New here! And need to hear some good stories :)

[Judy Trickett]

I am hoping someone out there has some good stories or has been doing this for a while and has rarely had any problems...maybe that is not realistic??

It IS possible to go through the bulk of your daycare years with few problems. BUT, the ONLY way you can do that is to be absolutely, 100% assertive and ensuring you get what YOU want. You live and die by your contract, you expect parents to keep up their end of the bargain and you MUST be okay with being the bad guy sometimes. And, above all else you have to be WILLING to let families go if you have to.

That's not just being a daycare provider that's being a BUSINESS woman.

Business is hard. It's a fact.

You have to have a mighty big backbone in order to not have problems.

Trust me, I know. I rarely and I mean rarely have problems with parents. BUT, that only comes from years and years of encountering (and often failing) at just about every possible scenario a parent can throw at you. EVERY time you get hit by the swing you live and learn. Your contract gets longer and you know better next time.

You also have to become savvy at who you accept into your care. You need to be able to identify whom you can and can not work with. You need to know your limits and where your line in the sand is.

It's a learning curve that can take years to master. But it CAN be done.