I have seen that many of you are going to school as well as running your daycares. How are you ladies doing it?
Are any of you considered full time students?
Would it be feasible to think I could schedule classes 2 days a week and maybe evening classes, or all morning classes?
This fall I will have a pretty light load and debating on going to school for an RN degree, so that when dd starts full day school I will have my degree and can start working outside the home. I used to really love daycare but lately the parents and kids seem to be getting worse and worse and less and less are looking for full time care. I just want to have the ability to move on when I am able to.

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I have a bachelors and masters already, but when I was getting my masters, I worked in an office from 8-5, and then went to school Mon-Thurs nights. I did it for almost 2 years. It was very hard. You pretty much have no weekends, no family time. I didn't have a family then, I'm not sure if I could do full time now.

If you have a plan and support from your family, go for it! Part time would be much easier, I'm sure. Just keep your eye on the goal and you will be there before you know it.

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I went to class at a local community college for my CDA but completing my AS degree in Early Childhood was mostly with online and evening classes from the same college. I only had to go to campus for midterm and finals that were proctored. My kids were small then and I wanted to be home. SOOOO the majority of my work was after the kids were in bed or at naptime at daycare.....actually I lived off of NO sleep. It was kind of funny because in my psychology class they told us a person could go without sleep for so long that they would become like they were intoxicated so I became intoxicated daily with school.
I decided to take a break before completing my Bachelors because I would have to transfer to a university 2 hrs away without the availability of online/evening classes for early childhood. It is in the works to coincide with the community college I got my Associate's from, so I will pick it back up then. Good luck to you!

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I take mostly online classes and I am considered full time. I schedule every second of every day. LOL

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I have been wondering the same thing. I was recently approved for our states T.E.A.C.H. scholarship, so in the fall I will be headed back to college I will not be a full time student though. I am going to start out with one or two classes and see how I handle everything first. My children are older, and I sure don't want to miss their childhood!!!!

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I'm have my associates and am now working on my BA in early childhood education. I close my daycare at 3:45 daily and have class this semester Monday and Wednesday nights from 5-10:30 for 8 weeks. I usually just take one class a semester but this semester I'm taking 2 because I plan to take the July/August term off. I'm taking night classes using the TEACH grant at an offsite campus for Upper Iowa University. The terms are 8 weeks in length so the classes are 5 1/2 hours one day a week. I'm not gonna lie, being in class that long is exhausting but the terms go really fast. Since I have to be in class at 5 twice a week I have to close earlier than I used to and that has hurt business as all of my current clients that leave before 3:45 are aging out or moving out of town. I will only have 2 children enrolled for the summer so far, luckily that's what I need to make to help with the bills but I'm used to having 6-8 children so it's going to be weird.

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I went back to school full time and took my yoga teacher training at the same time. I was not working at the time but had 4 children (at the time ages 4-14).

It was insanely busy. I was up until 2 most nights finishing school work. I still tried to stay 'present' with my kids but my husband took over most of the evening duties.

You can do it. You will need to be super organized, have your family on board, have your 'gripe' buddy who will listen and then set you back on track, and most of all, stay focussed on the end goal.

That was 2 years ago. I finished my BA and am now a yoga teacher.

And guess what? It was so much fun I'm taking another teacher training and considering going back to university

Good luck!

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I finished my AA in 2006, but I was not working at the time and had a family member to watch my daughter so it was easy to take classes anytime.

For the last 2 years I have been working on my BA online through a state university, and it has been a great experience. It would have been a lot harder if I had to attend classes. I go 3/4 time (9 cr. hrs). I have 8 preschoolers at the daycare, homeschool my own 2 kids (7 and 9 yrs old), am a Girl Scout leader, and take the kids to all their practices. IT IS A LOT! But I do not feel like I am missing out on their childhood. There is still time to enjoy one another as a family. But I do spend a lot of the weekend and some evenings working on homework, tests etc... My kids do "feel" it though. They know they have to make sacrifices because both my husband and I are going to school (we are both in our mid to upper 30's). My daughter recently said, "Mom, I am going to college right after high school so I don't have to go to school when I have kids." Well, there is something.

I will finish in December with a BA in General Studies with concentrations in Child Development and Human Services. This degree has been 17 years in the making so I am very proud of myself! I am applying to a M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education program and plan to begin January 2015. I am super excited about it! It is through Champlain College (online format) and emphasizes play and constructive learning environments. It has 8 week class sessions and I only plan to take 1 class at a time and finish in just over 2 years. My future goal is to teach early childhood classes at the college level.

So, all in all, I think you can do anything you set your mind and heart to. It will take determination and there will likely be times when you will want to give up. But YOU CAN DO IT!!

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I'm currently taking two classes a week, one class each day. Mondays and Wednesday evenings. I work FT with my earliest client arriving 8am, sometimes 7am so the only option for me was evenings. One class starts at 6pm so I leave here at 5:30pm the other class is at 7pm. I get home at 9:30-10:30pm and then work on homework on other evenings, during nap and on weekends. It's been very stressful for me. I had been taking only 1 class a semester before which was only once a week and that was ok but 2 classes was a lot of work between Daycare and my family. I'm taking a break in the summer because I need it and in the fall I think im going back to only 1 class.

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I am done with college now but when I was going, I was taking 12-16 credits (4-5 classes) per semester and running my child care full time.

My classes were all on-line so most of my reading and homework was done in the evenings and on the weekends.

My own kids were young adults at the time and didn't require much so that was definitely a help.

It was a busy time but I enjoy school so much that I actually miss it and am thinking about returning in the near future.

I think if you have a good support system, taking more than 1 or 2 classes is doable but it does require a lot of self-motivation and a bit of routine too.

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I agree! With any class, but especially online, time management with organization for deadlines, etc. were a must for me as well. I also enjoyed school, too.

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I was able to take all of my classes online. That way, I could work all day and take my classes online at night, on the weekends, or during nap time. I started out going part-time, but after 2 semesters, and getting into a routine of balancing working full-time at daycare, my personal life as a single mother, and college school work, I did go full-time. Even with taking my classes online, I had to give up ALOT of sleep! I averaged sleeping 4-5 hours per night because I would have to stay up until 1 or so in the morning getting my school work done. Then I opened for daycare at 6am! It requires scheduling and dedication, but it can be done.

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Exactly. I just finished my RN/AS and my Child Development degree this semester @ 12-15 credits per semester. I have full time daycare (6-10 kids from 6:30 am to 7 pm), am homeschooling my youngest two kids, and run an animal rescue out of the lowest floor of my home.
You can do whatever you set your mind to. Time management, routine and a good support system (or a good sub) when you must be in class. Most of my things have been online, but I have had classes I had to attend (a few per semester) and a good sub in essential.
Otherwise, stay on top of what needs done, work ahead whenever you can, and know your limits. If you have too many credits, withdraw early. If you can handle more, take an extra class the next semester.

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This past semester I was able to take my classes online, so I would use the evenings and weekend to do my assignments. This semester I have 2 classes online and 1 class in the classroom Mon-Thurs from 8-10.

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