Has anyone every seen home daycares that just looks so perfect. I saw one that looked like a real daycare inside and they practically had a school playground in the backyard. Now i feel like my daycare is going to look like crap. Especially after looking at most of yours on the decor page.

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Everyone has different criteria for the daycare they are looking for. Some want a home and family feel of a home and mom. Others want a daycare that feels more like a center or institution. And others want inbetween. :-) Don't be hard on yourself! Make the best of the space yiuve got and it will work out.

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Thanks i just wish we had basements in the state that i live in so i can have more space to work with.

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I have seen them and think that they are beautiful. That is not what mine looks like. My daycare is in my family room. There are toys and you can tell it is the main play area, but we also use it as our family room. My house is kid friendly and you can tell I run a daycare, but it in no way looks like a preschool or classroom. We have an outside play area, but it does not look like a playground. All parents are looking for something different. Some want a school type feel. Some want a home. There is nothing wrong with either, it is just different approaches and people working with what they have. I advertise my daycare as a "home away from home". I have a home type feel and treat them like family members. That is what some people are looking for and others are probably turned away by that. My theory is just do what is best for you and your family and don't worry about what someone else is doing.

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Mine does not look perfect but it does not look like anyone lives here!

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Okay I am going to comment on my post. What I mean is that my house is totally daycare. It does not look perfect it looks like a daycare.

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OK, here are some pictures to make you feel better. This is my house at the end of today. It was a chaotic friday!


Kitchen table

my dishes didn't get done

playroom

playroom
feel better now??

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I kind of feel like that sometimes too, but i then remember that 1. I cant afford all that and 2. when I take pics of my school, it is immaculate and does not alway look that way and Im sure theirs doesnt either!

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yes that does make me feel better

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Oh and I didn't mention the twins threw all of their lunch across the floor and I had a cup of spilt milk at snack time. My floor is so sticky!!!

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My daycare is finally what I have always wanted it to be but it took 10 years and a lot of money to get here. In my area daycare is competitive and people are willing to spend money and the majority prefer centers. I wanted to change my closing time to 3:30 pm and only take children between 15 months and 5 years (preferably 16 months-3 years). This limited my clientele base so I had to make my daycare nice enough that centers would be competing with me instead of the other way around.
I also saw that parents here weren't as happy with "we do preschool activities" anymore and they wanted to see their children in a setting that looks like a school even if the child was only a year old.
With universal preschool and government regulations I don't think the "grandma that has been watching children for 30 years daycare" or the stay at home mom who just wants to do this for a year or 2 daycare" will be around much longer.
It also helps me to feel like I go to work every day (it's in my basement) and I like that clients never come through my house because the entrance to the daycare is at the top of the stairs. I don't think I would have lasted much longer if I would've kept letting daycare take over my home, but that's just me and everyone is different.

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Mine does not look like a school at all, it looks like a nice home that is very kid friendly and the families I work with like that. They don't want a school look, they want the home away from home experience. That said I make myself competitive by offering a program that isn't like the other home or institutional preschools in my area.

The best thing you can do is find your strengths, what sets you apart from the other schools/daycares and then capitalize on that.

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exactly this

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exactly! What are people looking for in your area? I would say the one thing that is paramount to me is cleanliness. Toys on the floor is fine because it should look like children have fun but fingerprints all over the walls and stains in the carpet looks make me think the children run the place.

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Ouch, snap. Time to hire that housecleaner we were talking about!

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In my areas some look like preschools and some don't. i guess i have to figure out which one will work for me.

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aww snap indeed Really though I'm sure it's not that bad. Please tell me you know the places I'm talking about...they smell bad, a layer of grime covers everything, all of the toys are on their last leg and the children get sick all of the time. I've seen quite a few in my area and am so shocked that people leave their children. I don't mean to sound like a big ol' brat but even when I was renting a tiny duplex and was dirt poor I made sure my daycare was welcoming, bright and clean.

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Yes! Are you in this for the long haul? You said you don't have a designated space so do you want your living space to look like a daycare (toys, learning posters, children's artwork) or would you rather it look like your home with the daycare items "hidden" after hours? I've seen great examples of both. I LOVE nothingwithoutjoy's space (in decor group) and it is so completely opposite of my setup. It has a very natural "at home" vibe. You can hardly tell it's a daycare but you can see the children would have a ton to do. I want to visit there.
I also love entropycontrolspecialist and spud 912's spaces among others. They are open, full of natural light and have designated centers.
The single most important thing is that you be happy with your space. You're the one that will have to be in it day in and out.
I don't think anyone can create the perfect space before they open, it's all trial and error.

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lol, so my kitchen every day!

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So true, it's all trial and error!

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Mine is in between. I have my living room as a designated childcare space and it sort of looks like a preschool (not completely), but the rest of my house is, well, my house and looks homey. I tried to put pics up in the decor group, but it keeps telling me that I can't. Nanglgrl said it best, it's trial and error! I personally run my daycare using play based curriculum, but I also do some teacher directed curriculum based on the needs of the children. I take ages 6 weeks to five years old and we do have a weekly theme and the activities are tailored to each age so everyone can participate. My circle time consists of talking/doing activities from the weekly theme, singing songs,reading books, but that's the extent of it. Parents who call seem to be impressed with that and I just opened at the end of Jan. and only have one spot left, so I must be doing something right! Oh and my playground is just bordered by cheap, but sturdy landscape lumber and filled with wood chips. I have a wooden swing set, 2 toddler slides, a sandbox, and a couple of riding toys and that's it for now. Parents seem to like it though. ( I keep telling them at interviews that I am going to get more outdoor toys, but they seem to be satisfied with what is out there) And remember, like others have said, it make take years to build your space up to what you want. My advice is to make your space, whatever it may be, look inviting to the parents and kids. Heck, most of my toys and materials were found at garage sales and on clearance! I just make sure they are in good condition. And like pp's have said, parents will either prefer a preschool setting or a home like setting. It is possible to make it both ways (I feel I have). Make it what you want and families will find you! Good luck! Sorry this is so long!

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In order for me to get clients where I am (a specific age range as well), I had to spend the money upfront. To me, spending around $5000ish to start a business wasn't a bad deal. It was worth it to me and I added on from there.

My friend in the next community over runs a different type of daycare program that doesn't consume her entire downstairs. She actually lives in the areas she also uses to work and it looks great as well! We have different clients who want different things.

As long as your environment is safe, clean, and inviting then I don't think you'll have any issues!

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The provider I used to work for one of her ex husbands worked in construction and he built/ added on almost like an appartment for her daycare that was attached to her house (since it has its own kitchen and bathroom with a tub she could leagally rent out that entire area as a one bedroom attached appartment if she wanted to) and she already had a 4 bedroom house to begin with and since she lives alone (her kids are grown up) she uses all the room exept hers as daycare space but other than the bedrooms and the daycare addition area you would never be able to tell that she runs a daycare in her house- her living rooms and dining rooms look like an average home. I have never seen anything like it before. I hope one day I will be able to have a house like hers. Below is a sketch of the floor plan; all of the light green rooms in the back of the house are part of the addition.

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Other than the safe and clean elements, I prefer clients to choose me for me and the quality of services I offer.

If someone chose to pass me by due to the fact that my child care home is older or not state of the art, then I honestly wouldn't want them as clients.

If they value the cosmetics verses the substance.....then I assume the issues they will have are not things I would ever want to deal with.

Pass.

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This is absolutely true too. I've learned that the people that are looking for something I don't offer aren't the ones I want to work with anyway. It was hard for me to accept that in the beginning because I wanted to attract clients simply because I needed income. That is important yes, but ultimately you want to work with someone who wants to work with you and those are the clients you have long term.

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I agree! My carpet is clean but stained. I try to cover up the spots that were NOT created by the daycare kids. I can't afford to buy new carpet so for now I am stuck. I have never had anyone turn me down based on my carpet stains. In fact I can only think of one person in 5 years who did not enroll after visiting here.....(it was the mom who told me her husbands sperm count).....I would not have enrolled them any way!

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Exactly. I live in an older 6 bedroom home. It looks nice, but it looks like a HOME that has multiple children living in it. I do not have "centers"," but I do have creative children that make their own. I have had kids rearrange the kitchen and doll stuff into the living room and make themselves a home with babies,etc, and one of them goes to "work" (complete with doctor outfit) in the other rooms. Pretty cute.

Yesterday, they had blankets strewn across the living room floor for the "ocean" and pillows for a bridge. Just like my older kids did when they lived here.

I did have a lady come through and tell me it didn't "look" like a daycare, yet she was asking for a place to drop her child one day a week where he could play with other kids, and did NOT want me to teach him preschool stuff as that was "her job." Um, WHAT??!

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I have looked at some of those "perfect" dc pictures also but I always wonder how they do it. Maybe they don't have mixed ages like I do but when I see things like an art center that is available to the kids all the time I know I could never have that. Or the awesome shelves with the books all displayed. I have board books down for the kids to help themselves but the others I have to get down because the little kids ruin them. Those perfect rooms just seem out of touch with reality!

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I can tell you one thing for sure. Out of the half dozen-ish daycares I remember going to as a kid, not a single one had anything on any of you. I have good memories of maybe 1, decent memories of a couple, and the rest...

That's why I do what I do.

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My art supplies are open for the children to use but I only have children ages 2.5 to 5 and the 2.5-year-old is an exception. I provide care for ages 3-5. If one wants to do something, they all want to do it so we tend to do art as a group (although, sometimes one will want to continue playing so we may not have the entire group).

I keep hard cover books and board books available for the children at all times. There are a ton (in the hundreds...). Softcover books are in thematic unit boxes that I read to them since those tend to get really crazy looking if I put them out.

I love organization and keep my place of business organized and clean. The children have center time and it can get "messy" looking if you were to walk in then with toys on the floor (although they typically do a great job of putting things back), but that's about as crazy looking as it gets beyond the normal art time mess at their designated small tables.

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My art supplies are open too. My kids make choices all throughout the day and all centers are open most of the day. I teach them to get out what they want and then put away when they are done. It's hard in August when I get a new crop of kids but this time of year it is marvelous with very well trained kiddos. I am all about self help skills. I also only take 3-5 year olds with an occassional 2.5 year old in the summer when enrollment is low.

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Do you have rules for your art supply area? I'd love some guidance there. I've tried to keep ours open, but paper goes everywhere, markers don't get lids, etc. My biggest pet peeve is when a kid gets a stack of paper and marks on one, then moves on to the next one. I don't get the appeal, lol!

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What are your ages of kids?
Mine will lose the privilege of using any center they abuse. I am very strict about this.

I give each child a pencil pouch with markers. They each get the package of 8. They learn to count to 8 quickly, making sure they have all their markers! LOL If they lose a marker, they don't get a replacement for at least a week.

If they don't put lids back on the playdough....the playdough dries out and they don't get replacements. I show them how to put the lid on tight my turning it upside down and pushing the lid on that way.

I have small carpets on my floor. When they get out an activity they may bring it to a carpet square (rectangle) or a table. It is their job to clean it up afterwards. Other kids will remind them if they don't do this!

They know what paper is for coloring (typing paper) and what is for cutting (construction).....if they abuse this, they lose their privilige.

Hope this helps! It works wonders for me! They rarely lose their priviliges because I am consistent and they know what I expect.

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Yes !!! We recently moved the daycare to a seperate house, and while it is a seperate house for daycare only - it is no where near as nice as our personal home (affording two homes like our personal home is out of the question financially). So we worried because it wasn't nearly as nice... But then again we do have a seperate house for the daycare - so that says something too - right ?

I am still a little self-conscious, because I feel like the of our personal house was a selling point for the daycare before. But our current clients come to us for us, and the care their children receive - and are happy that we can have our house back. And new clients haven't seemed to mind that the house is a little shabby from the outside... I actually asked my best friend who is a DCM and she said "yes, the outside is a little shabby - but the inside is fun, adorable, and clean and that's definitely what I care about".

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My children are currently 23 months-2 1/2 years but I've had them as young as 15 months. My space works wonderfully for them.

Each of my children have their own art box that has crayons, scissors and colored pencils. If they are older I add markers. Their art boxes are labeled with their names and all of my 2 year olds can recognize which one is theirs and go get it off the shelf. I like this because now there is no fighting over a certain shade of a color because they each have their own. If we paint or do other messy activities we do it as a group and I get those supplies out of the cupboard.

I keep all of the board books out and have a few soft cover books in the reading area that I rotate.

I also love things to be organized and clean. Things run very smooth and it never takes long to pick up or find an item we need for an experiment or craft.

My place does get a little messy during center time. There is usually some sand on the floor from the sand and water table, some blocks amiss, a few books behind the book shelf and play food, costumes and doll clothes spread about but for the most part they put stuff away before moving on to the next activity and tend to at least try to put things back where they go.

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I would say that my space is part of the quality services I offer along with nutritional food, learning activities and of course me. None of my clients value cosmetics more than substance (at least in this situation) but most are college professors, graduates or teaching students (we live very close to UNI) so they know how the environment and equipment impacts learning.

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I guess I worded it wrong and should have said dirty carpet instead of stained. Stains happen with art activities and such but when you walk across the carpet and your white socks get dirty that's just gross. I visited a place like that. My socks were disgusting afterwards and the whole time I was there a baby was crawling all over it. Blech!

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Exactly! I have a 19 mo and a 7 year old (mine) and he loves to cut! He would go through a ream of paper in 2 days!

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The reason I can do this is because I only take 3-5 year olds. I get them out of dumping stage as fast as I can. I just stay on top of them to make sure they clean up. Now if I had 2 and unders? Forget it!

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My home is only about 1400 square feet and all one level. We have 3 bedrooms, the master and our kids' rooms, that are all off limits to the daycare. Our living room has been converted over to a giant preschool room, complete with bulletin boards on the walls. We do leave a sectional sofa in there and a tv, for our kids to be able to hang out in the "living room" at night or on the weekends. The daycare kids also have free reign of our kitchen and the main bathroom. We use our good wooden dining table for all of our arts, crafts, meals, group activities, etc. Yes, I do wish we had a bigger house but maybe in due time. We started off having more of a traditional living room with just a few toys. We live right in the middle of the city and our competition is the local centers so after several tours didn't sign up, we slowly switched things over to look more like an actual preschool. I think it just depends on where you live though. I had a daycare out in the country that looked like a regular house with just one bedroom made into a playroom and I was quite successful. Now that I'm in the middle of town I have had to look more professional to be successful. Good luck!

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