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I just came back from an interview which did not work out like I wanted. I was offered a job that was not what we "orignially" spoke about. I have a 2.5year old, I approached a daycare that was looking for part time help. I figured, okay let me just check it out. The lady asked me if I would be interested in earning money working from home doing her paperwork and working some hours in the office, since I have a business degree and not in child care or teaching. Fine, I was actually thrilled to earn a little extra money working from home. Works out better with a baby you know! Well she gave that job to someone else! One of the parents for a discount I am thinking. So she askes if I would want to work 20 hours as a floater in the school. Well what am I supposed to do with my kid? She says she can give me a discount but she charges alot asit is. So I am going to have to watch more kids and come home with what $4 an hour and have to pay taxes on it? I am so annoyed! So now I am thinking, I can put an ad in the paper for babysitting and make more money just watching one kid and my own! Soooooo my question here is, do I post it in a regular newspaper or pennysaver? Where do parents go when they look for child care if they do not want there child in a daycare? Should I post some fliers with pull tabs at supermarkets or does that look too much. Would people think that I am a nut? Any help or advice I'd appreciate! Thanks!
First, find out your city/county/state requirements for licensing.
This is a good place to start:
National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education (http://nrc.uchsc.edu/STATES/states.htm - broken link)
Many parents I know in my area will mostly hire "babysitters" (for occasional night outs, few hours a day, etc) if they come highly recommended by someone they know. Word of mouth networking seems to be the best way.
For more extended care, there are babysitter and nanny services that parents can contact and the service will refer the babysitters and nannies that meet the criteria the parents are looking for. Many parents prefer these services because the potential babysitters and nannies are already screened and it saves the parents the time of doing a thorough interview, reference check, criminal background check, certification check, etc. Depending on your background and qualifications you could try listing with one of these services.
From my understanding each state will have different requirements for needing a license and they do look at the number of children you would be providing care for. Typically, I believe, the average number that would require a license is around 5. Again, this does vary by state. I would say with only 1 other child you will be fine. Might be good to check you state regulations just so you know though, in case you decide to expand later if things go well.
Post your ad on craigslist and on any local wesbsites. Do go to your state daycare licensing page just to be on the safe side. I used to run a very successful home day care (I brought in about $800 per week with 3 full timers and 2 part timers). Anyway, make sure you have a contract/agreement and run it like a business. A good website to get ideas for agreements, day care charges etc. is this work at home website I frequent a lot WAHM.com Forum: Daycare operators
Even with only one child, you need to look at your Home Owners insurance policy. If a child is while under regular care in your home, you could be facing big trouble if the parents want you to pay for medical bills. You could even be sued. $$$$$$$$$
This sort of thing might work, but it could also be a BIG problem. Children do get hurt. It's amazing what the little ones can do to themselves, even with the best of care.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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Originally Posted by MomOfToo
I was only thinking of watching one child, not actually opening up an actual daycare. I don't need a license for that??
You might. Some states consider the number of hours you plan to care for children, number of children, if they're related to you, age of children, etc; in order to determine licensing requirements. I can tell you that in MD, basically if you were watching a child that wasn't your relative, you had to jump through the hoops and get a license.
The other thing to consider is that I assume you want to watch a child over the age of 2? Because if that is the case, now you're competing with all of the centers, preschools, and other family daycare providers. Do you have first aid? CPR? Early childhood ed? Because the other people that you're competing with will. Not trying to discourage you, just trying to be realistic.
The other thing to consider is taxes. Parents will want to claim the dependent care credit and to do so, they need to provide your SSN on tax forms. So be sure that you are claiming the income on your taxes as well.
I mention this because many people don't factor the taxes into the rate charged for care.
Another good resource is www.childcareaware.com You should be able to find your local child care resource and referral through that website. Your local Child Care Resource and Referral would know the licensing information and also have a data base of providers, so can be a means of advertising for your business as well. And they also sometimes offer workshops on what you would need to get started, along with first aid and other training.
Good luck!
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