There are so many things I wish I knew before starting a home daycare! Do you have things you learned or issues you are hoping to avoid?
I spend a lot of time scrolling through message boards and connecting with other home daycare providers in order to gain ideas, network, commiserate, and get advice. In these meeting grounds for providers, I often run across the same complaints over and over! Complaints that I had as a new provider, complaints that lead providers to get burnt out early in their career and could have easily been avoided if they had the chance to talk with someone who had been home daycare for some time.
When I first started I felt so prepared but really I was nowhere near as prepared as I thought I was. I had a rock-solid daycare contract and parent handbook, I shopped my competition, and I had years of training and education as well as 10+ years of experience working with kids. All that sounds great and did give me a great foundation but when it came to the nitty-gritty, the everyday things in running my own program, I really learned trial by error. I’m still learning in fact!
Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting a Home Daycare
Below is a list of all the things I seriously wish I had known about before starting a home daycare. These are also things that I frequently hear other providers complaining about.
Don’t accept kids outside of scheduled hours just to fill spots
I frequently see this as a major complaint from providers I know. They disregard the hours they picked and started opening earlier or closing later just to get a family through the door. Some end up working 12-14 hour days when originally they only wanted to work 10 hour days.
This only works for a very, very small percentage of providers. The rest find themselves burnt out in a very short period of time. I’m guilty of this and learned really quickly it was a huge mistake. Stick to what works for you, not what works for one or two potential clients.
Don’t take part-time infants (especially with unpredictable or sporadic schedules)
Another one I am guilty of, unfortunately. I seriously thought a part-time infant (3 days a week, not always consecutive days) would be total cake. Babies are easy, right? Instead, the part-time infant was anything but easy. She screamed the whole time she was here unless she was being held. I literally told the family she needed to come full-time (at least 4 days) and on a consistent basis or they needed to find other arrangements. They transitioned to her to full time and in a week she was a different kid.
Part-time infants can be some of the hardest children to have in a group care setting, especially if coming from an attachment style home. I can’t stress enough how difficult this can be. I’ve seen provider after provider struggle with a constantly screaming infant because the infant is not used to being put down and does not attend enough to transition into the provider’s routine.
Don’t allow nap time drop-off or pick-ups
It sounds simple enough but it can cause a major headache that affects your whole afternoon. I do not allow parents to drop kids off during nap time. Especially if they have just woken up from a nap at home before coming.
This may sound harsh but I have a house full of kids I have to think of. The children in my care are at an age where they need that mid-day rest. The state also requires me to provide children a quiet rest time. Having children dropped off during this quiet time just creates headaches and can disturb those trying to sleep. It’s not easy to keep one child quiet for a few hours and when kids that normally sleep get woken up early your afternoon will be difficult. We all know what tried cranky children are like. If you have a separate space for your napping area this may be possible but for most providers, it is more work than it is worth.
Meal/snack times are non-negotiable
If little Johnny arrives at 8:30 and breakfast is at 8:00 then little Johnny needs to arrive fed and will have to wait for snack time. Unless you want to be making the same meal multiple times and having everyone on different meal schedules. The best thing is to give parents a written copy of meal/snack times and stick to it. I also recommend that you do not allow outside food. You will be amazed at the random things kids will arrive with.
Payment due in advance of care provided
In order to avoid daycare hoppers and parents giving you the run around only accept payment PRIOR to providing care. If you don’t get the payment within 24 hours of due date do not accept the child into care! This is your livelihood, how you pay your bills, you don’t want to be giving services away for free. Sadly there are many parents that know how to play the system.
Don’t feel bad about taking PAID holidays
Put it in your contract and stand firm. If its a deal-breaker for a potential parent then let them walk away, they’ll be the kind to fight you on absences and illness. My first year I worked nearly all holidays with the exception of Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Now I take most major holidays (Labor Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July) plus Christmas Eve, Christmas day, several days around Christmas, Thanksgiving, Black Friday (aka the day after Thanksgiving) and New Year’s Day. I have never once had an enrolled parent cause a problem over this.
Take vacation days
The first year I did childcare in my home I didn’t take any time off. I scheduled appointments, family activities, and mini-vacations for evenings and weekends. I didn’t take any time off for any kind of vacation. Worst mistake ever.
In this business you will work long hours and working with children means that your days will be busy. Unlike traditional jobs, you don’t get scheduled break times throughout the day and most likely you will be working alone. This can wear on a provider and cause them to burn out on running a daycare very quickly. Making it a priority to take time off is one of the top things I wish I knew before starting a home daycare!
Get all kids on the same nap schedule
Another important thing I wish I knew before starting a home daycare! We don’t get breaks in this business like you would if you in other fields. Naptime is the closest thing we get to a lunch break, but if your kids are all napping at different times you’re not getting any downtime or prep time. I started my business offering “flexible schedules” and ended up with kids who napped all over the place. It was super stressful because I felt like all my day consisted of was trying to keep everyone quiet while one child napped. Finally, I wised up and put everyone on the same nap schedule (with the exception of younger infants, obviously). Now I get a 1-2 hour break each day.
Make a contract (and stick to it!)
It’s so important to have a contract, like it or not you will at some point get a parent that causes you stress and fights every policy. It helps immensely to have things in writing, signed and acknowledged by the parent. Plus it protects you, your family, and your business. Most importantly, you need to stick to it. If you have late fees and a parent is late charge them! Not sticking to your policy just sets the stage for parents to not follow it either.
Don’t be afraid to pass or terminate families.
As much as we want each and every kid to fit seamlessly into our programs it doesn’t always happen. It’s not fair to you, the child, or the other children to keep a child in care that doesn’t mesh or causes problems. If you get a weird vibe or feel intimated by a parent during an interview don’t feel obligated to accept them. The interview process is for both you and them to see if it is a good fit. Terminating a daycare family is stressful but keeping them is even worse. Don’t be afraid to terminate a family that isn’t fitting with your program.
I’m sure there are many more things I wish I knew before starting a home daycare but these are the most important.
Remember, your contracts and policies are never 100% done. Revise and update them every year or two and review with parents each time. If you saw something on this list you are guilty of and want to change it, then do it. Now. It’s your business, so what makes you happy.
I also recommend networking with other providers. Many have great ideas and insight to share about all kinds of situations you may find yourself in! You can join my Facebook group for home daycare providers if you don’t have a local group available to you (or even if you do- all are welcome!).
What do you wish you knew before starting a home daycare?
Ready for more tips and advice? Click the image above to see all my daycare related tips and resources. Articles on avoiding burnout, how to create a daycare contract, and more. Also, check out our daycare forms and full daycare contract template in our store.
Looking for more post about running a daycare? Check out my home daycare resources page to learn about starting or running an in-home daycare or shop my collection of ebooks and daycare forms in my store.
Hi Lisette,
My name is Evelyn Uy from Brisbane, Queensland. I have a plan of putting up my own day care at home using our ground floor. I am a mother of three adult and used to work in a long day care centre as a lead educator in the nursery for almost 5 years.
Can i please ask you how can i start? I am still on the process of improving the space downstairs by adding toilet and bath, small kitchen and sink, improve walls, doors, windows and ceilings. Is there any rules/regulations that i can use as guide before we will start the renovation?
Thank you in advance!
cheers, Evelyn
Hi! I was wondering if you could email me so I could ask you a few questions. We are starting up an in-home daycare in my house and you sound like the exact person I need to talk to!
Thanks!
Wow! You’re first point was something I was considering. But after reading I don’t think it’ll be a good fit for me. I worked at a center for 8 years and we did this often. The difference was it several employees and not just me alone. Thanks for this helpful information.
Hi Lisette,
Your article was so interesting. Its really helpful and thank you so much for sharing. I am about to start my Day Care at home soon and I am more likely to have a problem where I will have to take children as early as 5am. Most of my neighbourhood worked hundred of kilometers away from my place and they will come back late also. Initially my plan was…. ok, let them in and continue their sleep here and will wake them up at 7am before classes and activities starts at 8. Reading at your article…ermmmm… it really makes me think twice now. Any suggestion based on your experience?
Hi Zue! I can see how the distance and time may be an issue for you. In my experience long hours (11+) tend to be the most common reason that providers get burnt out and move on to other careers. I did this too, I had a child that arrived at 5:45am and my last child was picked up at 6:15 making for nearly 13 hour days. For me it wasn’t doable long term, I’m a night owl and getting up at 5:15 then sitting in a dark room for almost 2 hours was too much. I’ve talked to other providers about this and they all felt the period between when the child fell back asleep and woke up and the last hour of the day were the hardest. The morning is hard because you’re waking up early, so you’re already tired, but then rather than getting up and starting the day you have to sit quietly nearby in a darken area while the child sleeps. The evenings are hard because for many kids that 5-7pm time frame can be their “witching hour” where they tend to be a bit more irritable and after a long day it’s also the time of day when your patience can be running low.
I’d recommend checking around and see what other providers near you do, do most offer longer hours or do most have shorter hours? Possibly offer different rates for parents that need an earlier pick up time, (like 120/week for 4:30p pick up and 150/wk for 6pm <-- just an example i'm not sure what the rates in your area are like) because that may catch the eye of parents that don't have to travel as far. If you're considering the longer hours maybe do a few trial runs, get up that early for a few days and see how you are feeling by the end of the day. There's also a few things I'd recommend you think about first, things like: Are you a morning person or night owl? Where would the kids be sleeping? In a separate room or in a main area of your home? What would you do if the kids weren't able to fall back asleep? What would you be doing while the kids are sleeping? Would your husband be up trying to get around at this time too? Is he quiet or no (mine is not, even though he thinks he is 😉 )? Would you be able to get around that early without waking your own child(ren)? Is there a time of day right now you feel is hardest for you? What things can you do for yourself in your down time to prevent feeling burnt out? Hope this helps! It doesn't work for everyone but some people CAN manage it. 🙂 Good luck!
great list. I also learned those as well. Especially sticking to your hours, not taking part time babies, and no nap time drop offs 🙂
I also think a FIRM sick policy. I’ve had drug and drops (children given Tylenol to mask symptoms at drop-off time) and children returning to care after being sick the night before or over the weekend. While some parents will be dishonest no matter what, I think having a firm sick policy is your best bet against other children getting sick, or getting sick yourself and having to close to recover! I’m starting to consider paid sick days now, to further dissuade parents from sending sick kids.
(I also give families one “free” sick day per month, which they can also use to avoid paying for a STAT holiday or save for their vacation, which makes it more likely they’ll actually take the day)
Hi,
I loved reading this my sister in law and I are looking to start an in home child care in our house. Do you have any advice for our unique situation. I am hoping that with 2 co owners this could help reduce burn out and issues with breaks. We will need to be sure of our max number and ratio that we could handle but at least meal prep, potty breaks, etc will be a bit less hectic. I would like to if we get busy enough employee someone part time so my sister in law and I each would get a separate afternoon off. So for instance my sister in law could have Wednesday afternoon off and I could have Thursday afternoon off. We are just in the beginning phase of looking into this. Thanks in advance for your advice.
it sure is comforting to know that I’m not the only one who is guilty of most of what you had in your article. I open at 6am-5 pm……well one parent doesn’t get off work until 5pm 1/2 hour away…grrrrr…..so I made an exception to the rule. Dumb!!!!! Thank you for a great article!
The thing I wish I knew before I started doesn’t really fall into your list (but this list is SPOT ON!) is that it really impacts your family life. You really need a partner who’s ok with strangers showing up to your house and peeking at it all the time, be it prospective families or the licensing agency.
Create and make a late pick up fee and stick to it! I had one family that took my 15 minute leeway for emergencies to the extreme almost everyday for three years until I finally created a $1.00 per minute past 5:00 policy and began to enforce it.
Very good tips and advice! I’ve had a home child care for thirty-five years (I started at age 24) and experienced everything you write of and more! Lol! My best advice came from a woman who’s children I used to care for…she paid me $10 more a week to start with because she felt my rates were too low, and over the course of a year, helped me to build my “child care provider” (“Don’t you dare refer to yoursel as a ‘babysitter, or let anyone else call you a babysitter. You don’t sit on children!..it’s ‘child care provider'” she would say to me . She also taught me that if I valued myself and the service I was providing, that others would value me too! Such words of wisdom from a woman younger than myself at that time! She also taught me (and learned the hard way several years later), that it was never a good idea to take care of children for good friends or relatives. Sometimes it’s hard to avoid this…but if you can…DO!! . They expect the most from you and more than likely, for no pay or at least reduced pay. Any way…after I started taking my child care business more seriously and treated it like a business…I can say it’s been a very fufilling career. If you’re in it for the money, forget it…we do this because we enjoy what we do! At fifty-nine, I’m hoping to continue for at least another five years (the good Lord willing!)
WOW literally everything in this post is great….and everything in this post is something I wish I had known before hand. EVERY SINGLE ONE of my parents fought me on the contract. They hated I was getting them to pay in advance, they hated that I was making them pay for sick days, etc etc. I ended up changing the entire contract, so that I got paid weekly by some parents (of course at the end of the week since I was fought on it), some bi weekly, they don’t pay for sick days, etc.
I have since learned pretty darn quickly that this was a big mistake. So far everyone has paid me on time, but it’s so much hassle having to remember who paid me weekly, who is paying me bi weekly, etc. Once they are gone come summer time, I am re writing my contract to my original one, and making sure they pay me in advance! Thanks for the tips!
Hi! I have a question about paid holidays. I’ve been doing daycare for almost 2 years now and was wondering how you charge the parents paid holidays? Also, has anyone ever done paid vacations?
Hi Jaime! Paid vacations/time off is definitely one of those touchy subjects with some parents. However, it is something that many daycare providers do (although not as many as should in my opinion). My contract is says that I am paid for holiday closures and vacation. Parents have a set monthly fee and it’s paid each month even if I have a vacation or paid holiday closure during that month, no discounts. I have this in my contract and always I go over it with families in interviews. If a family has an issue with it then I tell them it’s not a good fit and don’t accept them into care. I give parents at least 30 days notice for vacation and at the beginning of each year they get a list of holiday closures.
This can be a tiresome and stressful career, it’s just one person (in most cases) working upwards of 10 hours a day and handling everything from the everyday care of the children to the business side of this career. Taking a handful of days off over the course of a year should not be seen as unreasonable or a penalty that results in loss of income in my opinion.
I’ve been doing childcare for 33 years and I have in my contract paid holidays , 10 paid sick/personal days and 2 weeks paid vacation. Like everyone else who works outside the home, usually they get paid for their holidays etc, so why shouldn’t I and to be quite frank, after the amount of years I deserve benefits LOL. If a parent questions right off the bat then it’s not going to be a good fit because everything will be questioned. My contract has been edited so many times but with added information, because once i get screwed, shame on them… I just recently put in (because of being a mom of 3 children when they were home) that if the parent is sick do not bring me your child…. the chances of the child getting sick are high, so if mom’s sick, mom stays home and takes care of the child. I didn’t shuffle my 3 children out when I was sick, you make due…. and yes I still require payment… They either want me or they don’t and believe me I stopped settling. It’s not worth the money. You figure your with their child during the week then they are and if I get sick???? and I have to close??? they’ll learn not to bring their child or mask their fever because of having one thru the night and not tell me, i make that phone call to come and pick up AND since they left my daycare with a fever they are not allowed back the next day… need to be fever free for 24 hours…
I agree that you totally deserve some perks! 🙂 Definitely don’t settle for anything less than what you feel fits you and your program just to make a client happy. In the end that makes no one happy. I also have a very firm sick, it’s non-negotiable and when interviews ask for changes I show them the door. I’ve had several parents drop kids off when they (the parent) were sick, coughing and sneezing all over the place and as a result I also have a similar policy to keep me and the other children healthy. I love that you have paid time off! Mine is very similar and I’m always advocating providers I know to add it to their contracts. The reality is that we work long hours with no breaks or help, it’s not unreasonable to expect to have a paid day off to recharge. It’s how you offer the best care you can, by taking care of yourself too! Thanks for commenting, Kim!
I am getting ready to open a daycare home locally this fall. All of this was such good info, thank you! The one I really hadn’t thought of was not to take part-time infants. What a fiasco that could be!? I’ve been working on my policies and contract. I feel like they are pretty solid. It was nice to read some reinforcement. Again, thank you.
Lisette,
This Blog looks like my favorite!! I just stumble on it and it’s amazing, so easy to to read and understand. When I first started I was working Saturdays plus every Holiday. Then my daughter said “mom what are you thinking you are going to kill yourself” there were no time for the our family, relaxing also not to mention, but I will… the toy washing . I also had a part time job (which now I only do on Saturday). but I guess the point is we people that Love what we do or wouldn’t do it and for that reason we need to have these moments of breaks or we won’t Love it so much!
Blessings.
Laura
Hello,
I’ve been thinking about opening a day care in my home in the future with my mother. I have some questions and I was wondering if you can email me and give some advice. I liked your article and there was definitely things in it I didn’t even think about. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sent you an email! 🙂
Hi thank you for your post. It was very helpful. I came close once to opening my own home daycare, but never got to do it. I have worked as a teacher and teacher aid in elementary schools, daycares & preschools for 15 years. I have been out of work for five years caring for my son who has autism. I still have that dream of opening up my own daycare at home. Only thing is ,I don’t know if I will be able to do it. I live in a two bedroom mobile home. I have a nice big backyard that would be great for my daycare. But the space in my home ,I really don’t know if it can be possible to run a daycare from my home. Please if you have any ideas I would love to hear them. I really want to do this.
thank you in advance.
Hi Melinda! When I started my home daycare we lived in a small 2 bedroom duplex. My living room functioned as both our living space and the daycare space. It’s very possible to do this but it can be a challenge at times. I used furniture to break up the space. My couch or a toys shelf sideways in the living room created a ‘divide’ between where I kept kids stuff and where I kept our things (although I did have to change my decorating style to make it more kid proof). My space wasn’t large or flashy but I had the essentials and enough toys to not seem too crowded. I also used a lot of creative storage units (like hanging storage in the closet and closetmaid cube shelves for toy storage because I didn’t have much space and honestly after a few months I got tired of looking at all the daycare stuff on the weekends. My Pros and Cons of Home Daycare post talks about issues with a small space and how it can affect others in your house too.
Many providers successfully run daycares in small homes, I’ve even known some that run them out of apartments. I did it for nearly 3 years in our small home before we moved to a larger home. Make sure you are aware of any square footage requirements per child your state has because it can change how many kids you can have. But don’t worry, it can be done in smaller spaces. Move your furniture around and do a mock set up for a daycare. See how it feels for you and your family. Good luck!
Hi!
Love this blog! I am starting a in-home day care super soon. Question: I never thought of doing an interview process. How did you so this?
Thank you!
Hi Alicia! You can find my post on interviewing tips here: https://whereimaginationgrows.com/interviewing-clients/ but feel free to ask any specific questions that you have!