Have any of you gone to school full time and done daycare also? I've been doing daycare 5 yrs now and I have finally decided to go back to school now that all my own children are in school. I can't seem to make much money doing daycare and usually struggle making ends meet with what I do make. I have 10 children enrolled in care (on a good week. It's pretty much impossible to get 12, which is my limit), but most are part timers (plus I have rent & utilities to pay for the building I use, and my own house rent & utilities). I can trust my assistant to cover for me when I'm not here, but with the extra hrs I'd need her to work, I don't know if I'd have enough left over to cover my bills AND still make anything from doing daycare. Should I "close up shop" or is it possible to still be the main one working at my daycare and go to school full time? What are your thoughts? The rates around here are really really low. Like as in $18/day.

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It depends on what you are taking, but look into online schools. I have been going to Thomas Edison for about a year and a half, taking one class at a time and I love it! I study and do work during nap time and at night and I can do the work when ever I get a chance. I have 2 kids of my own and cant take time from work or take night classes, so its great for me! Just make sure the school is Regionally Accredited!

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I got my associates degree while running a daycare. Here I did the majority online. I am now enrolled in a bachelors program for education with special needs. Can you look into online schoolings?

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I have earned my associates degree in Early Childhood Education completely on-line (well, not the student teaching part, but the rest) and am now 13 credits shy of my bachelor's degree. I have done almost all of it on-line through local colleges and universities.

I carry a minimum of 12+ credits each semester and have 12 full time daycare kids 5 days a week. I did a majority of my work in the evenings and on the weekends as well as a few nap times where all my kids were cooperative and quiet.

OP, what state are you located in? My state has a fantastic program that encourages FCC providers to further their educations by offering a multitude of programs on line knwing it is difficult for providers to be away form their businesses.

Also my local CCR&R gave me a grant that paid for any substitute, travel and textbook costs. I would start by contacting them and ask about grants for extended schooling.

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I am doing my English degree right now. 90% of it will be online.

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What school are you going to? Im looking to take some online classes.

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I give props to those of you who do classes online. Ive taken two online courses in early child development and I vowed never to do that again. I have to get OUT of my house in order to get anything done around here. I'll be in the middle of studying and my DS is crying because DH is watching TV and not actively interacting with him, DD will tell me she has something REALLY inportant to tell me and goes on to tell me that the neighbors brown dog has a blue eye and barked at her 2 days ago and DH will ask me 50 of the most rediculously annoying things. Like where his black socks with the red seams are ... or if I've seen his hex wrench .

I don't have time to take more than one class at a time now that I have the baby and all of my classes are night classes so that's awesome that some are able to do full-time school. This semester I'm taking one class one day a week on Thursdays but I told my DH to pretend it was a two day a week class so on Tuesdays I'll be heading over to Barnes & Noble to study and do homework. The things I gotta do to get an education .

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I can now foresee my future!! I change my mind about school!!

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I love school and would love to get my A.S. or B.A...but in what I dont know.

I've been trying to find a career that is growing..that isnt economics or engineering!

What degree are you guys working twoards?

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I take online classes. I am working towards my Associates in Early Childhood Education. I have about 7 classes and then my work co-op left. I normally only take 2 classes a semester. It's about all I have time for between getting my kids up for school at 6am, kids starting to arrive here at 7am, having kids here until 5:30, dinner, my kids homework, my kids activities, the things I am involved in such as our provider association, volunteering for scouts, church, etc and trying to have time to sleep in addition to getting the mundane stuff done like laundry, housecleaning, shopping, etc.

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I'm getting my Masters online from Walden. My program is 18 months, 1 class every 8 weeks (I'm done in October!!) It's really convenient and I work during nap alot!

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Hey! My hubby is getting his Master's at Walden too...and I will be following behind in the fall! What are you going in to?

He is getting his MAT in SpEd; it's 20 to 24 months and, I think, each class is 5 weeks.

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Mine is Masters of Education-Elementary Reading. I'm a certified teacher and in our state, you have to get your Masters within 10 years (to keep certification). I run a preschool daycare but I want to keep my teaching license just in case too.

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I'm the OP. This is why I wouldn't be able to do on-line school, either. It will have to be on campus. Do any of you go to school full time on campus? I'm hoping for evening and weekend classes, but doubt I can get all 4 classes in that way (I want to be full time so I don't have to be in school so many years). Maybe it's time to focus on just getting my elementary ed degree and forget daycare? I love what I do, but I can't seem to get ahead with this business, and would love to teach kindergarten and have the same days off as my kids. If I only thought it was possible to do school full time AND still keep the daycare running AND still make any kind of profit from it. What do you think? Is this possible or would I be crazy to try?

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