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Starting a Home Day Care
By Christine Groth
There are many aspects to consider when you are starting a home day care. You must pay
careful attention to all state requirements for licensing, insurance, and training. You
also need to think about how you will care for children on a daily basis, and how this
will affect your family. Will you have the energy and patience to care for someone else's
kids as well as your own? Will you still have time left to spend with your family and
friends? If you cannot successfully accomplish this, you will quickly become overwhelmed.
If you and your family decide you can handle the complications that may arise, as well
as the loss of privacy in your home, then you need to contact Human Services to find out
how to become licensed. What are your state's requirements for starting a home day care?
You will need to know how many children you will be allowed to care for, what training
your state requires, and what requirements your home must meet. Your home will have to
pass an inspection, and if anything needs to be corrected you will be given a certain
amount of time to comply before receiving approval for starting your home day care.
You will want to have plenty of toys and activities for the children to play with. You
can usually find art supplies, books, puzzles, and some small toys at dollar stores.
Thrift stores or flea markets are a great place to look as well. Just make sure that these
are still safe and that you clean and disinfect them well. Swing sets and other outdoor
toys should be carefully inspected for safety.
Before starting a home day care, you also need to set out clear policies and
regulations. If everyone knows the rules up front everything will run much smoother. This
will help avoid confusion, as well as to let parents know that you are professional and
responsible. Make sure these are signed and dated by all parties involved prior to caring
for any children.
Starting a home day care will also require a good meal plan. You will need to provide a
nutritious lunch as well as healthy snacks. You must decide if, depending on your hours,
you will provide breakfast or ask that the kids be fed before they arrive. You may
consider looking into nutritional programs to help defray food expenses.
If you cannot get state or federal assistance with this, consider buying in bulk. Just
make sure that you will be able to use anything you buy. It won't do you any good to buy
ten pounds of peanut butter only to find out that none of the kids like it! Also be sure to
consider any food allergies or special diets when planning your meals.
While starting a home day care may mean a lot of work in the beginning, it can be well
worth it for the right person. With plenty of patience, determination, and creativity you
can quickly build a successful business. Starting a home day care can be very rewarding,
both financially and emotionally, but it may be stressful as well. So don't forget to
relax and have fun with the wonderful children you are caring for.
©CG Groth Inc. 2007 The "Daycare Diva", Christine G. Groth, is the creator of "The
Guide to Instant Daycare Profits". To learn more about this step-by-step program and to
sign-up for her FREE "How to Start a Daycare" tips and articles, visit Experts at Daycare
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