Starting a day-care business can be cumbersome and energy sapping, although many parents regard it as a rewarding ventures.
This is because quite a few parents choose to stay home because their entire salaries would go to daycare if they went back to work full time after the birth of their child. If you are one of the stay-at-home parents who love kids and want to make money from home while taking care of your own kid, you can consider going into day-care business.
A home day care expert, Mrs. Jane Akindele, said a home daycare programme will typically offer structured learning in a safe environment.
“Most of my day-care children started as infants and grew to be toddlers under my care. I prepared a programme for each day for that age group. I also reported (via handwritten notes) to the parents each evening on the events of the day,”
she said.
Most of my day-care children started as infants and grew to be toddlers under my care. I prepared a programme for each day for that age group. I also reported (via handwritten notes) to the parents each evening on the events of the day
She explained that most parents use childcare because it is loving, affordable, safe and convenient, adding that many households have two-parent careers and need someone to handle the children.
“Some of these parents will prefer daycare in a home as opposed to a commercial setting, believing that it is a more kid-friendly solution. Others may find it is cheaper, more flexible or more suitably located than a commercial centre,” she added.
Narrating how much can be earned with daycare at home, Akindele said, each state always have its own limits on the number of children one can enroll in a home daycare programme.
“To find your state’s requirements, just do an internet search on “Child care license” plus the state abbreviation. Ours has an upper limit of eight; but with that many children, you might need an
assistant.”
She stated further, “What you should charge differs by the age of the child, the location of your home and the hours you will be open. You might have different rates for day vs. evening. You may need to charge more for infants and toddlers because your state may allow fewer children of that age to be cared for by one adult.”
The daycare home practitioner also said, “Some daycare homes require the parent to pay whether or not the child is in attendance (say perhaps a parent takes the child out for a week for a family vacation). The daycare home is reserving that spot and so would like to be compensated. I did not charge when children were
absent.”
How to start a daycare home
You may find, for instance, that your home is not currently well suited to childcare and would require expensive maintenance or upgrades, such as, outdoor fencing or new electrical wiring. States which license want assurances that providers with a license meet certain standards regarding health, lack of criminal records, and so on. And be aware that all adults in the home may be subject to meeting those requirements, not just the provider.
Secondly, you may also find that you don’t need a license. Some states allow providers to care for a few non-related children without one. Still, for marketing purposes, you may want the reassurance factor that being a licensed home provides prospective parents.
“You may also need verification from other members of the household that they are willing to share the home with additional children. Your parents may not meet the exact drop-off and pick-up schedule agreed upon, causing you to still be caring for their children when it is time for other household activities to begin. For my daycare license, I also had to get permission from each adjoining neighbour,” Akindele
stated.
Start-up and operational costs
This involves the type of training you might need, what emergency measures (including hiring others to come in and watch the children if you have to be away). All these will involve cost. Planning to market the services.
“I advertised through the church bulletin and on signs posted in the neighborhood as well as ads in the paper. So my cost of marketing was negligible, but I can easily see this expense getting out of control if you have a lot of competition and are starting new,” she said.
Equipment is very important
You have to think of the equipment and supplies will you have to buy.
“I did purchase added equipment — a play kitchen, additional toys and other items,” Akindele disclosed.
