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mac60 04:30 AM 07-15-2011
I was just clicking around on our local (50 miles away) Craigslist for daycare ads. It is unbelieveable the quality of the ads on Craigslist, poor quality that is. The grammar, the spelling, the way things are written, are so out there. Then there are the rediculously low rates. The mom with 5 kids under the age of 8 looking for daycare kids...really?????? I would never leave my child with a mom that had 5 of her own under 8 yrs old. You can tell by the ads, that most are "fly by night" daycares where moms lost their jobs and are just trying to earn a few bucks. Caring for a child for $14 per day......just how do they do that? Guess I will not be posting an ad on Craigslist. I have only done it once before a couple years ago, and received no feedback from it, but then, our nearest Craigslist is over 50 miles away. No one from our town looks there for childcare.
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Unregistered 05:11 AM 07-15-2011
Originally Posted by mac60:
I was just clicking around on our local (50 miles away) Craigslist for daycare ads. It is unbelieveable the quality of the ads on Craigslist, poor quality that is. The grammar, the spelling, the way things are written, are so out there. Then there are the rediculously low rates. The mom with 5 kids under the age of 8 looking for daycare kids...really?????? I would never leave my child with a mom that had 5 of her own under 8 yrs old. You can tell by the ads, that most are "fly by night" daycares where moms lost their jobs and are just trying to earn a few bucks. Caring for a child for $14 per day......just how do they do that? Guess I will not be posting an ad on Craigslist. I have only done it once before a couple years ago, and received no feedback from it, but then, our nearest Craigslist is over 50 miles away. No one from our town looks there for childcare.
Why do you care? You dont have anything better to do then pick on someone's ad?
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Meeko 05:49 AM 07-15-2011
Best thing I ever did was get in the phone book yellow pages. I gets calls every single day. $16 a month (deducted as a business expense)...no effort. Love it. The only down side is I get calls asking me if I'm hiring......but it's not too bad.

To be honest, as a consumer, I may look on Craigslist if I was looking for used bike parts or left-over landscaping mulch, but not if I was looking for professional business services. And as a child care professional, I wouldn't want to be listed right along side all the fly-by-night babysitters. Just my opinion.
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GotKids 05:59 AM 07-15-2011
I have found that a good craigslist ad really stands out and does generate response. It might be harder with your closest spot being 50 miles away, but still worth trying in my opinion. On CL a few pictures of even just your set up can get you more attention. You can make a flyer that you could post at local businesses and use the same text in your ad online. Make sure you accentuate the the things that set your program apart from the rest.
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SilverSabre25 06:02 AM 07-15-2011
I know exactly what you mean by the quality of the ads. Many of them *are* poorly written. That's the really good ones stand out. I've gotten almost every single one of my clients from Craigslist. But, my area Craigslist is very busy and lots of people around here use it to find childcare.
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AnneCordelia 06:10 AM 07-15-2011
There are some really junky ads out there, that's for sure!

I have 4 kids of my own under the age of 8, and I also have 4 DCKs. Our days go smoothly and I run a quality program. Why wouldn't a mom of 5 be able to adequately care for a few DCKs too?
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mac60 06:21 AM 07-15-2011
In our state a group of your own kids under age 12 (I think, not quite sure though) wouldn't even qualify a provider to legally care for a small group of 4 to 6 daycare kids. I guess more of what I meant to say was, that I wouldn't personally want a daycare provider with 4 or 5 of her own young children to be the caretaker of my children, as there is too much opportunity for favoritism, etc, among the group of kids. I had a provider for my own kids years ago, and that was a big problem during the daycare hours. Sorry, didn't mean to offend you.
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cheerfuldom 06:22 AM 07-15-2011
I do well on CL but not recently, there are TONS of SAHMs and other newbies offering dirt cheap rates and I cannot and willnot compete with that. I do still have some parents looking for quality and yes, that I can provide.
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wdmmom 07:09 AM 07-15-2011
I have received about 80% of my clientele from Craigslist! I get calls and emails all the time of people wanting to tour...even if I don't have openings! It's very easy to tell the fly-by-nights, the laid-off or unemployed people looking for work and the SAHM's that specifically state they are looking for "playmates" for their child.

I don't see anything wrong with advertising within the others. Make your ad stand out...post once a week or more. Get your name out there. You can tell a desperate ad and a professional ad.
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MamaBear 08:01 AM 07-15-2011
Originally Posted by wdmmom:
I have received about 80% of my clientele from Craigslist! I get calls and emails all the time of people wanting to tour...even if I don't have openings! It's very easy to tell the fly-by-nights, the laid-off or unemployed people looking for work and the SAHM's that specifically state they are looking for "playmates" for their child.

I don't see anything wrong with advertising within the others. Make your ad stand out...post once a week or more. Get your name out there. You can tell a desperate ad and a professional ad.
Agree! I get pretty much all my clients from my Craigslist advertising. I love it. And yeah you can really tell the desperate ads vs the professional ads on there for sure! lol
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Cat Herder 08:49 AM 07-15-2011
Originally Posted by mac60:
In our state a group of your own kids under age 12 (I think, not quite sure though) wouldn't even qualify a provider to legally care for a small group of 4 to 6 daycare kids. .
It is the same here. A provider can only have up to 6 kids, including her own, under 12 years of age for pay.

Now, if 3 of the kids are under 1 year of age, the provider can not take any more kids at all, related or not.

The OP's posted craigslist ad above would tell me they were operating illegally (not just unregistered ) in my State.

I don't think Mac meant any disrespect, either. I also would not choose to have my child with a provider with her own kids in the group. It is just a personal choice. I know there are parents who don't choose me because I don't do field trips, own a large breed dog (golden ret.) and have a faith based program that celebrates Christian holidays.
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Meeko 08:54 AM 07-15-2011
Originally Posted by MamaBear:
Agree! I get pretty much all my clients from my Craigslist advertising. I love it. And yeah you can really tell the desperate ads vs the professional ads on there for sure! lol
I hadn't thought of it that way.

Your ad versus

" I wanna watch yore brat...call me @ 555-DIRTYDAYCARE

probably actually brings your professional ad more business!
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permanentvacation 09:25 AM 07-15-2011
The best ways I've advertised are Craigslist, having a daycare website, and being one of the top daycares listed on Google.

I post on Craigslist all the time. The majority of my kids are from those ads. There are PLENTY of illegal babysitter ads from stay at home moms who want to watch children in their homes. In Maryland, you have to be a licensed provider to watch children in your home who are unrelated to you on a consistant basis. There are PLENTY of ads that look like the 3 year olds wrote them! But, a parent looking for quality daycare can tell which ads are worth responding to.

I have advertised in many ways - flyers, ( take all day to hand out to a few locations, don't really get many calls from them - basically a waste of my time), newspapers - There are 2 local newspapers and one main newspaper around here. However, almost noone reads the papers - they look online for things! So, it's pretty much a waste of my money to advertise in the newspapers. We also have the Pennysaver here - but NOONE EVER reads that anymore! I have put daycare cards out (same as the flyers) in different stores, restaurants, and other businesses, but don't really get much of a response from them. I have handed business cards personally to people I see in stores or other public places and they really don't call. I have advertised on daycare websites that are specifically created for daycare advertising. However, your typical parent has never heard of those websites and does not know to look there. I used to have an ad in the phone book. It did work well and I got full almost immediately. However, I had to continue paying for the ad throughout the year and consistantly got calls for daycare and employment even though I had been full from the 1st month and don't offer employment. It annoyed me to continue paying for and receiving calls for something that I no longer needed.

I think you have to figure out what works in the area that you live in.
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mac60 09:41 AM 07-15-2011
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
Why do you care? You dont have anything better to do then pick on someone's ad?
If you would of taken the time to actually read what I posted, you would of understood what was written.....I didn't didn't actually "pick" on anyone's ad. It was general statements about a variety of different Craiglist ads that I read, not one in particular, quite a few that I clicked through. Maybe you had a little too much sun today?
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JaydensMommy 12:12 PM 07-15-2011
I have also noticed how bad some of the ads on craigslist are. I love craigslist and about half of my children come from craigslist. The other half are from my lawn sign which I also love. I just think you need a good ad and my website also helps.
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actaktmdt 03:19 PM 07-17-2011
Mac if i remember correctly your in michigan as I am. state rules say once a providers own children are over the age of 7 they do not count in your ratio any longer and then you have the 6 plus one rule as well.
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CheekyChick 06:22 PM 07-17-2011
I have a yellow pages ad, a Craigslist ad, two signs on my car, a Facebook page, a website, and I am on the state listing. I get 90% of my new families from my Craigslist ad. My ad is well written with pictures and links to my Facebook page and website. I think my CL ad stands out in a positive way, compared to many of the ads I've seen on there.
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CheekyChick 06:25 PM 07-17-2011
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
Why do you care? You dont have anything better to do then pick on someone's ad?

Who's ad was she picking on? It was a general statement about the quality of ads on Craigslist.
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MMk9987 06:40 PM 07-18-2011


Alright maybe you veteran daycare providers can help me out with something. i called a few home providers because i was looking for care for my child and i was asking the normal questions about pricing and i wanted to be part time well i guess someone stumbled upon my craigslist ad i have had up for months and i just freshened it up. well i guess there is a providers message board where you can find child care and talk about stuff that happen during interviews and i guess i was talk of the board because they were saying i was playing them and wanted to know if i am trying to start up my own business why do i need care that if licensing found out i could get in trouble will i did not know it was a crime to advertise that you are looking for babysitting work on craigslist i also did not know a new law went into effect where you have to be a licensed provider to keep children in your care well my question to you ladies is say that i called 1 of you asked prices and seeing if you had part time you saw the ad on craigslist would you jump to the same conclusion or would you give me the benefit of the doubt and call me for an interview anyway just would like your opinions please thanks
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familyschoolcare 07:22 PM 07-18-2011
Originally Posted by MMk9987:

Alright maybe you veteran daycare providers can help me out with something. i called a few home providers because i was looking for care for my child and i was asking the normal questions about pricing and i wanted to be part time well i guess someone stumbled upon my craigslist ad i have had up for months and i just freshened it up. well i guess there is a providers message board where you can find child care and talk about stuff that happen during interviews and i guess i was talk of the board because they were saying i was playing them and wanted to know if i am trying to start up my own business why do i need care that if licensing found out i could get in trouble will i did not know it was a crime to advertise that you are looking for babysitting work on craigslist i also did not know a new law went into effect where you have to be a licensed provider to keep children in your care well my question to you ladies is say that i called 1 of you asked prices and seeing if you had part time you saw the ad on craigslist would you jump to the same conclusion or would you give me the benefit of the doubt and call me for an interview anyway just would like your opinions please thanks
what are your questions I had a hard time following what you are asking?
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MMk9987 08:45 PM 07-18-2011
Alright say I called you Hello how are you doing I was calling regarding daycare for my son how old i tell you his age then i say part time then i tell you the days then i tell you the time and i ask your price rate for part time you tell me. then you called back because you had just saw an ad on craigslist saying i was offering child care in my home and i was not licensed then you saw how much i was charging for care not being licensed would you feel like it was a slap in the face and ask if i still wanted the interview or would you cancel on me think i was playing you trying to sniff for prices for my own day care I hope this makes better sense to you
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mac60 03:35 AM 07-19-2011
Wow. Is there any reason you don't use periods? .........
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familyschoolcare 07:36 AM 07-19-2011
So if you set up an interview which you do not say for sure you did, Why would I associate my interview with you add?

P.S. It would be a lot easier to follow what you are trying to say if you use periods and comas, with out them it is VERY difficult to tell where one thought ends and another begins.
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E Daycare 10:29 AM 07-19-2011
My local CL will have 25 entries by the end of each day and some of them blow my mind. One lady charges $10.00 a day! TEN. DOLLARS. A. DAY! I charge from $30.00-$35.00/day depending on the care needed and cant imagine doing any less. After all supplies, my continued education and certifications, curriculum, field trips, food etc.. doing it for $10.00 per kid just isnt gonna make it for me. Unless I had 15 kids maybe, but no one wants that.

And the photos! THE HORROR. Kudos for parents staying home and trying to make a buck but what kind of clientele are you attracting? I had a wonderful day care provider and wouldve paid her $200-300 week if needed to keep my spot. I want to put myself in her category. Some of these "day cares" are in a class all their own.

Heres some of my local tidbits:

"Good to Great childcare. That is what our wonderful clients tell us. We offer real life childcare. Need to drop off a little early? Need to work a weekend shift? Need part-time childcare? We offer all kinds of easy to read contracts. We offer 5 rooms of adventure. We offer education. We offer meals and snacks. We go to the parks, playgrounds, tracks, and swimming."

Good to know its sometimes great!

"hi my name is jessica smith i am a single mother of 2 i am looking to babysit whenever i am cpr certefied an i have all kinds of nursing training i have certificates in cna i am pregnant with a lil girl i am due oct 29th and i have a son who wil be 1 the 25th of august if you are interested please feel frre to contact me"


RUN on sentence, RUN ON.


"VERY RELIABLE

REFERENCES

BACKGROUND CHECK

CPR & FIRST AID TRAINING

CLEAN SMOKE FREE HOME

PLAYROOM

LOTS OF TOYS

HOLIDAY & BIRTHDAY PARTIES

MEALS & SNACKS PROVIDED

GREAT PRICES!!!!"


Sigh, STOP THE YELLING PLEASE!!

"Long standing operation. Tax deductable. car pulling for fall elementaryCall for details. "

This is it? This is your ad? 13 words where you manage to misspell AND forget punctuation. Oh and what is car pulling???


These are the potential providers in my area and Im always wondering how it took me over a year to become full. Sheesh. Maybe its my spelling....
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E Daycare 10:35 AM 07-19-2011
I do love cl I have to say though. Ive found all my clients from there or the local forums. Word of mouth has been flaky for me as the person who was referred seems to think I will automatically hold a spot or they have a "in" with me.

I have had clients come to me that have worked their way through the childcare food chain as I posted above. I use an abundance of my photos in my ad, include my FB fan page link as well as a good description I have El Hub proof. A lot has to do with trial and error. Im constantly updating my ad too.
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MMk9987 09:01 PM 07-19-2011
So in other words, you guys do not think what I did was wrong at all. The providers i called when they were reading word for word the ad i did. They said to me "how can you charge this much when you dont have your license it is a slap in the face to the ones who got the training to teach" I do not see how It Is a slap in the face. Nowhere in the ad did i ever say i was licensed, i just simply offered child care through the week. I stated I charged 45 a day full time and 30 a day part time am i not allowed to charge that being unlicensed. i am working on getting my license. i just would like to make some income! why i am going to school otherwise? I did not think it was a crime to call and find out prices so i could put my child in child care! i was not trying to find out prices to use it for my own day care.
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Cat Herder 09:19 PM 07-19-2011
Originally Posted by MMk9987:
So in other words, you guys do not think what I did was wrong at all. The providers i called when they were reading word for word the ad i did. They said to me "how can you charge this much when you dont have your license it is a slap in the face to the ones who got the training to teach" I do not see how It Is a slap in the face. Nowhere in the ad did i ever say i was licensed, i just simply offered child care through the week. I stated I charged 45 a day full time and 30 a day part time am i not allowed to charge that being unlicensed. i am working on getting my license. i just would like to make some income! why i am going to school otherwise? I did not think it was a crime to call and find out prices so i could put my child in child care! i was not trying to find out prices to use it for my own day care.
IMHO, it would depend on whether or not you were truly planning to place your child in care.

Were you seeking care during YOUR advertised daycare hours of operation? If you were it would be an immediate red flag.

I also know alot of providers don't set up interviews if the first question is "price related" or asking for an "exception" so it is possible you may have stumbled into that pit.
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MMk9987 01:24 PM 02-06-2012
Sorry about just now getting to this I was calling regarding getting my child into care at the time yes. that is the reason i was asking about prices I just happen to mention i was taking classes to become licensed to be in home day care so i can see why they would think it was a red flag but i did not think it was illegal to advertise on cl when i was not licensed i did not know.
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Springdaze 02:23 PM 02-06-2012
I got tons of spam when I post on craigslist. I thought I marked not to get any, but I got crazy stuff for months! Its a great thing other than that!
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daycare 03:33 PM 02-06-2012
Originally Posted by MMk9987:
Sorry about just now getting to this I was calling regarding getting my child into care at the time yes. that is the reason i was asking about prices I just happen to mention i was taking classes to become licensed to be in home day care so i can see why they would think it was a red flag but i did not think it was illegal to advertise on cl when i was not licensed i did not know.
I am not too sure what you are asking, but it sounds like you were calling in home daycare for your own child and asking the price?

Then you decided to place your own ad for your own childcare?

You should really find out what the laws are for childcare in your state before you move forward. You don't want to ruin the chances of getting your LIC., if you make a mistake before hand.
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MMk9987 06:38 PM 02-06-2012
Originally Posted by daycare:
I am not too sure what you are asking, but it sounds like you were calling in home daycare for your own child and asking the price?
Yes I was calling to find out how much they charge so i could put him in to day care.

Then you decided to place your own ad for your own childcare?
Yes I guess you could say I did I could see how it would be a red flag but I am truly wanting to get into child care I was not meaning to sound alarming at all but I can see how some would find it misleading that I call to find out prices for child care then I put up my own ad. I did take it down.

You should really find out what the laws are for childcare in your state before you move forward. You don't want to ruin the chances of getting your LIC., if you make a mistake before hand.
Yes I found out what the laws are in my state I do not want to be blacklisted that is for sure.
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MrsB 07:22 PM 02-06-2012
I live in Maryland where it is illegal to do daycare in your home without a license. At first I would get so angry at all these SAHM posting ads that were not licensed. One time I even sent a message to one of them asking her if she knew what she was doing was illegal. Her response "I am offering babysitting not daycare" Uhh hello, unless you are traveling to the childs house to provide the care (nanny) there is no difference in the eyes of the law. Most of them would price their daycare so low I felt like I couldnt compete. After while, I realized what many of you have stated. Their ads made mine look much better. Also I realized if a parent is choosing a daycare based solely on the price of the daycare you dont want them anyway. I get most of my daycare children from craiglist. I have many parents feel very refreshed after they have called 5 or 6 not so great "programs" and then they call me. Having confidence in your business and clear guidlines will attract the type of parents you want. The only other advertising I do is car magnets on my car and I am on the state referral list. I could go off on a whole other tangent about parents trying to negotiate with you on your prices and policies, but I will just leave it at that.
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MsLisa 07:38 AM 10-02-2015
My areas CL ads are nothing but SAHMs who will "work with your income". There was one recently who offered FREE babysitting to 5yr and under.
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BabyMonkeys 08:47 AM 10-02-2015
Originally Posted by MMk9987:
So in other words, you guys do not think what I did was wrong at all. The providers i called when they were reading word for word the ad i did. They said to me "how can you charge this much when you dont have your license it is a slap in the face to the ones who got the training to teach" I do not see how It Is a slap in the face. Nowhere in the ad did i ever say i was licensed, i just simply offered child care through the week. I stated I charged 45 a day full time and 30 a day part time am i not allowed to charge that being unlicensed. i am working on getting my license. i just would like to make some income! why i am going to school otherwise? I did not think it was a crime to call and find out prices so i could put my child in child care! i was not trying to find out prices to use it for my own day care.
Where in Florida do you live that you can make $45 a day? I am licensed, specialized in infants + young toddlers, have cameras that the parents can access online, provide everything including diapers, all organics AND limit myself to 3 littles, and only make $45 a day. I'm impressed! Can you share your ad with me?
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Blackcat31 09:08 AM 10-02-2015
Originally Posted by angelw2babies:
Where in Florida do you live that you can make $45 a day? I am licensed, specialized in infants + young toddlers, have cameras that the parents can access online, provide everything including diapers, all organics AND limit myself to 3 littles, and only make $45 a day. I'm impressed! Can you share your ad with me?
The post/poster you quoted is from 2011-12

I don't know if she will be back to reply.
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BabyMonkeys 09:09 AM 10-02-2015
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
The post/poster you quoted is from 2011-12

I don't know if she will be back to reply.
LOL, yep probably not. Guess I should look at the dates
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daycare 09:09 AM 10-02-2015
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
The post/poster you quoted is from 2011-12

I don't know if she will be back to reply.
lol/ BC you crack me up
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MsLisa 09:32 AM 10-02-2015
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
The post/poster you quoted is from 2011-12

I don't know if she will be back to reply.
It came up on the "New Posts", hence why I replied.... Oh well. Opps.
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Blackcat31 11:31 AM 10-02-2015
Originally Posted by MsLisa:
It came up on the "New Posts", hence why I replied.... Oh well. Opps.
Oh, that's totally okay!

New posts in old threads are always helpful and welcome....

I just try to point out the date when someone quotes an old post/poster just in case they are expecting a reply and didn't see the date.

Most old threads are usually worth revisiting
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Unregistered 12:36 AM 10-03-2015
Licensed Family Daycare
I have a licensed family daycare home. I also have worked for the school for approximately six years as a teacher and in the after-school day care. I've completed child development classes at Cerritos College and I have a bachelor's degree in finance.
I have over 7 years of experience and I treat each child like they are my own. I serve meals and snacks. I'm licensed. I accept CCRC and CAL Works.
The children I serve are from newborn and up. My hours are flexible and I can work evenings and weekends on request.

Small Family Daycare with lots of fun and learning Experiences

Free pick up and drop off

If Your Looking for a Safe, Loving Place For Your Child, Look No More!
Call T @ home or Cell:
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Unregistered 10:05 AM 10-03-2015
LMAO! This wasn't an place fort you to list your CL ad! NO ONE comes here to FIND childcare!
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Rockgirl 11:34 AM 10-03-2015
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
LMAO! This wasn't an place fort you to list your CL ad! NO ONE comes here to FIND childcare!
Ouch. I'm thinking ridiculing the poster isn't necessary, is it? :/
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hope 05:20 PM 10-03-2015
Can we tag this post as #confused posters?
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