I guess maybe I don't do as much paperwork as others? I do a checkmark in a box on a page in a binder. Takes 1/3 of a second per child per day. Once a week I do deposit. Usually sat morning takes all of 5 min to record payments and get the deposit done. We drop it off on the way to breakfast. Yes we eat out every sat morning. I do one load of daycare laundry a week. I do NOT do laundry when the kids are here unless it's a non school day and then my own kids do theirs That is part of their chores. I don't "call for services for the home" I truly don't know what this is. What calls take so much of your time on a routine basis to need planning for? I think in 21 years of providing care I have had to call someone I to my home 3 times ? So that's not something I need to plan for and in those times I may have spent 7-8 minutes on the phone. Dishes are loaded into th dishwasher as they are used. So there is no need to plan for this. I guess maybe I am just better at time management than some? I do have more experience and time in this profession than most providers. It will be 22 years in march. 22 years of providing child care to a group of 10 under school age plus 3 school age every day every year. I've learned tricks and routines that work for me. I do not have a seperate area for dc. We spend our days in my home. I do the "chores" nanny mentioned AS we are playing. I check toys 'meticulously' as I am PLAYING with them. It's not rocket science,... If a toy is damaged or broken it is tossed. I work a 14 hour day, Monday - Friday. I completely understand not wanting to do business related things on the weekend but I refuse to take time away from the children during the day to do them. I am a licensed provider, ( and while i get the vibe from some on this forum that that is a bad thing, as if I'm not as good because I choose to abide by a set of guidelines made by my state Not only that but I have takens extra steps to get educated in the areas involved with my career path. )I am working towards my bachelors degree in ece. I am working towards national accreditation. I feel like this makes me an outcast sometimes with some providers. The activities you describe doing during business hours are not things I do nor am I going to do during working hours. I have different guidelines for myself as to the activities I engage in during business hours. Nannyde you push your nursing background, your organic foods etc. You say it is your niche. Well mine is hands on care. Active interaction within a group setting with a continuous care provider. That is what allows me to charge the rates I do. It is the reason that my pediatrician recommends me to her patients. The reason she brought her children to me. It is why I have a waiting list when others are closing their doors. We have had the scariest past 2 years economy wise since the great depression in my community. Over a 17.5% unemployment rate. Not to toot my own horn but ~ beep beep. I think here my niche is what people are looking for.
Originally Posted by nannyde:
The same things their parents do on the evening and weekends when they have them.
Running the household, doing their paperwork, folding laundry, doing dishes, prepping food, calling for services for the home, cleaning, etc.
The children in the home create WORK. The more kids you have the more space you maintain the more equipment you have the more paperwork you have.
I do four loads of dishes a day when the kids are in the house. I do one load every three days when I'm on vacation. I do three loads of laundry a day when the kids are in the house. I do one load every three days when the kids are not in the house.
My son and I live in about 400 square feet in our home. The other 2100 square foot is for the day care That space has to be maintained.
We have two play rooms and two sleeping rooms. There are toys from infant to age five. Those toys have to be cleaned, sorted, and CHECKED METICULOUSLY for safety. That takes TIME.
My day is twelve hours so I make sure that ALL of the work for the kids that I can humanly do when they are awake and up playing is done while they are awake and playing. When they are napping and when they are not in the house I try VERY hard not to work for the day care (other than checking them during sleep). I am able to do that with everything but the accessing of the foods I use for the organic service I offer and my Staff Assistant heavy cleans the house about three hours every week when the kids are napping.
Other than that we get EVERYTHING done while the kids are up so when they are down for a nap or gone we don't have to work. 17 years of that system is the number one key to my success and longevity.
So whatever has to be done to maintain the business and maintain the home (including my personal laundry and dishes) are done while the kids are up and playing. This keeps my work day at a nine hour day plus nap supervision. That's built into my service fee. That's what the parents pay for. If I have to work during times they are not here and times they are sleeping I have to increase rates to cover that. Being able to have kids play and entertain themselves keeps the fees at their current rate. If parents want more adult entertaining and playing then that time would directly cause me to work longer hours. Longer hours means more money..... as in every business.