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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Advice On Moving Daycare Into My Second Home
tbutler 01:16 PM 01-10-2012
Hi ladies,

My husband and I have a rent house that was new when whe purchased it in 2004. He told me yesterday that our tenants may be moving out in August. He then asked me would I like to run the daycare from there when and if the tenants actually move out. I said absolutely and I'm really excited about this possible venture. But here are a few questions I'm asking myself in regards to expanding.

-In the city where I live, there are no zone restrictions (I hope that's the correct term) for using a home in a subdivision as a business. Should I look for or request a copy of the neighborhoods deed restrictions in regards to starting a business in our home? I'm sure we have them but I have no idea where they are at the moment. Would the Subdivisions deed restrictions supercede the cities?

-Currently I do not care for infants. Beside the extra money, since we charge more for infants, what are the advantages for keeping them besides the adorable cooing and baby smiles? I'm just so afraid of a SIDS incident happening in my care.

-Employees!!! What would I put in their handbook? What will their starting pay be? What are my interview questions? Do they get paid sick/holiday pay?

-I would LOVE to be able to teach the four year olds half the day, in the AM. I would then have an assistant to come in for the rest of the day. Would it be possible or am I setting myself up for burnout? Oh and I plan on doing the cooking too, when I first open anyways.

If you ladies/gents who have started care outside of your home can offer any advice on the above mentioned or anything I haven't mentioned I would be indebted to send cyber hugs to you all. Thanks!
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Blackcat31 01:27 PM 01-10-2012
Originally Posted by tbutler:
Hi ladies,

My husband and I have a rent house that was new when whe purchased it in 2004. He told me yesterday that our tenants may be moving out in August. He then asked me would I like to run the daycare from there when and if the tenants actually move out. I said absolutely and I'm really excited about this possible venture. But here are a few questions I'm asking myself in regards to expanding.

-In the city where I live, there are no zone restrictions (I hope that's the correct term) for using a home in a subdivision as a business. Should I look for or request a copy of the neighborhoods deed restrictions in regards to starting a business in our home? I'm sure we have them but I have no idea where they are at the moment. Would the Subdivisions deed restrictions supercede the cities?

Where I live, we have no special zoning code or anything since child care isn't considered commercial or anything so I have my daycare home in a residential neighborhood. If you didn't know me, you would drive by the house and have no idea it was a daycare.

-Currently I do not care for infants. Beside the extra money, since we charge more for infants, what are the advantages for keeping them besides the adorable cooing and baby smiles? I'm just so afraid of a SIDS incident happening in my care.

I cared for infants for the first 10 years, thne stopped for several years but now I am back to caring for them again. I stopped caring for SA kids instead. I am super nervous about SIDS too but all you can really do is stay educated and take every precaution available. No sleeping in swings and/or car seats, etc. I have the parent wake their infant and hand over an awake baby and do the same again at pick up. No sleepers passed back and forth.

-Employees!!! What would I put in their handbook? What will their starting pay be? What are my interview questions? Do they get paid sick/holiday pay?

I have no employees so I can't help here.

-I would LOVE to be able to teach the four year olds half the day, in the AM. I would then have an assistant to come in for the rest of the day. Would it be possible or am I setting myself up for burnout? Oh and I plan on doing the cooking too, when I first open anyways.

I care for a mixed age group and still ahve preschool time. My little ones are occupied in another area while my preschoolers are busy with their stuff. I have one room dedicated to infants/toddlers only and other areas are set up for specific activities and ages too.
If you ladies/gents who have started care outside of your home can offer any advice on the above mentioned or anything I haven't mentioned I would be indebted to send cyber hugs to you all. Thanks!
I answered in bold above. Good luck making the move too....I would NEVER do this any other way.

MAJOR RESPECT to the women (and men) who do this in the homes they live in!
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tbutler 02:00 PM 01-10-2012
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
I answered in bold above. Good luck making the move too....I would NEVER do this any other way.

MAJOR RESPECT to the women (and men) who do this in the homes they live in!
Thanks so much BlackCat. I knew that if no one else responded, you would. I've been doing it in my home since school started at the end of August. I just had my house painted the week after Christmas. I'm ready to start furnishing and decorating. I'm looking forward to the move! I didn't even think about doing it alone. That may be anothe option. If you don't mind me asking, how many kids do you have and what are their ages?
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Blackcat31 02:12 PM 01-10-2012
Originally Posted by tbutler:
If you don't mind me asking, how many kids do you have and what are their ages?
I have 12 kids and can have up to 14 with another adult caregiver. I am only licensed as family child care but if I wanted to become licensed as a center, I could have a lot more kids but center rules are sooooo much more strict than family care so I don't even want to go there.

my kids are ages:

6 months/boy
18 months/boy
22 months/boy
22 months/girl
2.5 yrs/boy
3 yrs/girl & 3 yrs/girl (these two share a space/one comes in A.M and other in P.M.)
3 yrs/girl & 4 yrs/boy (these two share a space/one comes in A.M and other in P.M.)
4 yrs/girl
4 yrs/boy
4 yrs/girl
5 yrs/boy (kindy eligible but didn't attend)
6 yrs/girl (kindy eligible but didn't attend)

I am licensed as C-3 group care which says "Two adult caregivers required for 14 children, maximum of 10 under school age, of which no more than 4 shall be infants/toddlers; of which no more than 3 shall be infants". Hope that makes sense.
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Meeko 08:33 PM 01-10-2012
Our state (Utah) licensing laws say that a family group day care home must be in a HOME. I don't know if your state is the same. You may want to check that.

My husband and I moved out of one home and turned it into a day care and bought our "forever" home in the next city over. But because someone has to physically LIVE in the day care home, my son lives in the home and he is the licensee even though I run it. He uses two of the four bedrooms as his living quarters. The rest of the home is all day care.

If he didn't live there, we would have to close because we are not able to be CITY zoned as a center, which is what licensing requires if you do child care in a building not used as a home. Gets complicated!
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tbutler 08:01 AM 01-11-2012
Yes I understood Blackcat. Thanks Meeko and again Blackcat for the response. I will read through licensing webiste Meeko to see if I'll have to be classified as a center.
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