I'm just quickly reading through this thread, I haven't been on daycare bear much because I haven't had to advertise a space in 2 years. I had one family who was supposed to be leaving summer 2013 just give notice because they decided not to put their daughter into public school but private school and of course the private school has a space now and so they are looking at moving her the end of Feb. I was thinking I had until the summer to get prepped for interviews and now I'm feeling nervous all ready, I'm not good at interviewing!

Anyway, I had to read through this post because I have over 20 years experience in daycare between being a live-out nanny, working in a daycare centre, and home daycare (17 years). My children are 17 & 14. I'm in my last few years of daycare and I find myself more and more wishing that I didn't have a few years left so I can move on to something new. Now with 1 child leaving soon and then another leaving for school in Sept, it makes me wonder if I should possibly be weaning home daycare now. The hardest part I think about leaving home daycare is the years you've invested into it, meaning, the longer I've been doing home daycare the 'less employable' I feel. I have my CECE (well I didn't renew in July but if I pay the late fees I should be able to get reinstated), so I can work in a centre, but I truly feel like home daycare has spoiled me in the sense that I'm my own boss and I may not be able to work outside the home.

I'm not 40 yet, so a part of me feels like I'm too young to retire so often I think about just accepting before and after school care students, so that I can have my day to myself. Take back my basement and my kitchen I can dream!

I'm pretty much with my last group of daycare children now. I'll see this group off to school and then switching to the school aged kiddies. I have one more sibling to accept and I was hoping that would be my last baby. But now with this new space opening up earlier than anticipated, I may be required to accept 1 more infant.

For the newbies wondering when to say enough is enough ... my thoughts are it takes a good 3 months to get used to daycare, develop a routine and find what works best for you. Daycare is a learning process which has a high learning curve in that first year. If you make it past 3 months it does get easier, if you make it past the year it does get easier again. Now, if daycare isn't for you, no matter how long you are doing home daycare it just won't get easier, so you always have to do what is best for you and your family needs. Home daycare does have a high burn out rate and I think that is why you will see many caregivers closing home daycare after a year or 18 months. I can truly tell you that the year I spend working in a centre was way easier than home daycare, when working outside the home you have scheduled breaks and lunches, but at home on your own your breaks are dictated by whether the children nap or have quiet time. Not that home daycare is bad, by no means am I saying that, it has its own rewards and that is what keeps me going