Opening a private day home in Alberta

[Lyn]

Good day,

As some of you may or may not have heard, another child has passed in the care of someone running a private day home. They found listeria in the food that she was served, among other health violations, after the home was inspected.
These incidents are a huge concern for both parents and caregivers, alike.

Everyone chooses between going through a day home agency and going private, for many different reasons. There are no laws saying that running a private day home, is illegal. And, even though the number of private day homes available, is on the rise, there is still a large demand for quality childcare, as the amount of families working, far out weighs the amount of childcare available.

I am a mother of an adult and a teen. I have been in the childcare field for over 25 years and have been running a private day home for well over a decade. I have spent countless hours, over the years, compiling resources and information on childcare and the reason for this post is to offer personal support to day home providers and parents.

I am a childcare consultant and I'm here to offer my support to those that may need or want it. I am not just a consultant but, a friend and a real person to reach out to.

Please contact me for further information, thoughts, ideas and concerns. I look forward to working closely with you to help overcome any obstacles, worries, or road blocks, you may have.

Thank you and enjoy your day!

[CourtneyFisher]

Hi Lyn! Last week I opened a private day home in Alberta and I am looking for advice on what worked best for you in terms of marketing. Did your day home fill up fast, or did it take awhile to fill up? I know good things come to those who wait - I'm just really excited to get up and running and would appreciate any advice you may have on what you did to get your name out there!

[Lyn]

Hi Courtney
As far as getting my name out there, I've done the majority of my advertising on Kijiji and word-of-mouth. There are all kinds of things you could do like set up a website, online advertising, advertising around your neighborhood, etc. Patience really is a virtue though because it all depends on what the parents are looking for. I've had a full house and I've also had an empty house. The process can be lengthy depending on when the parents are requiring care. Some need immediate while others start looking months in advance. Keep in mind that parents are looking for many factors: location, fees, quality of care, qualifications, experience, etc. I make sure that I am very thorough about who I am and what I offer, in my ads. Adding photos of your play space, sleeping space, children, their artwork, etc, is also very helpful. Remember that this is a business so you want to be professional but, also welcoming and fun. And that can totally come across in an advertisement. Your goal through advertising is to get them to want to come by for an interview.

[CourtneyFisher]

Thank you Lyn! I have only been advertising a week, and only on Kijiji. Its disheartening when you can see that you've had over 150 views but only 4 calls, you sit there and wonder what you're doing wrong. But, as I am new to this, I will learn I was very thorough, put up pictures, told them that I was a mom as well, etc. I guess I have to be patient. Is there a "slow season" in this industry?
Thank you so much, I really appreciate it

[CourtneyFisher]

Oh and I have a website in the works, I'm hoping to have that done in 2 weeks. Adds more credibility

[Lyn]

There can be slow times but that's not always the case for everybody. Try not to let the view count discourage you and make sure to refresh your ad, daily, to keep it on the first page. These ads get bumped fast because there are a lot of day homes looking to fill up. I've had times where I had several interviews in a week, to none in over a month. So its important to plan ahead and make sure you're going to be okay, financially, in case of a dry spell. Have you had any interviews yet?

[CourtneyFisher]

Good advice I have had 1 interview, it was a couple back in September who were looking to guarantee a spot for February that I had contacted through their wanted ad. They said they were impressed as to how detail orientated I was and loved all the paperwork! She said she wanted to take a month to decide, so I will email her in a couple days to follow up. I also have two interviews this week, so we will see how those go!

[Dreamalittledream]

Sorry to butt in here...just wanted to add some things that have worked for me...hope that's ok?
First, I have a yard sign, signs for my wagon (it's a choo choo one, that alone catches attention) & have gift certificates (both ordered from vistaprint.ca; very inexpensively). I offer a gift certificate for a free day of care to my parents who refer me on.
I also make sure I have business cards on me at all times...never know when you will meet someone looking.
I sound like I work for Vistaprint...haha... not so, but love the professional touch is gives & a tax write off=bonus!

[Lyn]

Those are GREAT ideas! I love VistaPrint, lol. The more you put yourself out there, the more it shows that you are serious about your business. Running a day home IS a business, so it's important to treat it as such. One thing I did was make a picture book (through Walmart) and it has pictures of past and present day home kids in it and a little blips about what we do here at my day home. I give it to the parents to look through when I have my interviews and read it to the kids. It took forEVER for me to decide what pictures to include, lol, but it was fun. Best of luck with your interviews, Courtney!

[kiwi]

Hi Lyn,
I am looking to open a dayhome, and I want to make sure I set everything up right the first time
I have questions about needing an agency, how the whole 'accredited/licensed/contracted' processes work, taxes/claims...
I feel like the best way to go about this is to find someone who's gone through it all and can tell me what is necessary and what is not, the best way to run my business, etc.
I'm new to this site, so I'm not sure if there is a private message option or not.
Thank you for your time!
Kim