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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>How Much of Your Home Is Used for Daycare?
much_lovee 11:56 AM 10-10-2018
Currently I have a large, downstairs bed room that has been turned into a play room. It works great because there is a large bathroom right across the hall from it, and the kitchen is close by. In the kitchen we eat and do different activities at the table. I also have a living room next to the dining room. The dining room is used for the drop of area. Unless there is 2 or less children here we do not play in the living room. I almost always have 5-6 per day. All of our toys are in the play room, and children have much more free rein in there than compared to the rest of the house.

I recently had someone start that has never been in a licensed daycare before. The child complains of being in the play room and wants to be anywhere else even though everything is in the play room to play with. The parent also has no interest in talking to me much, not even to hear about their child’s day. I know for a fact the child isn’t adjusting well, and I honestly believe it’s because I’m using one room to play in unless we’re outside or doing activities.

Is it normal to use one room aside from meals, activities, and outdoor time? Or do I need to open my daycare up to the rest of my house? I just can’t imagine supervising that many children running around in a house that is not an open concept.

I have a degree in ECE, and have worked in centers along with doing student teaching, but am still figuring out home daycare.
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Indoorvoice 12:24 PM 10-10-2018
Sounds adequate to me. My daycare kids do not have free reign of the house. We have a large play area downstairs and use the dining room for art and eating. That's all they get. I block off most of the main floor and the upstairs. Also the kitchen is off limits. If I'm in the playroom, everyone is the play room. They can't choose to go upstairs without me
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BrynleeJean 01:04 PM 10-10-2018
i have two 100 percent dedicated rooms for daycare though we are usually in other rooms because i need to heat up a bottle in the kitchen or feed the other kids in the kitchen, we are usually in my great room
so i use like all of my house and kids still don't adjust well sometimes. sometimes more rooms isn't best because they can't ever get comfortable with one space, and then everyone moves to a new environment and they have to adjust all over.
i agree that around 4-5 kids sometimes get bored after being there for a while but if you have adequet toys and theres other kids there they should be bored.
my two year old just doodles on a magna doodle for hours sometimes or plays with building blocks
Id love to stay in one dedicated room all day! Good for you! i think that helps separate work and home that much more in this crazy wonderful mess of a home career

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much_lovee 01:06 PM 10-10-2018
Thank you, this makes me feel better that I’m not doing anything out of the norm. I was starting to second guess what I was doing, even though it has worked well up until now
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much_lovee 01:12 PM 10-10-2018
Brynleejean, it is very nice being able to have dedicated sections of my house. I don’t think I could handle not having space outside of my working hours that isn’t used for the daycare. I’m lucky enough to have a large, extra bedroom downstairs. I buy new toys, and rotate things in and out. The children that have been here never seem to be bored, and if we do get stir crazy we do activities, and play outside often!

I’ve never had a child not adjust well, so hopefully this one will start being able to adjust
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Blackcat31 01:42 PM 10-10-2018
Welcome to the forum!

I have an entire house just for child care (I don't live in it and bought it strictly for child care) and NONE of the kids I have are allowed to just roam the house freely.

I have specific areas for specific activities and ages and depending on the child's age, they are restricted from other areas.

My state requires 35 sq ft of indoor space per child. Although my house is 100% daycare, that still doesn't mean the kids can just go where ever they want.
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LittleExplorers 01:46 PM 10-10-2018
I use only my basement which includes a large playroom, wide hallway for lack of better terms, bathroom and one guest room for infant naps only. The rest including my kids' bedrooms downstairs is off limits. They will get used to it. It may also be getting used to having rules in general. Some of the stories one of my dck tells me, it's obvious he makes the rules at home. He does great here though.
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much_lovee 02:05 PM 10-10-2018
My state representative commented on how nice it is that I am able to have a whole room just for the children the couple times he’s been here so far, including when the kids are playing in it when he’s here. So I know according to the state what I am doing is okay.

It’s just discouraging that it’s been difficult with this family. I brought it up and asked how his other daycare was, and I was told they were just allowed to run around wherever. So it makes sense that this may be an adjustment, I just wanted to know how everyone else runs there’s from their home

It would definitely be amazing to have a small house just for a daycare! Or even a finished basement would be great!
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sharlan 02:11 PM 10-10-2018
Everyone is so different. You have to do what works for you.

My dcks have always had free reign of my house. The upstairs is off limits and blocked by a gate.

Formal dining room is the "school room" - crayons, markers, home work, etc.

Formal living room is the manipulatives - bristle blocks, legos, puzzles.

Kitchen - eating or coloring when someone is doing homework.

Playroom - 21'x17' - AKA toy storage room. The toys are stored in there, but seem to be drug into the family room to play with.

Family room - where the kids actually play.
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Kimskiddos 02:24 PM 10-10-2018
I have a large double garage conversion that is my playroom and a guest room for napping infants. I love that the day care in not in my living spaces.

One of the things I tell interviewing parents is my playroom is set up so there are not a lot of "Nos", which is the truth. A dedicated play space is just easier to manage multiple kiddos.
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e.j. 03:08 PM 10-10-2018
I use my entire 1st floor for day care but the kids are in my playroom for the most part. The kitchen/dining area is used for eating/doing crafts. The living room is only used for babies/younger kids who still use a port-a-crib and need to be separated from the rest of the kids during nap time so that everyone can sleep. I have a large room off the kitchen that is used strictly for day care. If we aren't eating, doing crafts or playing outside, the kids are in the playroom. I've never had an issue with kids not wanting to be in the playroom playing with toys and each other until recently. I have 4 two year olds who lose their minds whenever I go out into the kitchen to prepare meals. They can see me but aren't happy unless I'm right there with them. I hope that stops before too much longer! How old
is your dc child?
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much_lovee 04:09 PM 10-10-2018
E.j, that is exactly how I use my space as well. When we’re not doing anything else, or if I’m preparing meals then the kids are in the play room. The DC is 4. Before he came to me I believe he spent majority of his time with family members, and a few days at a daycare, but from what I gathered the kids could do whatever, and go wherever, whenever they wanted.
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e.j. 06:52 PM 10-10-2018
At 4, he's at least old enough to understand why he can't play in other rooms. I've had 4 year olds who were very curious about my upstairs level. Once I explain why I don't allow the kids up there, they seem satisfied. If he's used to having free rein in the other homes he's been to, it probably will take some time to get used to being in the one room. Hopefully, for his sake and yours, that will happen sooner than later!
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Meeko 12:07 PM 10-11-2018
My basement (1600 SQ feet) is dedicated to daycare. Upstairs is private family space.
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Jiminycrickets 12:36 PM 10-11-2018
I have a big playroom where the kids are most of the time. They are allowed in the kitchen, which is the next room over, (sensory bin and art stuff are out there) so long as I'm not cooking.
I do let the bigger kids sit in the dining room to play with marble tracks or playdough or other things the toddlers and babies can't have without close supervision, because I can see into it from the other rooms, but they need to have permission first.
Everything else, bedrooms, basement, living room is off limits except the living room for naptime (because it is not as bright and stimulating as the playroom.)
None of them have an issue with it (though the 1 year old likes to try and escape just because he likes to try to escape everything), there is plenty to do in the space they are allowed.
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CityGarden 12:42 PM 10-11-2018
I have a 2 bedroom + office, 1 bath home...

When I first opened dcks had access to living room / dining room/ bathroom and office. I kept the bedrooms and the kitchen off limits to dcks. The office was 100% dedicated to the dcks. We did not use my yard at all but go to the park daily.
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knoxmomof2 11:52 AM 10-12-2018
I have a large front living room that is our dedicated daycare space- it's 300 Sq ft. Also, a side room that's the nap room - it's 250 Sq ft. They eat in the front room at a kid sized table and chairs. They do everything except nap in there. Nap is in the side room, which is also where drop off and pick up happens. The only other space daycare kids are allowed in is the bathroom which is adjacent to the front room. The rest of the main floor are my children's bedrooms and the kitchen / dining room. The basement level has our family room, laundry room, bedroom and bathroom as well as the shop. On a rare occasion, I might take a few older, well behaved kids down to watch a movie on our large screen TV, but that's happened about twice in the 3 years since we bought the house.

The kids walk across a tiny corner of the kitchen to go from the nap room to the front room. They aren't even allowed to lurk or wander in my kitchen.

When I first started, we lived in a rental home. Our only living room was my daycare / drop off AND nap room. It was about 250 Sq ft? We ate at the dining room table and did crafts there. No one was allowed to wander there either.

It's odd to me that they didn't think of this stuff when they interviewed, I assume they saw the space?

As far as them not wanting to talk - unless there's an issue you need to discuss you should count yourself lucky! When I was brand new, I had a Mom come and sit for up to an HOUR!!! chatting away. That was before I knew what I was doing and didn't know how to manage other adults.. Lol... Just saying, you could have it much worse 😁
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hwichlaz 07:57 AM 10-16-2018
50% of my home 48% of the time, lol.
and 50% of my home 100% of the time.
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