Cost of daycare (McLean, Quantico: HOA, insurance, day care)

[FLgirl367]

Hi,
I am a Teacher with an M.Ed. I taught Kindergarten for 5 years. Prior to that I was a live-in-nanny for four years for four children. I have been staying at home since my oldest was born a few years back. I'd like to start providing day care near Quantico and have some questions. I am also planning on homeschooling, and have a very nice school/craft room as well as a nice gated toy room. I can add on tutoring if desired as well.

Based on my qualifications, what would be a fair rate to charge full time?
How many hours a day qualifies as full time?
What would be a fair rate per hour?
How do I get licensed?
How much does that cost?
How much does liability insurance run?

Please feel free to add on any additional info, I didn't think to ask.

[tamitrail]

Who are you homeschooling? Your children or the children you plan on watching? How will you manage to homeschool as wells as watch other kids? Sounds like a lot.

You would need to contact your insurance company and see if they would allow you to have a daycare in your home and how much they would charge you for the insurance.

All you had to do is google "starting a day care in Virignia." Here is a link to get you started:
National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education (http://nrc.uchsc.edu/STATES/VA/virginia.htm - broken link)

[FLgirl367]

I only have 2 children so far. My oldest is 4, so homeschooling him doesn't take much time. I mainly do crafts, story boards, puzzles, etc... My point was I have a very attractive pre-school type room that would be appealing to someone looking for daycare.

Thanks for the other info.

[claremarie]

You can figure out what other home day care providers are charging by checking the ads and calling the providers in your area (no need to tell them why you are calling). I'm not familiar with the Quantico market, but I can tell you that in the McLean area, family day care providers with your qualifications are few and far between, so you can probably charge more than your competition.
Tutoring services are also very much in demand, but you might find it difficult to provide a quality tutoring session to a school-aged child while also caring for a number of infants or toddlers. What might work better is offering to provide after-school care to elementary students, which would include homework help, rather than calling it "tutoring."

[FLgirl367]

Originally Posted by claremarie

You can figure out what other home day care providers are charging by checking the ads and calling the providers in your area (no need to tell them why you are calling). I'm not familiar with the Quantico market, but I can tell you that in the McLean area, family day care providers with your qualifications are few and far between, so you can probably charge more than your competition.
Tutoring services are also very much in demand, but you might find it difficult to provide a quality tutoring session to a school-aged child while also caring for a number of infants or toddlers. What might work better is offering to provide after-school care to elementary students, which would include homework help, rather than calling it "tutoring."

thank you. this post was very helpful. i've also thought of providing summer care with tutoring assistance as opposed to year round day care. i'll keep searching

[Yankeesfan]

I knew a woman in Northern Virginia who provided before-and-after school care; parents who needed to leave before their children's bus arrived in the morning could drop their children off and she would take them to the bus. Then she would meet the bus and provide after-school care, including (but not limited to) homework help. This left her days free for her own children and family needs and interests. Since she felt she could handle a few more children for the shorter number of hours than she could have handled for the whole day, she was able to earn more money per hour that way, and not burn out. You'd need to check the regulations on the number of children and any licensing requirements. Good luck with your decision.

[5stones]

also check to make sure your HOA if you have one will let you have an "in home" business. Some do not.

As far as licensing goes, I'd google the VA state website. And research it like you are a parent looking for in home care for your own child. Certin city's might have regs too...like your yard must be fenced etc...

I agree with the poster that siad to call up the in-home centers in your area to inquire about pricing...go "interview them" etc... see what they have that you could improve upon etc...

I would think having an early childhood ED degree would be a great asset for you.