Is it worth it??

[auntiem26]

Hi everyone!

I stumbled on this great site, and thought I would ask a few questions.

A small background:

I am currently on mat leave, but plan on returning to work in July. My oldest is currently attending a home daycare a few days a week, and in July, both of my kids will be going full time.
I am feeling incredibly guilty already, and am not sure how I will manage a full time job, only to come home to another full time job.
I'm starting to think about staying home, and maybe taking in some kids. I can probably make more money doing that, and have no daycare costs for my own kids.

My questions:

Who else has done this?
Is it worth it?
How hard is it to start up?
Are there any other resources out there that you know of that can give me more info?

Thank you so much in advance!!

[sunnydays]

I think most of us started out because we wanted to stay home with our own kids. It can be a challenge starting up to get clients, but it depends on your area, your space that you have for the daycare, how it is set up, what you offer, etc. I did not have a hard time finding clients,but I put a ton of work into it before even opening...creating a website, setting up my daycare space, researching and talking to other caregivers, etc. Which city do you live in? Here in Ottawa we have a caregiver's resource network called CCPRN and it is a great source of information as well as getting clients. Even if you are not in Ottawa, you can check out their website and get more info about setting up a home daycare. You will need to also know the laws in your province (In Ontario you can have 5 daycare children plsu your own kids if you are a private home daycare). Good luck with the decision!

[sunnydays]

Oh, and meant to add...for me it is totally worth it! I love what I do, my kids are home with me, I don't have to commute or rush here and there, and I make more in the end because I have no childcare costs. BUT, I will say that not everyone is cut out for it. It is a HARD job! You have to be super organized, patient, caring, professional, firm (with parents and kids), etc.

[Sassygirl]

I totally get your guilt. That is the main reason why I decided to stay home and open my daycare. I have 4 kids and after getting laid off and given a package during my pregnancy/mat leave I continued to look for work in my field and couldn't find anything in my area. I am in Durham Region. I would have to work in Toronto which would add on quite a bit of commuting. I thought about and researched on a few sites the daycares in my area, their prices, how much demand there was and it turns out that there is quite a bit of demand in my area for infants.
I posted an add on Kijiji and within a week I had signed on 2 clients and took deposits even though my daycare wasn't even set up yet.
I guess what I am saying is, research research research. Check your area and see what the demand is. There is no point setting up and spending the money if there isn't OR you could always inquire with an agency like WeeWatch and work though them.
Good luck!

[auntiem26]

Thanks ladies! Good advice!
Its something I'm still thinking about.......

[apples and bananas]

The one thing I find challenging about this job is that I did it to stay home with my kids, but getting time off between monday and Friday to do Dr. apt, school trips etc always makes me feel guilty. I hate taking days off because I know everyone relies on me to be open.

[kassiemom]

Do not work with WeeWatch they are horrible

[DaycareLady]

I have my ECE and tons of other education geared towards working with children of all abilities...I decided I would open my own home daycare 8 months ago to stay home with my 2 kids. I really thought it would be the "best of both worlds" being a stay at home mom while also bringing in money watching other kids. It was NOT what I expected it to be AT ALL. I had an amazing playroom, a great bunch of kids, awesome parents and even with all of that it was HARD! The super long hours, no break, no vacation pay or paid days off, no benefits, constant cleaning, cooking, bum changing, dealing with multiple behaviours and parents "parenting" styles, never having a day where I got off "early" or spending quality time with my own children, parents bringing sick children despite my policy, parents pulling child out for a center spot/moving/another pregnancy and leaving me scrambling to find a replacement, children not adjusting, working my butt off and parents still just seeing me as a "babysitter", parents leaving children here from the moment I open to the moment I close so they can get their grocery shopping done/go to the gym/go shopping etc. My children adjusted well but having to share their toys, their home, their mommy, and required to be "friends" with whoever came into their space...some days it was tough and tugged at my heart strings MORE than if I had decided to work part time and still have some quality filled days with them. Needless to say, I gave it a good go, had a great schedule and program but in the end it was just NOT for me! Someone on here said it best to me, "it's quality not quantity". So now my two are in daycare part time and I work and get to spend lots of QUALITY time with them on my off time and it is beautiful.
I have a lot of respect for the ladies on here that have been doing it for years and still love it! I am not trying to be negative I just wanted to show the other side! There are lots of benefits like tons of money saved in childcare and making more than you would if you worked...but at the end of the day no one wants a Mama who is burnt out.

[Judy Trickett]

Maybe if you mentioned what city you live in someone here might be able to give you a better idea of what the daycare market is in your area.

[Momof4]

Ugh! Old thread again with OP who didn't come back!