I ran a home daycare for a couple years about 5 years ago. It was very up and down lots of good experiences and lots of bad. I took time off when my son was born and haven't started back up as he was diagnosed with special needs and severe food allergies and it was just never the right time. During this time period I went back to school to complete my ECE and I will be finished it this year. It has helped me immensely in understanding how to manage a home daycare and how to teach and guide the children.
My issue is the previous experiences I have had with a family who I still see every day picking my kids up from school. They were my first clients and it didn't end well. Their son was very unruly and I had really no way to manage his behaviours at the time. The mom told me when he acts up at home the dad spanked him on his bare bum until he cried and turned red. I thought that was pretty upsetting but I know some people speak so I didn't want to judge. They withdrew a little while after and I was very relieved. They know a lot of people in our small town and I'm worried they have maybe ruined my reputation. I don't see how I could start up again knowing I will be seeing these people all the time and doing daycare but at the same time I don't see how I could go back to working a job with my son's needs. Any advice?