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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>10 Babies Too Much?
BrynleeJean 07:15 AM 03-06-2018
For my area and the needs in the area I was gonna o do a babies or under 18 month only, with an assistant. And it occurred to me that parents may thing 10 in one house may be too much. Though it’s legal of course, 2 Will be mine a toddler and infant and 8 paid and so it would be like a 1:5 ratio because of the assistant.
It’s just such a high demand in the area but people see home daycares as a low ratio I feel in my experience.
What do y’all think?
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Blackcat31 07:19 AM 03-06-2018
Originally Posted by BrynleeJean:
For my area and the needs in the area I was gonna o do a babies or under 18 month only, with an assistant. And it occurred to me that parents may thing 10 in one house may be too much. Though it’s legal of course, 2 Will be mine a toddler and infant and 8 paid and so it would be like a 1:5 ratio because of the assistant.
It’s just such a high demand in the area but people see home daycares as a low ratio I feel in my experience.
What do y’all think?
Depends on how many assistants you have.

When you say "babies" what ages are you referring to?
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BrynleeJean 07:21 AM 03-06-2018
5-18 months. Really 9 babies one is my two year old sons ten children total. Me and one assistant is the ratio.
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Miss A 07:25 AM 03-06-2018
When I worked in a center, the ratio was 1:4. Our infant room (6 weeks- 18 months) was licensed for 11, so we had 3 staff for 11 babies. The last year I worked there we had a fresh crop of babies who were all under a yeat, so most every day was 11 baby babies and 3 adults. It was so stressful trying to meet each individual childs needs, and it began to feel mechanical. I never built a solid bond with one of those babies that last year, which I feel is so important in infant care.
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Country Kids 07:33 AM 03-06-2018
Even with an assistant that is a lot of children under 2.

I think as a parent looking at childcare, I would think it is to many and wonder if you would have time for my child.

I'm allowed only 2 under 2 but focus on preschool age and SA. Even then I'm only allowed 10 but if I have eveyone at once I will have parents that are like, wow full house today. The way they ask though it seems they may think I'm over ratio or have my hands full.

I would probably mix my ages up a bit more if it were me.
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Blackcat31 07:36 AM 03-06-2018
Originally Posted by BrynleeJean:
5-18 months. Really 9 babies one is my two year old sons ten children total. Me and one assistant is the ratio.
As a parent, I would not be comfortable with that many kids and only two caregivers.

Honestly, the highest ratio I think anyone should have with kids under 18 months is 1:4 and even that makes me nervous. Add in the fact that 2 of the kids will be your own and I'd be even less comfortable.

Sorry...nothing against you at all...you could be NannyDe and/or Cat Herder and I'd be uncomfortable with that many of that age all under the care/supervision of only 2 adults.

You could probably meet their basic needs without issues... it's the other stuff I'd worry about.
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storybookending 07:37 AM 03-06-2018
When I first transitioned to home care I thought the babies would be my favorite and it’s possible they still would be if I only took infants. In my state that would be limiting to only 4 children and that doesn’t financially make sense to me personally. I think if all of your children were younger it would be easier than having that many children of a mixed age group but even with an assistant I still wouldn’t do it. I have come to find that while one on one I would always choose an infant that in a mixed age group I much more enjoy the more self sufficient +2 crowd. I can see myself one day only enrolling older children and only taking infants of already enrolled families but for now we make it work. I like just being able to pack up the kids and head to the park unplanned and stay as long as we like which isn’t an option when I have anyone under the age of 1. Now this is just me personally.

As for how parents would feel I think it would depend on each family individually. Some look to home care for more one on one time between their child and the provider that they wouldn’t get in a center. I wouldn’t be okay with it but I am anti center having worked in one and while it is technically in home it will have a center vibe with that many that young. If there is such a demand for infant care in your area they might not care as much as they can’t afford to be picky. I would suggest staggering their start times to be sure it is what you really want.
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storybookending 07:46 AM 03-06-2018
Also just wanted to add that your son would be seriously left out on most occasions as both you and your assistant would be busy with infants all day. It could cause jealously/behavioral issues and feelings of being left out and resentment towards daycare the older he gets.
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HappyEverAfter 07:58 AM 03-06-2018
Honestly that seems like a lot. I had 4 under 13mths when I started and while I have successfully cared for them, I wouldn’t do it again. It’s a lot to handle, especially if you get a super fussy one, which I did. I don’t have an assistant so what I had would feel similar to what you’ll have with an assistant. There were days when I literally was in tears after the last one left because I was so mentally and physically drained. For me, the hardest part was having some mobile when others weren’t, as well as when their feeding times all happened to fall at the same time and each child required my help to be fed. It might be easier to manage if you took up to age 2 and kept half the kids 1 and under and the other half 1 and over. I noticed a significant ease of stress as my older two age. They require much less one on one attention than my younger two and can now both mostly feed themselves which leaves my hands free to feed the younger ones. Only one of my parents ever expressed concern during the initial interview that I might be taking on too much with such a young group but she quickly changed her mind and there has never been a problem. I will say that having so many littles so young has made me feel a little burnout when it comes to infants.
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mommyneedsadayoff 08:19 AM 03-06-2018
Originally Posted by BrynleeJean:
For my area and the needs in the area I was gonna o do a babies or under 18 month only, with an assistant. And it occurred to me that parents may thing 10 in one house may be too much. Though it’s legal of course, 2 Will be mine a toddler and infant and 8 paid and so it would be like a 1:5 ratio because of the assistant.
It’s just such a high demand in the area but people see home daycares as a low ratio I feel in my experience.
What do y’all think?
My sweet spot is 5 kids, and I would prefer 5 infants, but my state won't allow it. That being said, me caring for 5 babies is a lot different when you add in another adult and five more babies. I know your own child is 2, but that is an age that requires just as much, if not more attention, so I would really sit down and think about whether, your toddler can handle that many babies in their home.

I think it sounds like a lot, but it really would depend on how great your assistant is...and they would have to be exceptional, so I hope you pay well! Lol
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Blackcat31 08:26 AM 03-06-2018
Originally Posted by mommyneedsadayoff:
. I know your own child is 2, but that is an age that requires just as much, if not more attention, so I would really sit down and think about whether, your toddler can handle that many babies in their home.
She also has an infant of her own.
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BrynleeJean 08:42 AM 03-06-2018
I appreciate all the honesty.

okay then heres my dilemma
i live in a small town where the neighborhoods are growing super fast, and last time i had my daycare up and running i preferred over 18 months of course cuz who doesn't for ratio reason, to do it myself, not have an assistant and i like to teach preschool BUT i found the home daycare community didnt value the effort i put into the preschool teaching i was doing and i got 9/10 calls for babies, maybe more.
it could be my area. There are two other daycares in my small town and neither take infants under 6 months, one doesn't take infant until they walk so there is a business for it.
and the assistant thing is because i really just didnt like working alone in the end.
the ratios here, centers and home, is like 1:2 2:4
it always gets bigger when you add a teacher if that makes sense that was just an example of course. the infant one is
1:4 2:10
it make more sense to me being in daycare for years i know its easier to stick to one age group. infants aren't my FIRST choice but they are easy enough. its more the PR outlook i was looking for.
if i try all preschool I'm afraid it won't get off the ground, i struggled around 5-6 last time, and if i took an infant or two we seemed to have to be at the mercy of the infants schedule if it was a nice day but infant was sleeping we couldn't go on that nice walk to the park or whatever.
I think offering preschool age parents expect LOW LOW price as well because they don't see a home daycare as a learning facility as much as the other places around here, and the schools do free head start here too so thats a bummer so its not a lot to pay an assistant even if i lucked out and got a lot of Prek, but infant i felt like home daycare is where its at, and was planning on offering diapers, wipes and bottle washing which is more than others around and at a $20 a week cheaper rate but your right the same ratios as the centers so its like.... ehhhh.... dilemma..
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happymom 09:04 AM 03-06-2018
I am a parent and I think 1:4 ratio for babies is acceptable but 1:5 would be a stretch. I would not enroll my babies in a place with more than 8 babies.

I would also not be super excited to enroll at a place that seems temporary. 5-18 months is just over a year --- and then the parent has to look for different care?

Maybe you build your group as babies so you have a core group of kids close in age. Is there a reason you aren't taking babies younger than 5 months?
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BrynleeJean 09:17 AM 03-06-2018
Oh my bad, i meant 5 WEEKS-18 months
or earlier guess but most moms stay home for the first few weeks and id prefer not to keep them after they walk because thats a whole other developmental group but i think I'm going to keep the window open because most home daycare usually around here at least only have stops available for over 18 months. we may end up splitting throughout the day, one teacher with the infants, 1:4 babies and one with the walkers over one 1:5 , and my son when he is there and not at grandmas. WAS my plan anyways.
a lot to think about
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Country Kids 09:25 AM 03-06-2018
Originally Posted by BrynleeJean:
Oh my bad, i meant 5 WEEKS-18 months
or earlier guess but most moms stay home for the first few weeks and id prefer not to keep them after they walk because thats a whole other developmental group but i think I'm going to keep the window open because most home daycare usually around here at least only have stops available for over 18 months. we may end up splitting throughout the day, one teacher with the infants, 1:4 babies and one with the walkers over one 1:5 , and my son when he is there and not at grandmas. WAS my plan anyways.
a lot to think about
Make sure about the 5 weeks with your license. We aren't allowed any children under the age of 6 weeks in care. I know it's only a week but when it comes to licensing you don't want to get in trouble for that week.
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BrynleeJean 09:30 AM 03-06-2018
I'm sure, I've done this before. I'm closed now and will reopen in august or so but here its from birth. I've never seen that happen but yea.
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happymom 09:34 AM 03-06-2018
Wonderful, I was going to suggest taking newborns at least.

It sounds like it could be a wonderful program, perhaps even continue with the kids until they are 2 so it's not such a short relationship.

The daycare my kids go to has an "infant" room and a "ones" room, they are combined when ratios are low enough, but the ratios are the same for both groups per licensing.

They required kids to be napping on a 1 nap per day schedule, walking, and off bottles to move to the "ones" class (for some kids this was 14-15 months), and rates went down by about $5 per week when they moved.

A few times I was in there I could see that the providers were extremely overwhelmed even under the 1:4 radio. One staff member was taking care of 3 crying babies at one time, but that was definitely not the norm.
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happymom 09:36 AM 03-06-2018
Originally Posted by BrynleeJean:
I'm sure, I've done this before. I'm closed now and will reopen in august or so but here its from birth. I've never seen that happen but yea.
Our daycare advertises 6 weeks, but they can take kids from birth, they just have to let the licensing know (my son came at 5 weeks).
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LostMyMarbles 09:37 AM 03-06-2018
I would say yes too many babies. There is no way that you could give the much-needed attention to all of those babies when there's just going to be two of you. I personally would not leave my baby in a daycare they had that many infants.
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CityGarden 09:53 AM 03-06-2018
I personally feel the 4 to 1 ratio my state allows with a max of 4 under two is ideal for that age so yes I think what you are presenting in the first post is too many.

Most providers I know who do infant only charge significantly more to make up for the low ratios. That said what it seems like you want to do - 10 kids with an assistant would be better suited as a mixed age 0-5 home day care or a toddler/preschool program.

I run a home based preschool and I love it!!! I do not charge less than preschools in my area but I do take them at 2 and do not require they be potty trained. I also offer better parent communication and tons of documentation of what their child does in their days here. It does take longer to fill spots...... where if I did an infant program I would already be full with a wait list.

Does your state allow you to have that many children under 2 years old?

How many children do you need to have enrolled in order to afford the assistant?

How many children can you have on site alone IF the assistant is sick, etc.? I worry about being out of licensing ratios with assistants based on past threads on here.... what would your back up be?

Can you really handle 8 infants all crying at the same time? (Even with an assistant that would drive me crazy)

What sort of care can you offer 5 infants at once? Will you be baby wearing, allowing them to eat/sleep/diaper on the babies schedule or on your schedule? etc.

My child started walking confidently at 9 months but you say you don't want children walking, wwyd with an early walker, kick them out?

I am not looking for answers to these questions they are just questions I would ask yourself while you are in the planning stages. In my area people want very low ratios for infants and I like one of one care for infants so I would certainly not enroll my child somewhere with more than 4 infants present.
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BrynleeJean 10:27 AM 03-06-2018
Exactly! exactly why i was asking. every center around here is 2:10. the last center i worked at just 5 milked from my house has 2 rooms for infants under one year of age with 2:10 ratios in each because infants in such high demand, a lot of babies were PT though, like two days a week or whatever.
i thought of all these questions and know that the ratio is normal for the area but it just kinda occurred to me that like the issue i had with people thinking that i must be different because I'm a home and not a center, underestimating my learning program and thinking I'm more of a "babysitter"
i thought this may be another stereotype i guess that parents expect more of a 1:1 wit infants in a home daycare and wanted to find out before i opened this time full speed with the expectations of running looking for clientele that centers get i guess? if I'm making sense?
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daycarediva 10:33 AM 03-06-2018
What if you split the ages up with your assistant?

0-18 months in an 'infant' room (1:4 ratio) and toddlers 2-4 in the 'preschool area' with a 1:6 ratio.

Not sure of your state regs, but that would be ideal for me as a parent. Long term, but lower ratio.

If infant care is in THAT high of a demand, you can always charge more for under 18/2years. I charge a premium for 12-24 months.
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Country Kids 10:38 AM 03-06-2018
Also when you have an assistant you have to make sure you do all the deductions required and follow the laws of having employees.

Do you want one full time assistant because you might end up having to pay over time. Would two part time assistants work better.

How will ratio's work if your assistant is off the clock for breaks and lunch.

Also, what would you do in the instance your assistant can't come in for some reason?
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ColorfulSunburst 10:51 AM 03-06-2018
Here in NY we MUST HAVE 1 caregiver for each 2 infants (kids under 2yo). So if I want to have 10 infants I must have FIVE caregivers.
What state are you from?

I have 5 infants now (1 - 5mo, 1-7mo, 3- 18mo), 7 toddlers, and 3 assistants.
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ColorfulSunburst 10:54 AM 03-06-2018
Originally Posted by BrynleeJean:
Exactly! exactly why i was asking. every center around here is 2:10. the last center i worked at just 5 milked from my house has 2 rooms for infants under one year of age with 2:10 ratios in each...
by your state regulation the ratio in centers and ratio in home day cares can be different.
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Annalee 10:56 AM 03-06-2018
Wow, even if it was legal here (and it's not), I would NOT want to be responsible for that many babies.
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Country Kids 11:05 AM 03-06-2018
Have you checked to see if you can have that many infants in a home childcare.

I'm thinking you would have to have so much space per infant. With cribs, high chairs, tummy time area, toys, you may not be able to have so many at one time.

Will you have just a room to have for sleeping where all the cribs will be? Will you have room for multiple high chairs? Will there be a designated space for tummy time area? How will you handle outside time with so many little's? Might look at investing in one of those huge strollers!

Just trying to ask questions that you may not have thought of. Sometimes what others have asked, I have never thought of!
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ColorfulSunburst 11:21 AM 03-06-2018
oh, yes!
Ten infants it means ten cribs, 10 rocking chairs (http://www.sears.com/fisher-price-in...FZCYyAodOYEJLg )

when kids get bigger you will need walkers ...
all of this take A LOT of space.
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Cat Herder 11:42 AM 03-06-2018
I see it is legal at 2 providers to 10 infants (under 18 months) with a minimum of 30 square feet of indoor useable activity space (minus furnishings) and 80 square feet of outdoor activity space (minus equipment) for each child using the outdoor area at one time.

My personal opinion, which was asked for here, is that 10/2 infants defeats the purpose of family childcare. I also would not choose a provider who is caring for their own child during daycare hours. Professionally I see this arrangement as a high risk for burnout and parental conflict.

Luckily everyone has different viewpoints and will choose care that works for them. If you have already done this before then you know your limitations, your staff and your market.
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BrynleeJean 12:21 PM 03-06-2018
Yes. I know my ratios. when I ran my home daycare it did it well, no write ups, licensor loved me, I just got lonely and post partum stuff.
So the two PT employees I’ll be hiring to safeguard myself this time will cost 3 infants a week or 4 over 18 months. Though I’d probably charge less at potty trained and potty train in the home like I did last time round. I have one room that has the 30 sqft per child for 13 kids not including cribs but they don’t need a crib when they walk. And I have 90 sqft per in the back and don’t have a bunch of play toys, just balls and stuff my licensor always discouraged it.
I liked the idea of maybe doing one person with hood Ren under 18 months and one with those over.
The infants don’t burn me out it was the loneliness but I can see now where others (like parents) would be overwhelmed walking in to it with only babies
There’s pros and cons of the split age. The olders will disturb the peace of the youngers, I can’t “specialize” and will have to invest more in a wider variety of toys and activities and curriculums, pros are of have a client longer, cons they the olders need to be fed and nobody gets attention when I’m in the kitchen 4 times a day making meals and doing food program and doing dishes and wiping tables and sweeping floors. Pros I DO love that preschool age, the teaching part of it, seeing them absorb information like sponges cons the parents may be just as unwilling being that their infant is in a home with germy sniffly sickly two-three year olds screaming, throwing fits doing the toddler thing.
Y’all are still giving me a lot to think about I appreciate it!!
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jenboo 12:23 PM 03-06-2018
In my state, the ratios allow a home daycare to have 10 kids under 24 months with two adults.

I ran an infant toddler daycare with my husband with 10 kids under 24 months and it was fine. There is a huge need in my area and i was able to charge a lot.

The key is having a rock solid routine and strict policies for the parents.
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BrynleeJean 12:27 PM 03-06-2018
Plus because my emps are going to cost 3 infants or 4 potty trained and legally I can be legally Unlincensed or ‘listed’ for 3 besides my own (that’s 5 total) it kinda has to be worth it financially to have the license, I have to be able to afford the license and employees so when I say 2:10 0-18 months Or kids over that or whatever , 2 are mine unpaid, 3-4 are payin the employees.
It’s not real lucrative that’s only maybe 5 paid.
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BrynleeJean 12:28 PM 03-06-2018
Originally Posted by jenboo:
In my state, the ratios allow a home daycare to have 10 kids under 24 months with two adults.

I ran an infant toddler daycare with my husband with 10 kids under 24 months and it was fine. There is a huge need in my area and i was able to charge a lot.

The key is having a rock solid routine and strict policies for the parents.
What did your parents think when signing up and you told them how many you had in care? And how did you set up your house or care area?
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amberrose3dg 03:35 AM 03-07-2018
Originally Posted by BrynleeJean:
What did your parents think when signing up and you told them how many you had in care? And how did you set up your house or care area?
10 littles under 2 i could not do. However my daycare now consists of mostly under 3 now.
Licensed for 12 with an assistant. We are allowed 4 infants.
We have two one year olds, a 4 month old and an 8 month old.

Then we have 6 toddlers all mostly 2 turning 3 soon. One 4 year old that is part time.
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Tags:too many infants, too many kids
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