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awestbrook713 05:29 AM 11-10-2011
So heres a question for all of you. Do you prefer the at home daycares you are running now or if you had the chance would you open a bigger center. I like working from home but feel held back because I see daycare setups and wish I had the space to do this. I live in a trailor and use my main rooms for daycare but its also my main living space so I don't have much room for big toys or different stations.

I just signed up for pinterest and am looking through the pictures and see all these setups and just would love to be able to do something like that.

Anyone else feel this way?
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2ndFamilyDC 06:02 AM 11-10-2011
I have never wanted to have my daycare anywhere but in my home. But I wish I had one level to use just for my daycare, giving me more room to set it up like I wish I could.
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AnneCordelia 06:10 AM 11-10-2011
I would never want to work anywhere but home. I love the family feel, I love the small ratios, I love how homey it is. I just wish I had more space too.
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awestbrook713 06:15 AM 11-10-2011
I guess what it all comes done to for me is wanting more space too. Unfortunately I will never have that. We plan on buying a bigger house this year or the next but it still won't have that much space that I could devote a room to daycare. Guess I will just work with what I have.
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Cat Herder 06:21 AM 11-10-2011
You could not MAKE me work in a center again. If I would not send my own child there, I don't feel comfortable working there.

Now, there are exceptions to every rule. There are some Classical Schools and Family run "centers" I would have given anything to have had access to for my kids as Pre-schoolers.

I am generally speaking of large Chain Type centers, from birth-12, with a new provider being whisked in and out, every few hours, as ratios go up and down.

The turnover is atrocious and the kids names have to be taped across their backs constantly. If they don't even know their names just IMAGINE what else they don't know about your child.

It is really difficult to start up a large center without buying a "Chain" type franchise. That is why I decided not to, at all.
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Christian Mother 06:21 AM 11-10-2011
Oh no. I love having my daycare in my home. Part of the reason I chose to be a home daycare was so I could also take care of my family while being at home. There is so much more benefit to being home then running a center. At least that is what I think. I do see a lot of diff. ways a home daycare has set up and I would love to have the room to do that. We are upside down in our house due to the economy and housing. If we ever where able to short sale our house I'd love to find a home that had dedicated space for a daycare. Maybe a down stairs basement converted into everything I'd need like a little kitchen and a full bathroom. One bedroom down there that can be used for the baby's to sleep in. That would be on my wish list. But what I have now works really well for me.
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awestbrook713 06:39 AM 11-10-2011
I had thought about having a full basement put in when we go for a new house but I am right next to the river and in a flood zone. I'm in NY and 2006 we had such a bad flood the river reached the skirting around my house, so I am not sure a basement would be a good idea.
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mismatchedsocks 06:41 AM 11-10-2011
Im the odd ball. After 11 years of it in my home, I am ready for a change. When I graduate with bachelors I will be looking for a center. HOWEVER, it will be a family style center. Small ratios, mixed ages, couches, plants, etc. Home feel, group center. I found the perfect building that looks like a home but it is not zoned for daycare right now, Im working on it!
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awestbrook713 06:43 AM 11-10-2011
good luck lilrugrats, I wish you all the best!
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cheerfuldom 07:08 AM 11-10-2011
most centers are scary. the ratio you have to have to pay employees and the overhead is crazy. One of my friends had 30 3 and 4 years olds in her class. she was supposed to have an aide but many times was there alone. I have a 3 year old....I would NEVER send her to be a part of a class with 30 kids.
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awestbrook713 07:28 AM 11-10-2011
I have never used a center but I can believe they are scary, but so are in home babysitters, I have had to many bad experiences. My oldest was watched by a woman I went to church with. I was pregnant with my 2nd child and came to pick up my son, I was going on maternity leave soon anyways but he never returned to her due to how I found him. She had a closed in porch and some how my 3 yr old son was out in it by him self pinned behind a cabinet crying for help he was sweaty, snot running down his face and exhausted, I don't know how long he was there but it wasn't for only a moment like she said. She was to busy taking care of her 30 yr old infant still living with her while my child suffered, I'm sorry if I sound bitter but I have never wanted to physically hurt someone as much as I did that day.

My babysitter after that one was a family friend and watched my boys cousin too. She ended up calling me just before I went on maternity leave to tell me she was going to rehab because she had a problem with alcohol. As far as I know she checked herself in and checked her self out same day and frequents the bars every weekend. I currently watch her children.

Centers may be scary but home providers can be just as scary. I hold myself mainly responsible for these mistakes because I am my childrens protector and sending them to unlicensed care will never happen again. This is why I am home taking care of my children, I just can't trust anyone else.

wow totally off topic but I needed that.
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cheerfuldom 07:33 AM 11-10-2011
I agree, home daycares can be scary too and that is why I stay at home with my own kids. There are pros and cons to each type of setup. The cons for any situation for me far outweigh any pros and that is why I have found a way to stay with my own kids during the day.
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small_steps 07:35 AM 11-10-2011
I come from a center. Before I opened my home daycare I was a Center Director for a large church in town. It was hard but mostly because we had a board that was over the daycare and none of them knew a lick about childcare! :P But I would eventually like to open a center, mainly because our town has a lack of good quality centers. It's very stressful, turnover is bad for teachers, and it's a lot more parents to track down for tuition payments. I feel like the need is there and someone needs to put a great center in our town. I have had several parents suggest that i open a center but right now I can't afford it. I really miss being around other adults I think, and when I ran the other center at least I got out of the house daily. I do miss socializing withe the outside world.
Right now I have a 2 year old and when he gets in school maybe I will look more into it. I also just had my garage converted into my "dayca". Everything will happen in there so I do not have to share our living space with daycare. I should be able to move in there next week. That will make a huge difference to me I think.
If I do open one it will be small (around 30-40 kid capacity). The more kids...the more parents lol.
If your new house has a garage you could always convert it like I did. My parents will even have their own door to enter when they get here.
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beachgrl 09:14 AM 11-10-2011
I love having it in my home right now, but we got a large fixer up house on forclosure and was a great deal! I was able to turn my dining room (large walk through into kitchen area and can see the whole space from the kitchen as well as a doorway directly to main hall and bathroom/changing area and laundry room is across from my bathroom as well. I also have my office and extra book storage in my large foyer area which is off from the hallway) into a large dedicated daycare room and set up centers in it!

We also have a small living room right off our kitchen at the other end that we use primarily and another large room near it that is our family/play/game/music room...so we have tons of space and that is all the downstairs, all our bedrooms and two more baths and another office area are all upstairs, which is great for my hubby because he works nights right now and needs to sleep in the day. With his fan on up there, he never even hears us lol.

I have thought about doing a larger center but still smaller than the chain centers if that makes sense. There was and still is a "home" that is for rent for whatever but has been two daycares already and is set up that way near our local school on main road in town but the owners want way too much rent for the space to make it work which is why the other dacyares couldn't make it and why it is still for rent! I have thought about doing it in another home where I could use the entire space and therefore have a commercial center if and when I get extra funds to do so...but we also have a large open building on our property that we use for storage/etc right now and it would take work but have also thought about putting a floor in it and finishing off the walls/electric and putting a bathroom in it on down the road to have a separate bigger building space to use away from the home but not sure if we would be able to do that with the zoning, etc or not but may find out on down the road when I am ready to expand.

All that being said, i love being home and having it the way it is right now, I think that is part of why my families picked me because it is "home like" smaller setting and not like the larger chain centers.
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snbauser 10:49 AM 11-10-2011
I love having it at my house but after 8 1/2 years I am ready for my house back. I am currently looking for a location to open a small center with another provider. We are looking to keep the ratio's low and the environment as "homey" as possible.
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thatdivalady 11:27 AM 11-10-2011
Sooooo bitter about what this municipality is currently putting me through.... but, I will be opening this center at some point! It is going to be small (around 25 children). I know that when all of this nonsense is over it will be well worth it. I honestly cannot stay in my house and do daycare there, I really like the change of environment and knowing that when I walk into my house I am away from work. BUT I truly wish I had what it took to do daycare in my house, it would be a lot easier than dealing with local inspectors and fire marshals who change their minds. Commercial dayare (especially since the building that I leased did not have a daycare there before) is a pain in the neck from the beginning.
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Meeko 11:41 AM 11-10-2011
I thought about expanding a while back. But a friend who opened a center a few years ago told me that they wish they hadn't done it the way they did. They were a family group, licensed for 16 just like me. They thought a center for about 30 would suit them fine.

He told me to either go big or stay as small as I am. The expense of meeting center standards, building costs and having to pay extra staff, insurance etc wasn't offset by just a few extra kids and they ended up with not as much take home pay as they did when only having 16 kids! And it was much more work and stress.

He said they would need about 60 kids to be making bank and they really didn't want that many or to have the employee problems.

So for now, I am going to be happy as I am!
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blueclouds29 11:43 AM 11-10-2011
Originally Posted by 2ndFamilyDC:
I have never wanted to have my daycare anywhere but in my home. But I wish I had one level to use just for my daycare, giving me more room to set it up like I wish I could.
I'm in the same exact boat. I have a small ranch and just haven't had the money to fix the basement so I can do daycare down there. Its my dream for the near future!!
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countrymom 12:20 PM 11-10-2011
I like being at home but I think its the space, I would love to add a large addition onto the house or build a building on my property for daycare. I too see such great set ups and I need more room. I have the property to build on, its dh whos stopping me. I like the fact that I don't have alot of overhead and I don't have city officials breathing down my neck.
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greenhouse 12:27 PM 11-10-2011
No, I opened my day care to be home. I like providing a warm home environment for other families.
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spud912 12:46 PM 11-10-2011
When I win the lottery (note I said when, not if ), I plan on building a beautiful center with all of the best equipment. I will only hire the best providers/director and provide a high salary/great benefits so they stay with me forever. The rates will be reasonable so parents also want to stick with us. I can't wait
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Tags:daycare - space, home daycare
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