Would like an Opinion on Offering Home Childcare

I would say this could work if you are selective in the child that you watch. Do an indepth interveiw including with your daughter to see how well she interacts with the other child. Also make sure that it is agreed upon that you are exspected to receive payment before services are rendered

I don't have any experince as a day care provider, but I thought it would be nice to here the other side from the parent who has had to change child care when the provider is no longer able to. The child is heartbroken. It is very hard to change the routine of a two-year old. Here is some of the back story I found a wonderful home sitter who was just starting out. She was young and had a lot of my same beliefs on how to take care of children. I loved her. My daughter loved her too. I felt so confortable with her I let her take my daughter on outings which I had never let anyone else do. Well then after a while the provider felt overwhelmed with watching my daughter and hers children too. She gave me notice. I found someone else.
Well my daughter still wants to see her children. She regually asks to play with the children. She wants to see the provider too. My daughter is still upset she can't see them she is two 6 months. She hasn't spend a lot of time with them since July of last year. About once or twice a week she is asking to see them.
If you do watch a child try to keep the child in mind when you take it on. I didn't relize the impact it would have on her or I wouldn't have gone with someone who was just starting out. I hoped for the best, now my daughter has lost people she really cares about.
If you think you need to be picky do because you don't want to get someone and then be stuck in something you can't or are unwilling to handle.
The sad part is if the provider called and told me she was going fulltime again I would happily put my daughter back in her care, because my daughter loved her and she was great with her. It just has been hard on my daughter to leave her and her family.

I have also considered the same thing to try to make some extra money, but eventually decided that it wasnt for me. However, as a mother I would prefer to have my children watched in someone's home rather than a center. When I was working I had a coworkers daughter watch my children in her apartment for 90 dollars a week for two toddlers part time. Though after the very first day she told me that my 4 year old was too much too handle because he did not obey her and was talking back to her. She didn't even give him a second chance which really hurt my feelings. I agree with the other response, tell the parent up front that you will probably only be available for a month or so and try it out. If it works great, and if it doesn't then you have an out. Good Luck!

I tried doing a in-home daycare but it didn't work out for me. I felt like I couldn't leave the house although the child's mom was very willing to let me take her out. The state comes in whenever, which wasn't a hugh problem but I have a pet peeve about people just showing up. (my issue) So, that was stress for me. The biggest problem was I could not make enough money to give up my evening job. At the time I only had one child in care and my two. After a couple months of doing both I was beyond tired and needed to make a decision. So, I opted to keep my evening job...what I was making through the daycare (45-50hrs per week)I could make in 10 hrs with my evening job. After I closed the daycare I received a ton of calls LOL

Now I keep 4 kids on a parttime basis and it has worked out great! I love being with them and doing my projects and story time etc. It started with just one teacher asking me to keep her child 4 hrs a week and with word of mouth...I have 4. Three of the kids are school teacher children so I have a school schedule and I am only committed till school gets out. I was very upfront about not knowing how long I could keep kids. I did tell all of them if I couldn't do it I would give the plenty of notice to find someone else. And I am still getting requests. This has worked out great for me because it is only parttime so I don't have to worry about appointments, etc and I still have my parttime evening job for a steady income and a break. If you are interested in doing this I would post on Craigslist.

Good Luck!

I can't offer a whole lot of advice, as I have never had an actual in-home daycare myself. I have watched other kids from time to time, though. To avoid worrying that you will be strapped down with a child (or parents!) that you don't want to deal with for a long time to come, start off by telling any potential people that you are available for the next coiuple of moths or so, and get your feet wet with it. That way, if you find something about it that you don't like, then they already know that you aren't doing it long-term. Even if you do decide you want to do it full time, and you find out later that the child isn't the easiest to handle (again, or the parents), you have still provided yourself with an out. As far as what to charge, it all depends on how many days and what hours you would be caring for them. A couple of years ago, I took my kids to an in-home daycare, and she charged me $85 a week for both kids, which was a really cheap price compared to a lot of other places. If you are planning on watching an infant, typically you would charge more than a toddler. (Also, in southern MO, rates are cheaper than in KC.)
I did find a website that may help you get started on safety-type concerns. It deals with liscensing daycare facilities, but it could be a useful starting point for you. It gives parents things to consider when choosing home daycares. (You'll have to scroll thorugh some things that wouldn't apply to you, but it's in there...) It's at:
http://www.dhss.missouri.gov/ChildCare/FAQs.htm#licfamily...
under "How do I choose a childcare facility", and some other things below it are good guidelines as well, like the requirements of the home, and how the caregiver interacts with the kids.
Good luck to you!

Hi A.
I'm gonna start with some questions
1) Are you able to handle other peoples kids ? some people are not able to handle other peoples children but are able to handle their own. and theres nothing wrong with whatever answer you come up with.
2) hypathetically speaking if you were to watch children in your home would you mind not leaving the house for a full week, no adult interaction other than when your husband gets home ?
3) Watching children any age puts wear and tear on your house such as carpet, toys, painted walls ect. Would that be a problem ?

I am a home child care provider and heres my opinion....
there are benefits to staying home and watching children your child has a play mate, you don't have to leave the house when its nasty weather outside and the best of all you get to raise your child the way you want and get to see every milestone. but some people are not cut out to do this job and other people love it as in my case. I could'nt be a fireman, a police officer, a judge but I can be a home child care provider.
These things I would do first if you are going to do it....
1) get CPR/First Aid trained (infant,child and adult
2) get registered with the state of mo.
3) send of a back ground check of yourself
next what age group are you going to target
3 and younger or 3 and older.
financially there are certain things that will go up and things that will go down here they are depending on the age and what you provide.
your household: water, electricity and sewer bill may go up grocery bill will go up or stay the same depending on wha age you watch. you won't be buying lunch for you or paying for gas for your car.
Are you able to teach children learning activities, arts and crafts things like this (here again an expense). I focus more on being independent people such as learning to put are socks and shoe on, putting on our coat, eating with a spoon and fork, throwing our trash away, picking up after ourselves and picking up toys things like this.
The one thing I think everyone needs wether they stay at home with their kids or stay at with other peoples and theirs is a routine, structure by this I mean you have certain times of the day already mapped out heres where to start.
first your hours mine 6am - 6PM
8 am breakfast
11:30 lunch
12:30 - 2:30 naptime
3 pm snack
after snack outside time if were able (weather permitting)
now depening on the age if its 1 and younger they take 2 naps a day and they go down at 10 am and sleep till they wake up but not paste eating times or 4 pm.
Next on your list is prices and policy.
are you providng food ( I provide breakfast, lunch and a snack)every day. what type of things are you providing ( I provide baby cereal and wipes. I have a 4 onth old myself and I would have to write their names on each box. I probably won't do this when she is no longer on cereal and not needing it if a new baby would come in. the wipes I use for everthing wiping of high chair trays, spit up on the floor they come in handy. I don't fill right using someone else's wipes for that pupose.)
generally what I have found for In-home child care the rate is between $100.00 and $120.00 (sometimes higher) for 1 yr and younger and about anywhere no matter what the age its about $100.00 a week when I started 3 years ago I charged $80.00 a week and that was pretty decent its different now.
Laws in the state of missouri you can watch 4 children unrelated to you. so the total you would have in your house is 5 your 1 child and 4 others unrelated to you.
policy... what to think about vacation, sick policy, late policy, dr appointments for your child or you, what holidays are you closed, rules in your house, discipline, potty training, what the parent needs to provide for their child every day and medication. I think I have covered just about everything I can think of if I can answer anymore questions just let me know. W. mom of 4 and In Home child care provider for 3 years now and still lovin' it!!!!!!

Hi, I have run an in-home daycare for 19 years and I cannot imagine doing anything else. I always thought I would quit when my youngest entered 1st grade. He is in 6th grade now and I am still doing it! I love it! It is has been the best job for me and my family. As for not being able to leave all day, you can't leave if you had a job outside the home either. Following a schedule is VERY important. If you don't your days will be crazy and the kids learn the schedule and the know what is next before you say it. As for charging I would call other providers in your area because all areas are different. I charge way more then what the other people have listed. You might check www.daycareresource.com and email some of the providers in your area. It also depends on what all you are offering and hours you are willing to work. Good luck to you, if it were me I would do daycare over working in the evening. Family time is very important and kids remember it. M.