I know each state requirement varies to become registered, however a post earlier this week pursued me to ask this:

If you are unregistered, why?

I am unregistered and I was looking to be registered, however, I've been deterred because of what it is going to cost me just to install an egress window. I know I could make the money back and even be able to pick up a couple extra kids but anxiety has gotten the best of me.

Is anyone else just freaked out by allowing people you don't know into your house to say "Yes, you can be registered and do daycare" or "No, you can't"?

How many of you provide daycare in a basement?

What are your state's guidelines? Does anything to you not make sense or is there anything that you refuse to do?

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I know we've had some lengthy conversations about this. I could find one from earlier. https://www.daycare.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29250

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I feel the same way as you. That is why I have not pursued it. There is so much that I am afraid I would have to do before they even license me.

I wish we could watch more than one family unlicensed in this state. I am in MN. We can watch family or family when unlicensed. I wonder if I could do family and one nonfamily member and be legal.

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The initial financial investment does seem to add up at the beginning, but there are grants available for start up financing. I too had to replace a window and I received a $500 grant for that. It didn't cover all my cost (I had to pay $75 out of pocket) plus of course my other needs (additional CO detectors, paperwork, background check etc) BUT, I think in the long run it should pay off. Also, it stinks if you actually don't have the money to spend, but if you can find some way to swing it, it certainly won't hurt you at tax time!

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I'd need to install a fence, which is too expensive and which my HOA will not allow. Catch 22. I'm also not a fan at all of the state coming into my home and telling me what I can and can not do/have, even for my own children. It's a financial and a personal choice for me.

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Here, we have Regulated, or Licensed. It's actually better to be regulated because the rules aren't so strict. To be licensed, you have to jump through so many hoops that it's almost impossible.

One thing I thought was odd, was to be regulated, you MUST keep liquid benadryl in the house at all times in case of a reaction. But, if you are licensed, you can't have liquid benadryl. The fire extinguisher requirements are different.

I don't think anybody here has basements, so I have no idea what requirements for that would be. But, an emergency exit does seem like a good idea. I think I'd want that if I had a basement anyway.

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WDM Mom

I forgot to tell you this morning when we talked that you should also consider that in two years (June 2013) it will be required to be licensed. The law passed three years ago.

When you decide what areas you are going to use consider that you may have a registration/license pre inspection if you apply after that date.

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Can I ask you Nanny de where this info is at? I would love to find it and show all my daycare group this info.

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Regulation vary from state to state but the link for Iowa's Guidelines is

http://www.dhs.state.ia.us/policyana...er/comm143.pdf

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This is MsMe for some reason or other i can not log in today.

I am in Iowa and am registered. I was curious about all providers needing to be reg by 2013 as I know a few non-reg providers in the area and wanted to let them know. I googled 'all iowa daycares registered by 2013' and the very first result was this thread!!! haha!


I am a very big supporter of reg with the sate. I am not a hugh fan of ALL of their policies and on a few of them wondered if the people writing them had even spend 3 minutes with a real child But I do agree with 90% of the regulations and LOVE the training requirements. knowledge is an amazing tool when working with children. Nearly ALL the trainings I have been required to attend have helped me to improve my childcare skills.

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I am in Iowa and working on getting registered. By looking at the handbook I'm not seeing any requirements that seem unreasonable? Are there more that are not all listed in there that I don't know about? We are trying to get the house together and following all the "rules" but my DH is afraid we will get hit by another list of things that need to get done. How do I know?

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Our trouble was going from an "A" and "B provider to a "C" and we were also given a book calling "Caring for our Children" it has a rule ofr EVERYTHING were you can put this or that...how and when a baby can sleep...and so one. some of them are a little silly...

We got everythign straightened out a few yearsa ago and have been inspected twice and all is well now. I like being registered as I mentioned before mostly because of the trainings.

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I can have up to 6 children under 12 without a liscense in my province and so far I've been able to support myself without increasing those numbers. I even did it as a single mom for 2 years. To be liscensed I'd need to install a taller fence (my current one is 8" too short) and make a couple of other changes within my home mostly to do with infant care. Since I rent and these costs are out of pocket I've decided not to become liscensed up until now.

I'm going to make the changes within the next year so I have the option to expand my business if I chose. I've had an increasing demand in my area for my type of care and it seems silly to not consider taking advantage of that fact. I just had a mom who wanted care in Jan but said she would extent her mat leave until Sept, 2012 if they could sign a contract with me to start in Sept 2012 which are my first openings. Wow!

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WOW!! There are alot of us from Iowa on here!!!!

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When I first quit my job and went into daycare, my kids' provider told me that getting licensed was too much of a hassle with too much interference, so I didn't. I didn't get licensed for 10 years.

I always had that knock on the door over my head. Once I got caught, it wasn't that much of a hassle to get my license. Plus, I started claiming everything on my taxes and was way ahead at the end of the year.

Our inspections are unannounced, but they always seem to call a week or two in advance to see if I am still in business.

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Iowa is very reasonable. Middle of the country with middle of the road capacity requirements and middle of the road regs. It's a lot of points of compliance (I think I counted around five hundred) but they are all pretty easy to execute. It's just keeping all five hundred things in place for the one day they show up knocking at your door. If you are perfect they will hit you again and again... cuz you are easy to inspect.

We HAVE to be licensed by June 30 2013 so it won't be an option after that.

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I am very interested in telling my non-reg 'frriend" about this. As it is now you can watch 5 kids (inc your own). right? Will ti be 0 when the regulations changes? I didn't pay much attentions but i think she was complaining about not being allowed as many daycare deductions this year as in teh past bc she was not registered. I will have my CDA in a few weeks. I know that it is going to be a requirement that all Daycare center staff have theirs in a few years. Do you know if this will also affect homes? What about those of us that are two provider "C" will one or both be reequired?

Wow I kinda went crazy with the questions there ...sorry....do you know of any reasources I could use to learn more?

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oh and yes Iowa is VERY resonable.

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I will have my CDA in a few weeks. I know that it is going to be a requirement that all Daycare center staff have theirs in a few years. No I don't think that is true. They don't even have to have a high school education or a GED. They just have to have the age of 16 to be a co "teacher" and an age of 18 to be a "teacher". They don't have to have any college whatsoever much less middle school either.

It wouldn't make sense to have them go from not even having to have any kind of middle school or high school education to having to have a degree. The center director doesn't even have to have a degree... in anything.

If Center staff were to have to have a CDA it would rock the daycare world in iowa. They would be closing right and left.

five kids TOTAL under the age of five can be in a unregistered home with only three under two and that includes providers children.

To my knowledge CAT C2 is not changed. One of the providers in CAT C has to either have a degree now or five years experience. I have a degree so I don't keep up on that. I'm a CAT C1 now but will most likely expand to a 2 in the fall.

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It took me awhile to find it but I looked up where I saw the "All center staff must have a CDA information"

Yes and no

it was in powerpoint presentation at eh CDA meetign i went to before I enrolled in the program Dec 2009.

For a center to get NAEYC accreditation (new 2006 regulations)
75% lead teachers need at least a CDA
50% of assistant teachers need CDA and all thoses who are no must be enroleld in the program

By 2010
100% of all teachers must have a CDA
50% of teachers need associate's Degree

By 2015
100% of teachers need associate's degree
50% of teachers need bachelor's degree

There is also similar rules for Head start preschool teachers.

All the women in my class were from the same center and all stated that they were required to get their CDA to keep their jobs. They did talk a lot about their center being in the process with NAECY. I just made the leep that this ment all centers. Only centers that whant accredidation will be held to these standards.

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Yes just the NAYEC ones. It's not the State saying you have to. Really they don't care. They know they would be up against BIG money chain centers if they even required the staff to have a GED.

Center staff here don't have to have ANY education at all. Not a high school diploma or even a GED. They have never had to have it in all the years I have done it and I don't remember ANY legislation to even require them to have a third grade education.

The director has to have a GED but that's it.

Look on page 46 of this: http://www.dhs.state.ia.us/policyana...er/comm204.pdf

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Where I am you cant watch other people's kids in your house, period. Family members might be an exception. You simply have to be licensed. I've been doing it under the table for a while, but I need to get more kids (I only have a couple of part timers) and I can't just advertise because I'll get busted. $100 per day per child if you get caught!
It hasn't cost much so far, but will be worth it.
Tomorrow is the big day. The licensee will be here at 10am.
Hopefully they don't find too many things wrong.

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