Essentials for new daycare

[5 Little Monkeys]

Kinder time, that's a very good point!! My schedule changes with my group's needs as well. Right now I have all early drop off's and all within 30 mins of each other. I love it because we can start our day and not be interrupted with parents coming and going

[33 Daiseys]

The one and only thing I think that you need going into being a home day care provider in a CLEAR understanding of what you will and will not accept/ put up with from both parent and child. So often we start off wanting one thing for ourselves, and over time we can find our selves shifting hours, polices ect.
It when you allow this to happen that you can become unsatisfied with doing this as a career.
As I tell my kids follow the 3 Stands's: Stand tall, Stand your ground, Stand proud in all you do, and others will stand with you

[Suzie_Homemaker]

Kinder time, that's a very good point!! My schedule changes with my group's needs as well. Right now I have all early drop off's and all within 30 mins of each other. I love it because we can start our day and not be interrupted with parents coming and going

Do you not have a cut off point where all children are expected to be in?

[33 Daiseys]

Free play is so incredibly important at this age! I think free play gets a bad rap because it can be perceived as laziness on the caregivers part. But it isn't. There is thought put into what toys are out when, how toys are set up, where they are set up. The caregiver is still available to extend the play and expand their knowledge...it's just child directed play and learning instead of adult led.

I have chunks of free play each day. Our day is structured though, we have a routine and pattern to the day, with chunks of free play within it. Kids don't get bored and into trouble because they are not left for hours on end. There are smaller mini lessons, circle times etc., dispersed throughout the day.

It is through that free play that children solidify all that they see, hear and do. Right now I have young 2yr olds that are endlessly spending their free play time cleaning up fake pee and poop off the floor because they are continually trying to train the dolls and animals to use the potty. But the darn animals keep waiting too long to run to the potty. You know how much cow poop we've had in this house?? I laugh because the cow poop follows us to the grocery store and the darn cow pooped all over the Home Show last weekend because my daughter brought it with us...she was on her hands and knees cleaning up pee and poop all over the place. The trademen were cracking up as my daughter cleaned poop off their show floor telling them that her cow pooped and didn't get to the potty in time.

Free play rocks!!

Love it....... We had the never ending pooping and peeing dolls 3 years ago when my daughter and 2 best friend were 3. The spent the entire summer before going to kindergarten trying to train those darn dolls.
The threat to them was " If you don't learn to use the potty, you won't be able to go to big girl school".

[kindertime]

The one and only thing I think that you need going into being a home day care provider in a CLEAR understanding of what you will and will not accept/ put up with from both parent and child. So often we start off wanting one thing for ourselves, and over time we can find our selves shifting hours, polices ect.
It when you allow this to happen that you can become unsatisfied with doing this as a career.
As I tell my kids follow the 3 Stands's: Stand tall, Stand your ground, Stand proud in all you do, and others will stand with you

Absolutely!! Of course it's hard to know what you will and won't accept when you have never had a business before and you are faced with situations and parents you could never have imagined. But good advice, nonetheless.

[kindertime]

Do you not have a cut off point where all children are expected to be in?

No, I wouldn't have any kids if I did that, very small town and lots of competition. Although, on second thought, yes, they have to be here before lunch.

[5 Little Monkeys]

Do you not have a cut off point where all children are expected to be in?

No, not an official one. For the most part, i don't need one. I'm open at 730 wed-fri and 745 mon-tues but I've had parents who don't start work until 9/930. Right now all my parents work at 730 and 8 (depending on which parent drops off). I had one parent who didn't work and would drop off anywhere from 9-11 and it drove me crazy!! I eventually told her that she needs to be here by 930 so that we could have smoother mornings and for daughter to get the most out of coming as we do the bulk of our stuff in the morning as most kids were gone an hour after nap when she was here. She didn't like that!! She eventually got a job that started at 10 so it was a bit better after that

Had it been a consistent late drop off, I wouldn't mind so much because than I could plan around it. I never knew when she would get here and that is why I didn't like it.

[sandylynn]

I also have a dck that comes anytime between 9-11...just this morning when she came around 10:30...I told the father, "you must notice that she doesn't go home with much arts and crafts"...it's because she comes so late and we are done all that...most of the kids are here by 7:30! He's going to try to come earlier..I move on with my day by 9:00....no waiting

[kdubw]

my contract specifically has their drop off and pickup times listed. They are allowed 1 emergency late pickup per month (they don't know that but I do!) if its only 15 minutes. All other late pickups are charged fees. I also have late drop off fees. Same thing, they are allowed 1 free one a month and other than that they will be charged. I did this to prevent someone for registering a child for a full day, then bringing them late everyday and only expecting to pay my half day rate.
As for them not knowing about the freebies, its in my contract that any and all lates will be charged. But I am a realistic person and know that things happen so I decided that they will get 1 free but I don't want it to be taken advantage of.

[Suzie_Homemaker]

No, not an official one. For the most part, i don't need one. I'm open at 730 wed-fri and 745 mon-tues but I've had parents who don't start work until 9/930. Right now all my parents work at 730 and 8 (depending on which parent drops off). I had one parent who didn't work and would drop off anywhere from 9-11 and it drove me crazy!! I eventually told her that she needs to be here by 930 so that we could have smoother mornings and for daughter to get the most out of coming as we do the bulk of our stuff in the morning as most kids were gone an hour after nap when she was here. She didn't like that!! She eventually got a job that started at 10 so it was a bit better after that

Had it been a consistent late drop off, I wouldn't mind so much because than I could plan around it. I never knew when she would get here and that is why I didn't like it.

Yes, I had this before when Mom on mat leave so no rush to get here. In end, I said all need to be here for 9am. That is when we go out after morning snack and it stop us waiting around, wondering if someone coming or not.