much on that! I will take this time to search up different ideas to improve my program and change it around! Thank you again for all your support!!

[Crayola kiddies]

You have to have the right kind of basement to do daycare .....as I said before I have an entrance right from my garage into the daycare so there is no worrying about going upstairs to meet parents .... I have high 9 foot ceilings so it doesn't feel like a basement and it is fully carpeted ( except for the kitchen area) and I have huge windows. Everyone that has come here for an interview has said it is the best daycare they have seen yet. Of course I only have space for 5 and I am full and vest of all My commute is 15 stairs and I love being in my daycare all day.

[jec]

I haven't been on line for a while and a little late too replying but want to offer my support ~stay strong. We've all been there where you hit a rough patch and stealing from Peter to give to Paul to make some ends meet.
Sending you some good vibes that things get better soon! I've always found that interviews pick up before September!