Thinking about starting a home daycare

[Anonymous]

I am thinking about starting a daycare in my home in Rockville. I have a 6 month old daughter. Prior to having her, I was a teacher for 6 years (MCPS and a very well know private preschool). I have a bachelor's in Early Childhood Education and have one course left to complete my Master's in Education. The price of daycare for my daughter is nearly the same as my teaching salary, so I am looking for some other options.

I am curious what you look for ideally in a home daycare situation. I am very Montessori/Reggio influenced in my teaching and now in being a mother. I was hoping to care for about 3-4 children total (including my daughter). What do you look for in a daycare? What are fair prices? Do you like your child to remain on site or are you okay with them going out? (walks, field trips, occassional errands, etc) Do you like it to be more of a "school" setting, "home" setting, or mixture of both? Any advice for me?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts! It is so helpful to hear from parents who have already been there!

[Anonymous]

We loved our son's daycare. The number of kids proposed seems kind of small, so I'd like it if it were only for a couple of ages. 0-2 or something like that. Not too much a fan of the provider having a child in the daycare, but it can be done ok. We liked the organic foods, indoor and outdoor play areas (inside there was a slide and a play house with those plastic balls on the floor. Outside was some small climbing equipment, a water play piece, and a large grassy yard.

During the day, the kids played with toys or sat and watched kids play with toys, sang songs, listened and played music or were held while kids sang songs, slept in a quiet area, and did a little bit of learning of numbers and letters as they approached age 2. They also were taught how to share, be polite, and be patient. Infants spent a lot of time being held and being on the floor. I also liked that there were always 2 providers so one could take care of an emergency. Small outings would be fine, but I wouldn't trust anyone putting my child in a car.

[Anonymous]

I ruled out solo providers. We used a home daycare that had 2 full-time care providers (owner and her assistant) and 6 kids, and the providers had been providing daycare together for 20 years. Do you have infant care experience other than your own child? Your background makes this sound like a good setting for 18 mos+, but less so infants.
I'm also not sure how I would feel about a provider who also has their own child around. Who will care for her when she is sick and can't be around the other kids?
And I am definitely not okay with a provider taking the kids along to run errands. If you want to drop a letter in the mailbox while on the way to the park, that's fine, but nothing requiring driving and no dragging them along while you shop. It doesn't sound like you're seeing this as a job, but rather as having a few extra kids around while being a SAHP.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't want a solo provider--what happens when you're sick or unavailable for some other reason? I'd even wonder about bathroom breaks or how you would prepare meals with 3-4 kids and no other adult backup.

And I'd rule out someone who had their own child home with them, especially a young infant. I just assume that you'd prioritize your child, and also that anytime the baby was sick, I'd have to find alternate care.

That said, I would look for a clean, fully childproofed space with a variety of age-appropriate toys and books, a well-maintained outdoor play space of some kind, and no televisions present in the rooms where the kids would be.

I would be okay with field trips or outings within walking distance, but not with you taking the kids along while running errands. The outings should be for my kid's benefit, not yours. And I wouldn't be excited about car trips.

I wouldn't worry so much about a "curriculum," although I would like it if there was story time, occasional art projects, songs, etc. If there was a mix of ages, I don't know how you would have a school-type setting, although if you focused on a subset, I can see it working where you would have a few educational-type activities throughout the week.

[Anonymous]

OP here.

I am just getting a feel for things, so thank you for your insights. Yes, I do have experience with care for babies as a nanny (including twins). I haven't finalized any type of plan. Just curious about what is out there and what people are looking for.

I have always been very passionate about early childhood education and I miss it. Unfortunately most private preschool salaries aren't going to make paying for daycare for my own DD worth it. I'm hoping to come up with something that works for both potential families and me.

I appreciate any other comments about what you look for in a home daycare. Do most people look for a larger group of children? I was thinking most people would prefer a smaller group with more individual care (I would), but maybe more people like a larger classroom-like environment. I am curious to hear more thoughts.

[Anonymous]

OP again.

Would anyone consider daycare with the provider's child there? What if there was a clear plan for the child when he/she was sick? (We have grandparents very close by who would be willing to help).

Would you consider a solo provider if there was a back up provider? Would you want them to remain in the same facility and have someone else come in? Or go to another daycare provider for the day? (Assuming you would be familiar with this caregiver ahead of time, etc)

Would you allow your child in the provider's car to go on outings like library story time, sing alongs, concerts, etc?

(Disclaimer: I can tell many people would not want this, but I am curious if ANYONE would): Would you consider a daycare provider who cared for your child along with theirs in a typical stay at home mom type way? If they agreed with many of your values? (No TV, big focus on the kids, maybe your children are the only other children in care)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

I am just getting a feel for things, so thank you for your insights. Yes, I do have experience with care for babies as a nanny (including twins). I haven't finalized any type of plan. Just curious about what is out there and what people are looking for.

I have always been very passionate about early childhood education and I miss it. Unfortunately most private preschool salaries aren't going to make paying for daycare for my own DD worth it. I'm hoping to come up with something that works for both potential families and me.

I appreciate any other comments about what you look for in a home daycare. Do most people look for a larger group of children? I was thinking most people would prefer a smaller group with more individual care (I would), but maybe more people like a larger classroom-like environment. I am curious to hear more thoughts.

I get from the other PPs that it isn't so much they want more children, but they want a facility with more providers (and usually that means more children).

I'm only TTC, so I'm not sure my opinion matters. But I have been researching daycare options (never too early to think about it). And frankly, I would be very hesitant to go with an in-home provider, unless there was another care provider there (or, ideally, 2 additional adults). It's not just about reliability/dependability, but it is also about checks and balances.

And I certainly would not go with an in-home daycare with one adult who was also watching her own child. I just wouldn't be comfortable with that.

[Anonymous]

OP-- I'd put my child in a solo provider home daycare like you propose. Especially with your background.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again.

Would anyone consider daycare with the provider's child there? What if there was a clear plan for the child when he/she was sick? (We have grandparents very close by who would be willing to help).

Would you consider a solo provider if there was a back up provider? Would you want them to remain in the same facility and have someone else come in? Or go to another daycare provider for the day? (Assuming you would be familiar with this caregiver ahead of time, etc)

Would you allow your child in the provider's car to go on outings like library story time, sing alongs, concerts, etc?

(Disclaimer: I can tell many people would not want this, but I am curious if ANYONE would): Would you consider a daycare provider who cared for your child along with theirs in a typical stay at home mom type way? If they agreed with many of your values? (No TV, big focus on the kids, maybe your children are the only other children in care)

15:22 here again.

1) I would be uncomfortable with the daycare provider watching their child as well. For me, it's not an issue of what if your child gets sick. For me, the issue is that even if you told me that you would give my child just as much attention and care as you give your own every day, I would have a difficult time believing you.

2) It wouldn't matter if you had a backup provider. I would not leave my child in a daycare facility (in home or otherwise) with just one adult.

3) I absolutely would not want the provider taking my child in the provider's car for outings. I would expect story time and outside time, but I would want that all to be done on-site. The most is a walk to the park.

4) I sort of answered this with 1, but the answer is no. And it really wouldn't matter to me if you agreed with my values. It also wouldn't matter if my kid was the only other kid.

[Anonymous]

I think most parents want a daycare with at least 1-2 other children their child's age, preferably one that is the same sex as their child. That's difficult to do with only one provider that advertises for a range of ages. For liability reasons, I'd rule out any car trips and spend more time coming up with creative things to do during the day at home.

[Anonymous]

NP here. Personally, I would never select a solo provider. I want to make sure that there is oversight of the childcare providers and that there is a form of checks and balances. Two providers provide that check on each other so that I am not relying upon one person who might have a lapse in judgment or have a personal crisis or issue come up. With 2 providers, there is a built in backup on each other both in judgment and in skills. As the parent of 2 children I can tell you that there are times that 2 hands are just not enough and that goes extra when you have 3 or more children. If you are changing the diaper of one child and another falls, a 2nd provider gives added security and adult care. Additionally, if the CCP's child is in the facility, there would have to be documented plans in place for if the CCP's child is ill. So whether it is that a babysitter comes in and watches the child upstairs, or the child goes to the grandparents home or a neighbor's home, etc the child has to have alternate care outside of the daycare facility.

Some of the other things that I would look for, is a secure environment (locked fence for the yard, locked door that does not allow anyone to walk in off the street), that all providers in the facility are infant/child first aid and CPR qualified, that there is a separate facility for the daycare separate from the home's living quarters. For example, many of the in-home daycares I know use a basement level for the daycare with the family living quarters on the first and/or second floors. I would like to see child appropriate facilities, so that the entire daycare areas are childproofed, adequately supplied with child size furniture and toys, appropriate flooring for children, that there is a system in place to ensure that each child's belongings are separate and identified. For example, our daycare uses a color coding system. There are 8 colors of tape in all rooms and in each room, the children are assigned a color. When the family brings any supplies for that child, it is marked with the child's color (bottles, teething rings, diapers, wipes, snacks, etc) so that you know that your child will be cared for with the supplies you provide. This prevents cross-contamination is your child has an allergy or sensitivity issue.

I have no problem with a SAHM caring for children in her home, including her own child, provided that they have some of the above safeguards in place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP-- I'd put my child in a solo provider home daycare like you propose. Especially with your background.

So would I. I hate daycare. If I had needed to return to work while my kids were little I would have looked for exactly what you propose. I would want a home-like environment with just a few kids. I would be fine if your own child was included. I would be o.k. with outings and errands even in the car. I would want my child to have as many of the benefits of being at "home" as possible, including trips to the grocery store, bank,..... I would love that he was being cared for by another mother.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. Personally, I would never select a solo provider. I want to make sure that there is oversight of the childcare providers and that there is a form of checks and balances. Two providers provide that check on each other so that I am not relying upon one person who might have a lapse in judgment or have a personal crisis or issue come up. With 2 providers, there is a built in backup on each other both in judgment and in skills. As the parent of 2 children I can tell you that there are times that 2 hands are just not enough and that goes extra when you have 3 or more children. If you are changing the diaper of one child and another falls, a 2nd provider gives added security and adult care. Additionally, if the CCP's child is in the facility, there would have to be documented plans in place for if the CCP's child is ill. So whether it is that a babysitter comes in and watches the child upstairs, or the child goes to the grandparents home or a neighbor's home, etc the child has to have alternate care outside of the daycare facility.

Some of the other things that I would look for, is a secure environment (locked fence for the yard, locked door that does not allow anyone to walk in off the street), that all providers in the facility are infant/child first aid and CPR qualified, that there is a separate facility for the daycare separate from the home's living quarters. For example, many of the in-home daycares I know use a basement level for the daycare with the family living quarters on the first and/or second floors. I would like to see child appropriate facilities, so that the entire daycare areas are childproofed, adequately supplied with child size furniture and toys, appropriate flooring for children, that there is a system in place to ensure that each child's belongings are separate and identified. For example, our daycare uses a color coding system. There are 8 colors of tape in all rooms and in each room, the children are assigned a color. When the family brings any supplies for that child, it is marked with the child's color (bottles, teething rings, diapers, wipes, snacks, etc) so that you know that your child will be cared for with the supplies you provide. This prevents cross-contamination is your child has an allergy or sensitivity issue.

I have no problem with a SAHM caring for children in her home, including her own child, provided that they have some of the above safeguards in place.

15:22 here again. Actually, having a daycare in a basement is a horrible idea, unless the basement has a door to the outside (and not one with a huge stair well to go up). It's just a huge fire hazard.

In Maryland, part of getting a home daycare certified (or whatever the term is) is having a fire escape plan that is inspected and approved by the fire department. This, in my view, is extremely important. I'd want to make sure my kid is spending most of his/her time in a place with a quick and easy escape route. But that could be just me (the last article I read about unregulated in-home daycares was an article about a bunch of kids dying in a fire), so it's possible I'm unusually paranoid about that.

[Anonymous]

^^^ "fire hazard" wasn't the term I wanted. It's a huge problem in the event of a fire.

[Anonymous]

I would be against solo providers. It's not even a good idea with a back up person to care for the children if you are sick because that new person has never been around the kids. That seems like a disaster for everyone. I also don't like the idea of your child being there. It's favoritism. Two infants crying, of course you will care for yours first. 4 kids in your care by yourself also seems like a lot. I thought it was only supposed to be three kids total, including your child?