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Carole's Daycare 11:45 AM 01-14-2010
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
I'm a 16 year old Female who lives in Florida. I am currently a Junior in High School and have decided to be a childcare provider after school. I want to open my own daycare facility, but have no idea where to start. I have taken Early Child Development in school and am currently in level 2-3 which is mostly assisting in running the preschool on grounds. In level 1 I took the Florida state tests for Pre-school Appropriate Practices, Behavioral Observation and Screening, Child Growth and Development, Identifying and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect, Health Safety and Nutrition, and Child Care Facility Rules and Regulations. I passed them all and have the certificates. Soon I will be taking the Infant/Toddler test to get certified for those ages as well. I am starting to look for a job in a local child care facility. What do I need to do to start my own daycare and are there any other certificates or classes that I need to take? Thanks for you help.
Check out your local rules, but to run a licensed daycare most places require you to be 18. It sounds like you are very well prepared educationally thus far. Make sure you have First Aid/CPR. I added training on the Epi-pen because of the increasing numbers of kids w/ allergies. Some experience in another daycare will help you prepare and give you more ideas on specific further training. In running your own center, you want a full range of training on supporting early literacy, ITTI or Infant Toddler Intensive Trainings if you will accept children under two, perhaps some further training in identifying and working with children w/ specific disabilities suh as ADHD, Autism Spectrum, Sensory Integration etc. You also should have training on record keeping and taxes (Redleaf Press/Tom Copeland is a great resource) and dealing w/ employees. Most licensed centers provide meals, so of course nutrition training and food handling practices will be necessary.Your licensing will require a certain number of hours of continued training each year- but each state varies so refer to the administrators resources on your own state's regulations. Your school district may have an after school/vacation daycare program you could apply at to gain experience in the field while you finish High School.
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