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SimpleMom 12:13 PM 11-17-2011
Anyone do this? I mean only infants and toddlers? I'm thinking of some ideas to come about in the next 3 or 4 years. Wondering how this might work?
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cheerfuldom 12:16 PM 11-17-2011
I know several people that do this. The big thing is to keep your ratio within state guidlines and within your own capabilities. Four babies and toddlers are a whole different ball game than four preschoolers. I did this for the past several years and am now more than happy to move onto preschool age. All my daycare kids are 14 months or older. I have no desire to take on another young one period.
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mismatchedsocks 12:19 PM 11-17-2011
What happens when they grow up?
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AfterSchoolMom 12:24 PM 11-17-2011
Originally Posted by lilrugrats:
What happens when they grow up?
I'd like to know that as well. I've been thinking of moving in the direction of little littles (up to 12 months)...but what happens when they reach a year old? Are they "kicked out"?
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nannyde 12:28 PM 11-17-2011
I would LOVE to do just babies but even with extra adults here we can only have four. There's no money in the birth to two crowd. The money is in the two to five crowd.

We can have 12 FT and 2 PT two year olds with two adults.

We can have four infants with two adults. We can have four infants with eight adults... Doesn't matter how many adults ... only four babies under one residential roof.
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small_steps 12:34 PM 11-17-2011
Originally Posted by nannyde:
I would LOVE to do just babies but even with extra adults here we can only have four. There's no money in the birth to two crowd. The money is in the two to five crowd.

We can have 12 FT and 2 PT two year olds with two adults.

We can have four infants with two adults. We can have four infants with eight adults... Doesn't matter how many adults ... only four babies under one residential roof.
In Texas, with me being licensed, I can have 4 infants (under 18 months) by myself, but with 2 adults we can have 10, so it may be easier to make a little money on something like that here. I like either/or (young ones or older ones)...right now I have mixed and it's hard with all ages. At least it is to me.
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Heidi 12:39 PM 11-17-2011
Originally Posted by nannyde:
I would LOVE to do just babies but even with extra adults here we can only have four. There's no money in the birth to two crowd. The money is in the two to five crowd.

We can have 12 FT and 2 PT two year olds with two adults.

We can have four infants with two adults. We can have four infants with eight adults... Doesn't matter how many adults ... only four babies under one residential roof.
Here we can have 4 under 2 by ourselves, up to 8 with an asisstant. At maybe $100-$110 per week, it woudn't pay to have an assistant and have the chaos of 8!
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Heidi 12:36 PM 11-17-2011
I know a lady (long since retired) who studied with Magda Gerber at REI. She started a group of 3-4 children at the age of 3 months, adding them in one-by-one as she found good fits. She only had 4 max at a time, and they where there until the end of the summer after they turned 2. Then they "graduated", and she started another group.

Her entire enviroment was set up specifically for babies, and it "grew" with the children. It was pretty cool. She had the family room of her house set up with heated floors and low shelves. No swings, no highchairs. no plastic, for the most part. Soft toys to start, and room to roll, sit, crawl, walk. When they could sit up, she had a small table and chairs where they ate. She had a sleeping room right next to the playroom with 4 cribs.

THis lady was older, had one grown son, I believe. She did not have to worry about legos or a barbie shoe from her child's room ending up in the daycare. And, she did not potty train.

The one thing that would be tough for me is that REI is very much about listening to the child's cues. So, they nap when they "tell you" they are tired, and are never encouraged to go on a "schedule". While I am not exactly rigid about a schedule, I would not want to be caring for 4 babies for 10 hours while they all slept at different times. Feeding 4 would be another challenge. You are, afterall, supposed to make eye contact and look at them dreamily the whole time!
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MNMum 12:21 PM 11-17-2011
I'm curious, too. We have a huge need for care in our area for kids under 16 mos. This is my preferred age group anyway. Right now I have my own 2 yo, so it wouldn't make much sense, but maybe in a couple of years.
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small_steps 12:24 PM 11-17-2011
It would be kinda cool if you could find someone that provided a child care similar to yours and close by that wanted only preschool age and then maybe you could keep the infants/toddlers and they could go to the other provider at 2 or 3 and then you get in a new set.
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cheerfuldom 12:27 PM 11-17-2011
small-steps, thats what two of my friends do. One provider does 2 and under only. At 2, they can easily go a few streets down to the 2 and up provider if they want. Any big siblings that have a baby sibling on the way....the parents are referred to the baby daycare. Its two stops for the parents but they are close by and several families have done this. The providers work with each with referrals and the parents have ready references for the other provider, if that makes sense, because it is the same families using both providers.
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snbauser 03:20 PM 11-24-2011
Originally Posted by small_steps:
It would be kinda cool if you could find someone that provided a child care similar to yours and close by that wanted only preschool age and then maybe you could keep the infants/toddlers and they could go to the other provider at 2 or 3 and then you get in a new set.
A friend and I do this. She does infants and toddlers. I only do 3's and 4's. We live about 5 minutes apart.
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SimpleMom 08:58 AM 11-28-2011
Just talked with my licensor and I Guess it will be a few years before I could do this since my own kids are still counted in my numbers. Maybe I could only take kids up to age 4yrs??
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Tags:infant care, texas, toddlers
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