I was thinking it might be interesting to share our age, how long we have been doing home daycare, if our own children are a part of our home childcare, and any other interesting info like why we started doing home childcare.

I am 30 years old.
I have been a home daycare provider for 2 years. (Center based before that for 10 years)
I have 2 daughters (4 and 2 yrs. old) who are also a part of my program.
I have been married for 11 years. We are a Military Family.
I started my business after we bought our first home. I wanted to provide a quality preschool/daycare in a small setting offering parents a more personal childcare experience than centers can offer. I also wanted to stay home to be with my own children.

Fun Fact: My husband and I went to trucking school before we had children and drove over-the-road for about a year. A wonderful learning experience and got to see th whole country (except the far northeast).

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I am 33 years old.
I have been a home daycare provider (For part time kids) for 1 year. I worked in a Center 13 years before my son was born.
I have 1 3 year old son.
I started my business so pick up some extra money while staying at home.

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I am 31 years old.
I have been a home daycare provider for 8 years.
I keep two full time little girls (both of them are sisters) for two years.
I have two daughters 9 and 7.
I was a stay at home mom after my daughter was born then I decided to start my business to keep me busy when my first daughter was 10 month old.

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I am 26 and have been watching children off and on for 10 years. We bought our first home 4 months ago and I am getting licened in the next month.I have three kids and I watch three other kids.

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I am not telling my age. , But I will say that I worked for a woodworking company for 21 years and I was the Quality/Safety Manager for 7 yr, then a dept supervisor for 3, then quit due to a jerk of a boss. I have had my daycare business for 10 1/2 years. I have 2 kids, soon to be 19 yr old daughter and a just turned 21 yr old son. Both are in college, daughter for nursing and son going into Physical Therapy Assistant. I go to college part time too, I am over half way done for an Associates Deagree. Next year, all three will be going to the same college, right now my daughter and I go to the same one.

Sorry for all the info.....I do get gabby.

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Hi!
I don't like my age, but there is not alot I can do about it- LOL!!!
I am 42 yrs. old---UGHHH!!!!!
I have been married to a wonderful man for almost 9 yrs.
I have 3 beautiful girls- one is 21(3 yrs. of college down, and a really great singer) , one is 7, and one is almost 2!!!!
I have been a nurse, and an EMT for 20 yrs.
I quit my job, to stay at home with my 7 yr. old
My daycare started up from there with a neighbor of mine as a fill in.

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I am 38 years old. My 18th anniversary is this Feb 13th. I have been a licensed childcare provider for 8 ys. I originally went to college to teach Spanish, but due to budget cuts etc there were no jobs in my area in the field, so I worked for years as the insurance/billing manager for a clinic, then bookeeper for a law firm.
I have a 17 yr old daughter and an 8 yr old son. I had some bad experiences with daycare for my daughter, so when my son was born 9-6-01 ( he was a twin and his brother died in utero) I was concerned about finding good care. The day I came home from the hospital was 9-11. Married to a soldier, I knew I was going to be on my own with the kids. I also knew they would need more from me than I could give them working full time, so I quit my job to open a daycare. I occasionally teach classes for other providers through my local resource and referral (on military deployment and separation issues), and teach self defense for women.

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Well you asked!
I will be 54 in a couple of weeks.
I started watching children when I was 9 years old.
'Babysat' in middle school.
High school ran a 'childcare center' out of my home weekends and evenings.
I was an in home provider at 17.
Opened my first home daycare @ 23.
Cub scout leader 4 years.
Girl scout leader 10 years. 5 as a Mackinac Island Honor Scout leader.
Took 7 years 'off' and nannied.
Opened this home daycare in 2004.
Grandma to 6yr, 3yr, and two 5mo olds (not twins).

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I am 37 years old & a mom to three boys (ages 8, 6 & 2). My husband & I have been married for 11 years. Prior to having children I worked in various jobs, I was a Proofreader/Editor for a large insurance company (loved that job, I have an English degree & my forte is getting out my red pen & making corrections, lol). When we decided we wanted to begin having kids I didn't want the full-time, work in the city with a long commute job so I worked many years part-time at a small local library. Great job (bad pay/bad hours)! So I did the SAHM thing for a few years before we decided this is not paying our bills & just getting us into debt. So last summer I decided I was interested in caring for a few kids in our home. This was mostly the idea b/c my older boys are both in school all day now & I would only have my two year old here to entertain. So far it has worked out well although I am still trying to figure some things out. This board is great & has been so helpful for me!

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I am 34.....I have four girls ages 12, 10, 6, and 4....my oldest girl doesn't like to participate in any daycare activities (unless we go on a trip) but they are all here for daycare.

I started doing informal daycare when my 2nd daughter was 10 months old which was 10 years ago. I did it on and off through those years with a couple of part time jobs inbetween.

Last year we were in need of a second income so I had to go get a full time job. My youngest daughter was 3 and she was in daycare and was so sad...she is very shy outside of the home and she wouldn't play...every day at pick up I looked through the window as I pulled up (daycare center) and she was just standing in the middle of the room watching everyone play with a sad face on, nobody paying any attention to her.

I knew I would rather run my own home daycare, all it would have took to make what I was bringing home after paying my daycare was one full time child. I got more busy as more people asked for me and because of finances I took them in....so I decided to get liscensed.

I just got my licenced in Sept. 2009.....I LOVE the benifit of being here at home to do crafts/activities with my kids and providing the same for other kids....but sometimes I do find it overwhelming, I can't lie. I guess it's the two families with difficult kids that have made it that way...the othe kiddos are just wonderful!

I guess there is fault in any job, and I would still much rather have this job than being away from my family, but the income is so unstable for me...I'm in a small town where income is low and nobody seems to want to pay.

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My name is Heather
I just turned 30 last week
I have a 7 year old boy that tries to be very helpful with the daycare children! I also have my 8 year old niece that also lives with me the majority of the time.
I have been doing registered childcare for 3 years and just received my license last week so that I can have more children.
Before doing child care I was a social worker for addicts at the County. My son was due to go to Kindergarten and my mother, who watched my son, decided to move out of town. I was devastated at the thought of my son being with strangers for such long hours. My mother was a provider growing up so on a whim (that thankfully worked out!) I decided to put in my two weeks notice and a ad in the paper on the same day!

I love being home with my son sharing these precious years I will always remember but never get again. I do miss counseling though. I always thought I would go back when my son was old enough, but now I can't imagine ever having a boss again!

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I am 35 years old.
Married for 5 years.
Two children (Boy 3y, girl 17m) and one stepdaughter (15y)
I love children and have been taking care of them off and on for 12 years.
I got licensed, quit my full-time job that I hated, and opened my daycare in Sept 2009. I wanted to do this back in 2006 when my son was born but I let my hubby talk me out of it. After my daughter was born, I was desperate to be home with my children. They were growing up way too fast and we can't get these precious years back! So...hubby had two choices: Either get another job so I can stay home with our kids OR get on board with my plan for a home daycare. It didn't take him long to decide

I must say that taking care of other people's children is a lot different than taking care of your own. I guess I was thinking in my head that it would be like having my own kids times 3. Not so. It's more like having my own kids times 5!

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I'm 48 years young (you all make me feel old)
My hubby and I have been married for 26 years.
We have 2 kids, a son who is 22-graduated college and is a senior programmer for a dot.com company, and a daughter who is 19 and going to OSU (go Bucks) majoring in Chinese/Mandarin and Psychology.
I've had my daycare for 22 years. I originally thought I'd just do daycare while my kids were little and then would get a "real job" when they started school. Well, here I am all these years later!
My college degrees are in Child Development and Nutrition Education.
I currently care for #7 children on my roster (only 6 at a time as per Ohio laws) between the ages of 7mo-9yrs. All of my clients are teachers, so I LOVE snow days and school holidays because I'm off too!!
This is a great thread!
Hugs
Pammie

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I just turned 37.
Married for 13 1/2 yrs,
Have 2 children. A 5 yr old daughter, almost 3 yr old son.
I had worked at a grocery store for about 3 years, while in high school
Then I went into the factory world. Was an assistant supervisor for a spell.
Once my daughter was born, I stayed home with her. I was going to back to work when she turned 2, but 2 months prior, bingo. Pregnant again.
I started childcare in March 2008. I've had the same (annoying at times) family. I watch 3 children including my own 2.

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*I am 36 years old
*Worked at the same center from the age of 17 to 35. Yes ALL my adult life!
*I worked my way up from being a part time caregiver to Assistant Director/Preschool Teacher.
*I finally left the center on Feb. 12.2009 for many personal reasons. However my love of children is always there.
*I am now a current nanny to a 2 year old boy, though mom is set to give birth to her second child in May.
*I have been married to my HS sweetheart for almost 3 years. I always tell him that our lives should be a prime time movie. We met when we were 14/16 years old and even though I moved out of state we never lost contact. He eventually married and had a son. I never married. Over the years we kept in just enough contact (with the once every few years phone call!) to finally make a go of it. His divorce became final in Jan 2006, he moved here in Feb 07 and then we were married in Sept 07.
*We have no children of our own. For medical reasons I can not give birth. We do however have our son who lives with his mother from my hubby's first marriage. We are still looking into adoption. It's a very hard process!
*This forum is my hourly site to check and I am proud to say that!!!

Mac, I am gabby too

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Good luck with your adoption. Our son is adopted. It's a wonderful gift. It is a long and hard process, but well worth it!

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Thank you Persephone!

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I am 35 (for a few more months anyway lol) and I have 4 boys ages 17, 12, 11, and 18 months. I used to be a workaholic and my older boys spent most of their early years in daycare. When we were surprised with baby #4, I decided for many reasons that I would not put him in daycare. I started keeping little ones early last year and I love it (well, most of the time ). We're in NC and snowed in at the moment, so I am passing the time by reading through these forums. So far, I have to say I've learned quite a bit!

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I am 32 years old, married for 14 years and have been doing daycare for nearly 8 years. We have a 13 year old son, and two daughters 11 and 8. They do their own thing usually during daycare times, although the girls try to be helpful with the younger ones. I started daycare when I couldn't find daycare when my youngest was itty bitty. I have been telling myself just one more year for the last 3 years now. I will probably do daycare until my youngest gets through high school.

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I am 23 years old I am single a mom to a little one who is almost 9 months been babysitting for years got my frist job at a daycare center 2008 then they closed in 2009 adopted my son in 2010 decided to become a stay at home mom now i am taking courses to open up my own family daycare.

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Im almost 39, 4 kids, been a provider since 1988. Still on my honeymoon though,.. even after all these years. =-)

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I'm 25 years old
I graduate from university a year ago with my Bachelor's in Early Childhood Development and Education (took me 5.5 years to get)
I have been doing home daycare since January of this year.
I've been married for 3.5 years
I have a 3 yo DD and one on the way (due end of May)
I love my job because I get to stay home with my dd instead of paying the ridiculous fee for daycare.

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I'm 23 and not yet a provider. I hope to have my license by January, I think all I have left is the home visit. Maybe they're waiting on background checks and referrals too. Anyways...
DBF and I have been together for about 5 years.
We have a 2.5 year old.
My mom did daycare when I was a child. After my son was born I thought it would be a good idea to do this, but we didn't have the space until we moved recently which is why we are just now getting this up and going.

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I am 33 years old.
I have been a home daycare provider for 5 years.
I have 2 daughters (6 and 7 yrs. old) who are in school full time.(part of the program when they were little)
I have been married for 12 years. (Married my high school sweetheart)
I started my business after I had my 2nd child. Always wanted to be a sahm and a preschool teacher so this was the perfect way to do both.

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I am 30 years old, 2 great kids (3 and 1), married for 6 yrs.

I have been doing daycare for a little bit over a year and waiting to get my license (should be done end of the month, yay!)

I was pregnant when I got unexpectedly laid off work and I decided to do daycare for the summer until I had the baby. I met an amazing family and the rest is history

Currently I have 10 families (most part time).

Fun Fact - I was one of the five moms that was chosen to participate in a documentary for Motrin after they were pulled off the shelves. I had my own camera crew follow me around for the day. My 15 minutes of fame

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I'm 37. I have 4 kids 10,7,4, 9 mo. I've been at home since 2005 after a 10 year banking career. I started homeschooling that fall. The day we started I found out I was pregnant with #3. After much financial crisis a friend found out she was preg at the same time as me. I knew I was going to take in her baby in August. I put feelers out and got a 1 1/2 year old girl in May. Then she had a coworker with a 3 yr old. The first since left but I still have the 3 year old who is a dream to keep with my girls. I regret the friend's baby. She never wants to pay etc. I want to term her but waiting to see what happens after the 1st of the year with the mom's job. I do love it. It is challenging to homeschool and have 2 babies but my husband is here some days to help. It is so nice to be here with my own kids so I'll stick with it.

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