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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Thinking Of Starting A Day Care
adahl 06:53 AM 10-29-2007
Hello I am new on here. I am looking into starting a day care. My husband and I would like to start a family of our own and I am trying to see what I can do after the baby is born to work from home. I realize I have to get licensed. I have als heard there is a program you can get on through the goverment to get some money back on providing food. Do any of you do this? Also I have no clue what I should charge, do you guys have any resources for me?
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MichaelC 10:27 AM 10-29-2007
Which state do you live in? Your state's requirements and contact numbers located at:
https://www.daycare.com/states.html

To add your Daycare listing to our Registry for thousands of daily searches:
https://daycare.com/php/start_new_signup.php

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Unregistered 08:48 AM 12-15-2007
Google your state in a ' how to start a day care in -' format. I did that for PA and this was one site i was given. It gave me the licensing agency contact info. Also as for what to charge, my mother and i were going to reopen our daycare in NY, because we live in a city, what to charrge was an easy qustion, call all other local daycares pretending u r intrested and get an idea of wat ur area charges.
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Unregistered 12:22 PM 04-18-2008
i'm new to this, i'm a single mother looking for daycare assistance, and i don't know where to start. I really need some kind of direction. I need to get my 1 year old son out of the sitting situation that he is in right now. please help
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Unregistered 02:10 PM 04-22-2008
Hi I am wondering if it is safer and more practical to start a family day care inside my home prior to branching out into something bigger center-based?
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Unregistered 02:07 AM 04-25-2008
If your new to daycare and are looking to add to family income, and are questioning "starting big compared to small" I'd suggest starting small.
I have worked in big centers before and when I decided to open a daycare I decided to do a home based daycare first and I'm glad I did!
Initial outlay was $4,000 (we remodeled our basement to a playroom, crib room, kitchen and bathroom for the daycare) and all the cribs, high chairs, etc.
Well the first year (I live in Massachusetts) I earned $45,000 with only 6 full time kids. I am now in my 10th year and still run between 6 and 8 kids (I have the state license for a 6 + 2 which means 6 kids under 5 and 2 school aged kids) and am earning more than $60,000 a year. My business has paid for all 3 of my own children's college educations.
I have looked into starting a bigger business, center care as they call it here, but have found the profit margine, not to mention the headaches, wouldn't make it any more financially worthwhile.
I suggest starting small, seeing if it's really what you want to do, then you have the option of going large.
Additionally, I am now registered in my town as a preschool and I really love doing preschool with the kids each day. Some of my children only come for the preschool in the morning and others stay all day. So even though I'm small I have respect in the community and find my business very rewarding.
Good luck, it's a wonderful line of work
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Unregistered 08:15 AM 05-07-2008
like you i have been doing in home childcare for about 9 months and i love it. I'm kinda stuck here. I live in Louisiana and i'm certified through the child care assistant program to care for 6 children. Were to i look to get info on gettin liscensed to keep more in my home and how many more can i get. i would like to hire a helper but with 6 kids i can't afford it.
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Cassandra 04:43 PM 11-08-2008
Thank you! This was VERY helpful ...

Originally Posted by Unregistered:
If your new to daycare and are looking to add to family income, and are questioning "starting big compared to small" I'd suggest starting small.
I have worked in big centers before and when I decided to open a daycare I decided to do a home based daycare first and I'm glad I did!
Initial outlay was $4,000 (we remodeled our basement to a playroom, crib room, kitchen and bathroom for the daycare) and all the cribs, high chairs, etc.
Well the first year (I live in Massachusetts) I earned $45,000 with only 6 full time kids. I am now in my 10th year and still run between 6 and 8 kids (I have the state license for a 6 + 2 which means 6 kids under 5 and 2 school aged kids) and am earning more than $60,000 a year. My business has paid for all 3 of my own children's college educations.
I have looked into starting a bigger business, center care as they call it here, but have found the profit margine, not to mention the headaches, wouldn't make it any more financially worthwhile.
I suggest starting small, seeing if it's really what you want to do, then you have the option of going large.
Additionally, I am now registered in my town as a preschool and I really love doing preschool with the kids each day. Some of my children only come for the preschool in the morning and others stay all day. So even though I'm small I have respect in the community and find my business very rewarding.
Good luck, it's a wonderful line of work

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Unregistered 09:20 AM 08-26-2009
i want to start my own daycare but i haven't gone to college. or worked in a daycare. is it a good idea to get experience working at a daycare first. and do i need to go to college before starting my own daycare?
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missaimee 01:09 PM 09-02-2009
Responding to Unregistered:

Well, you don't have to have worked in a daycare, nor do you need a college degree, although the more education you have, the more parents tend to respect you. BUT, you should definitely have experience caring for children. Otherwise, you are going to be very overwhelmed. If you've babysat your whole life, have been a nanny, have children of your own, etc., that should be enough experience to make parents feel comfortable. But if you have never so much as changed a diaper, or know nothing about child development, I would suggest working in a daycare to get that hands-on experience before you start your own business. Most childcare businesses that are started are closed within 3 years, and fail due to lack of preparation - daycare can be very profitable if you put the work into it.

You need to figure out the daycare laws in your state. Check online - WI and MN have Family Resource websites, I would imagine most states have something similar. I would also suggest starting out very small - most states don't require regulation until you have 3 or more non-related children. Start out watching one or two children to see if you like it and can handle it. If so, then get regulated. I know there are unregulated providers on this site, and they get offended when someone advises against operating unregulated, but that is my opinion. Regulation provides protection, and offers you a wealth of resources and benefits. You can even join AFSCME, a union that lobbies for daycare providers. It also gives the parent peace of mind, knowing that someone will be checking up on you from time to time, which, of course, only confirms that you are doing a wonderful job

Some states allow certification, and then you can move on to a state license. Some of them just have the state license. Look into the requirements - here, in Wisconsin, there are about 5 classes you are required to take, and it will cost you a couple of hundred dollars. But you don't have to have them all completed before you start working - just SIDS and Shaken Baby Prevention to get certified, then you take the other required classes, complete them and start the licensing process. There are requirements your home will have to meet - like so many square feet of play space per child inside and out in the yard, fire extinguisher, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detector, weather radio, fenced yard, etc...These requirements vary from state to state, and it really is surprising to me how lenient some states are.

It is different everywhere, just make sure you research and have all of your ducks in a row before you start running a daycare. Make sure you have contracts, require a notice to terminate, and have parents pay you at least a week in advance. A lot of daycares also fail because they just don't get paid!

GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!! You can make excellent money, from the comfort of home, if you put in the right amount of effort.
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sunmoonandstars 07:14 PM 09-08-2009
Here's an article about things someone should consider, other than money, when it comes to opening your own family child care.
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Unregistered 08:04 AM 03-15-2012
Hi i have a Group Daycare and now i am looking forward to open a Daycare center but want to know how much $ i need to star. i know that theres lots of requirements but going to a work shop to learn more, just need to have an idea of how much i need to have
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High School User 09:19 AM 09-17-2012
Im a high school and I am wanting to start a day care when I graduate. I have no clue where to start and i was wondering if anyone on here could help me out with that.
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Blackcat31 11:31 AM 09-17-2012
Originally Posted by High School User:
Im a high school and I am wanting to start a day care when I graduate. I have no clue where to start and i was wondering if anyone on here could help me out with that.
Check your state's requirements. Here is a link to them: https://www.daycare.com/states.html

If you have any questions after reading about what your state requires, you are welcome to register and I am sure some one on our board can help you out.
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High School User 08:14 AM 09-18-2012
Im a high school and I am wanting to start a day care when I graduate. I have no clue where to start and i was wondering if anyone on here could help me out with that.
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