A bit anxious at this point as i am opening offically monday morning. For now the only extra kid is my little almost two year old niece so at least it will be a gradual experience. Just worried im gonna break her or something... maybe thats just coming from her grandma who seems more concerned for her well being then she should be. If nothing else being in my home is far better then the big center she has been in. Have to make sure i get all the paperwork taken care of and get her enrolled now. Hopefully i dont miss something important. Prayers and wishes appreciated... and tips and helps and encouragments and all that stuff is good too

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You are going to do great. You already know and love her.

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Good luck! Watching other people's children is an adjustment but so very rewarding. Just take it slow and remember that the most important things are fun play, yummy food, good naps, plenty of stories, and cozy cuddles. Everything else is just icing.

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You're going to be fine. I remember when I first started I just kept in mind what I would want for my own children in daycare, and did that. So far it's worked for nearly 20 years .

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I am prepared as well, but sometimes don't feel like I am. My first kids start in January sometime. I have two more who I will meet with Thursday and they might start in January too! I feel like I went from having 0-2 possibly-4 all in a week! I don't have any kids of my own so having 0-4 kids within a few weeks will be different!

I just tell myself: Get some sleep.
Be organized with my papers.
Be down to earth so parents know I'm new to my own daycare daily routine/setup.
Be happy and go with the flow.

I have daily routines, but all the kids are too young for preschool activities so it will be a slow and gradual few weeks to build a good routine that works for us. I have menu's planned, but I still need to go buy all the food and prepare it and make sure I have everything I need to cook and store it too! I hope we're both blesses with great beginnings to our careers!

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You both will do great! One thing, childcare: Just don't let the parents know you're new to daycare TOO much, or they will begin thinking they can tell you what to do (after all, she's new and doesn't know as much), and will also start taking advantage, expecting you to waive policies for them, not follow policies, etc. Sometimes when a people know someone is new to something or seem even a little low on confidence, they don't have as much respect for them and really think they can walk all over them. You have to let them know that you do know what you're doing and you are a professional business and all policies apply, etc.

I think the most important thing to remember is if you let parents by with something just ONE time, they will think that rule/policy, is no longer in effect. STAND UP FOR YOURSELF and your business. Don't let anyone imtimidate you into doing them special favors, or waiving policies. If you don't want it to be an all the time thing, don't allow it even once. I can't tell you how many times problems would have been SO much easier if something had not been allowed that first time here. Just as soon as something is allowed to "slide" just once, it happens again and again. And then since that's "okay" to do, maybe they don't have to follow x policy either... and before you know it, they're disregarding all the policies and have no respect for you. Of course you can make exceptions on certain policies for certain families, when needed, once you know them well enough to be sure they wouldn't expect it the second time. But in the mean time, DON'T allow anything. They will actually respect you more for it and most will end up liking a person better for it. Trust me! Others might get mad because they're so used to having the rules "waived" for them and won't know what to do when they find someone that won't let them. There's a small chance that you might even lose their enrollment, but in the long run it will be WELL worth it and will more than make up for any lost income. It is hard to stand up for yourself to certain parents, but have confidence and do it anyway!

Oh yeah, and don't forget to have fun and enjoy your new children!

Okay, I'm done preaching. by the way, this advice applies to the children, also. Consistency is the key. If it's not okay one time, it shouldn't be okay another time, but then you know all that! It's funny how much adults are like children... I know we as providers are no different, either. It's human nature. If the library let me by a few times with overdue books, I would soon be forgetting the actual day they're due and just bring them in when I'm ready. But they add a fine to it and I don't think anything of having to have them there on the due date. It doesn't make me mad at the librarian when I get a fine either. I get mad at myself for letting myself forget.

Oh yeah, I'm supposed to be done preaching

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Good luck to both of you! You're gonna do great!

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