Checking In--thinking of reopening

[bright sparks]

Howdy folks,

I hope everyone is ready for Christmas/Holiday season and have a fun filled daycare at this time.

School is going well although I think I'm going to be reopening my daycare in May when classes have finished and enrolling online for part time correspondence. I got used to the commute and only travelling 3 days is not so bad although I have winter term to deal with now so I envision many days not attending classes if there is ice or snow. I had already thought about switching to online in the Fall, but I really need to work and I am struggling to get responses from all of my applications and they are only for minimum wage jobs too.

The Canadian economy and forecast have me very nervous and living off one wage is already stressful enough with my husband working on average 60 hours a week and if anything comes up we are screwed. I have the means to take my degree slower studying from home and provide the household with some added security by working again, possibly enabling my husband to take a job requiring less hours or at the very least building up an emergency fund. We had a family member die and international flights sucked us dry getting family over here.

I guess, I could talk myself in or out of anything so it wasn't until the reality of living on one wage set in that we realized this isn't sustainable over the long term.

So, Over the Xmas break I will be clearing the basement out and moving the media room downstairs which has replaced my daycare space, and repainting and setting up my daycare room and advertising again. I refuse to see this as a negative move. I will still be doing my degree just slower, and making money again will hopefully mean I can sleep through the night again. Life is too short and spending it in a state of high stress and anxiety when there is another option seems like a sure fire way of making it shorter and quality of life poor. I'll also be reopening M-F...I was M-Th for the last 2 years I was open. It really restricted the amount of families I could serve but it was a choice I felt I was willing to make. If by some chance my initial enquiries are all for 4 day weeks, pretty please lol, then that would be fantastic. A full day to run errands, have appointments or study would mean far less time off. I literally never took time off for an appointment while working a 4 day week.

I didn't sell any of my daycare stuff...not a thing. I went away the day after I closed for 3 weeks and when I came back I had 1 week till school and since then I haven't had time. I didn't want to do a daycare closing sale this side of Xmas as so many are tight on money so I had planned for it in the Spring. Good thing hey! I don't have my minivan anymore as it was an unnecessary expense when 50% of the seats always sat empty, but I will manage without a vehicle.

So....sorry folks, plan on seeing me more on this site again as I become a daycare provider again Fingers crossed for a May 2016 opening that I'm going to be advertising for shortly.

[5 Little Monkeys]

Glad to hear school is going well! Sorry to hear of the passing in your family though

Reopening sounds exciting! I'm sure the parents in your area will be glad to have you back good luck with it!!

[bright sparks]

Thanks so much for the well wishes 5LM. It certainly wasn't part of my original plan, but then when does life ever go as we expect. Fortunately I have 10 years under my belt and will have only been away from the scene for 8 months.

[5 Little Monkeys]

Life likes to throw curveballs doesn't it!

[torontokids]

Welcome back! Congrats to you for getting a yr under your belt before reopening though. It will give you the motivation to move forward instead of just doing a course at a time.

[BlueRose]

Welcome Back. I am glad school is going well. I don't blame you for wanting to do your courses on line.

[mickyc]

Yes welcome back. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

[daycaremom9]

We also had an extended family member pass away this past Monday. I'm really bummed out since one of my old clients asked if her son could come back for 4 days over the holidays. She just so happens to be having surgery on the same day as the funeral. So my husband will have to go without me.😢

[Van]

Welcome Back Online courses sound like a good idea- take one step at a time and you make it

[5 Little Monkeys]

We also had an extended family member pass away this past Monday. I'm really bummed out since one of my old clients asked if her son could come back for 4 days over the holidays. She just so happens to be having surgery on the same day as the funeral. So my husband will have to go without me.😢

Sorry to hear this Does the mom not have anyone else that could watch her child for the day? Or even a few hours so you can attend the funeral?