Thinking about doing daycare, how 2 start?

[crazycatmom]

I spend most days at home and it gets really boring. I think I would like a couple of 'rugrats' to look after for a few hours. I might then want to earn some dinero doing that.

What do I need to do to get started?

It might be a few months before I start but I need to prepare now. I don't have children myself and I have a cat; does that pose a problem?

What all do I need to know?

Thanks for any advice!

[Michi310]

First thing you need to do is check with the regulations in your state. They vary as does the process of getting certified/registered. It will take a few months to get everything done so I would start the process now if you would like to be doing it soon.

[crazycatmom]

Thank you!

[naturalorg]

Hi there,

There are some good books on how to start a daycare in the business section. Have you tried Googling how to start a daycare? I'm a huge Google fan and Google everything. In fact, I just wrote a blog on how to use Google Alert to promote your business. I think if you don't mind staying home most of the time with kids then daycare might be a great option for you. I'm sure you can take them to the park and so forth. I have two kids so they are my daycare, lol.

Janette

p.s. I'm a fellow Apriori Beauty rep. Visit my blog and let's connect!

[crazycatmom]

Thanks Janette! I like Google too. I used it to get info on licensing and regulations. Now I have a place to call so I'm one step closer.

p.s. I'm following your blog. :^)

[naturalorg]

Hi Crazycatmom,

BTW, your username makes me giggle because that's what I call my 8 yr-old who LOVES cats.

Thanks for the follow on my blog . Be sure to subscribe to the email if you haven't. If you tweet, would love to connect there too.

Keep us posted on the daycare!

Janette
Janette Stoll (JanetteStoll) on Twitter

[crazycatmom]

That's cute!

Yeah I tweet a little. My name is Mikado9.

I'll keep ya posted on the daycare!

[DianneM]

Again, check out the National Association for the Education for Young Children. The childcare referral and resource network in your state would also be helpful.
Good Luck
Dianne

[savvymomma]

Yep - definitely check on state licensing requirements first. You'll specifically want to ask them: "How many children can I have at a time WITHOUT being licensed?" Then there's usually different tiers of licensure after that with different names (i.e. home daycare/daycare center/etc. but all the names are different for each state.)

Then you'll want to find out how to structure your home so you can use it (and for what I know, your cat should be just fine.) You'll want to have areas of your home that are specifically OFF-LIMITS to daycare children (i.e. your bedroom, perhaps your children's bedrooms, etc.) Remember - this is first and foremost your home, and SECOND it's your place of business. If you tell your health & fire inspector all the areas you'll be using for your daycare (living room/kitchen/dining room/play room/bathroom, etc.) then they'll be able to add up all that square footage and you should have no problem getting licensed for an appropriate number of children.

Also - don't forget you can deduct a % of your mortgage/utility costs as a tax writeoff each year!

[faithsg]

Having a cat is likely not a problem. You may need to keep food and litter box out of reach of children, and you'll likely need to have rabies shots documentation up to date.