Can a Private Childcare Provider/Center Owner Compete in 2020?

[Cat Herder]

With the growing trend to have 3-4 year old children in public/government sponsored preschools, do you think private (LEGAL) providers will still exist?

If they do will they be able to compete at all?

Could you operate and be successful with only Infants and Toddlers? Even when they continue to lower the ratios for ONLY private centers?

[Lucy]

Wouldn't the kids only be in PS 3 days/wk for 3 hrs/day?

And there's SA kids to add to your infant/toddler age kids.

[melskids]

here, the kids go to headstart in the morning and the public pre-k in the afternoon. (the school district buses them) and the district next door offers full day pre-k. so parents no longer need childcare at all for their 4 year olds.
ive come to terms with this, and now focus on 0-3. i'm only allowed 2 under 2, so i have 2 infants, 4-2 year olds, and 2 SA. if parents want to leave for "free" pre-k thats fine, but i warn them, there will NOT be a SA spot waiting for them to come back.

[Cat Herder]

Originally Posted by melskids

here, the kids go to headstart in the morning and the public pre-k in the afternoon. (the school district buses them) and the district next door offers full day pre-k. so parents no longer need childcare at all for their 4 year olds.
ive come to terms with this, and now focus on 0-3. i'm only allowed 2 under 2, so i have 2 infants, 4-2 year olds, and 2 SA. if parents want to leave for "free" pre-k thats fine, but i warn them, there will NOT be a SA spot waiting for them to come back.

I have the same thing here, Melskids. I am really interested to know how far this has gone.... How many districts do this? Will this pattern continue? What WILL happen in 2020?

I am not Capitalist minded enough to understand the motivation, so am curious if maybe it will only be a short lived fad or forever. YKWIM? I am afraid to make any longterm plans and I don't want to go back to working in a large center, again.

[MommyMuffin]

I am from MN, and I did not know that preschool was free anywhere. Is that true...free preschool?

I cannot fill spots for 3.5 to 4 year olds and that might be why. I had one interview with a family with a 4 year old and they decided to go to a preschool enviroment.

Are you gals feeling this trend at all too?

[MommyMuffin]

Does anyone know of studies or statistics about children being ready for pre k and if being in a "daycare" enviroment vs a center based preschool make a difference in regaurds to the childs knowledge and behavior?

[nannyde]

http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/d...p-aea-budgets/

Hopefully Iowa will cut the preschool out this session.

Parents need to pay for their own kids preschool or better yet educate them at home for free.

[PB&J]

Originally Posted by Cat Herder

With the growing trend to have 3-4 year old children in public/government sponsored preschools, do you think private (LEGAL) providers will still exist?

If they do will they be able to compete at all?

Could you operate and be successful with only Infants and Toddlers? Even when they continue to lower the ratios for ONLY private centers?

Bringing up this old thread because it’s almost 2020. In my state, home daycares are getting more and more regulations that are turning us into centers. Our owner is about done...she asked if I would “take over” and my honest answer was: NOT with all these new regs coming down! Safe, clean, enriching home daycares for the neighborhood children are being pushed to follow all the center regulations, creeping in more every year. We have scholarships granted by the state for all-day PS....etc etc.
How are things going for everyone?

Here, infants get free care in the Head Start. I know more than one college is offering a BA in Birth to Three. I'm guessing universial Prek will go down to infants in the next five years if not sooner. The end is creeping closer and closer.

Originally Posted by Cat Herder

I have the same thing here, Melskids. I am really interested to know how far this has gone.... How many districts do this? Will this pattern continue? What WILL happen in 2020?

I am not Capitalist minded enough to understand the motivation, so am curious if maybe it will only be a short lived fad or forever. YKWIM? I am afraid to make any longterm plans and I don't want to go back to working in a large center, again.

It's forever, because real college educated teachers have unions. They can't take jobs away from them when they have tenure. They can't just leave a building vacant once they build the prek. Where I live, it took three years from a neighboring district to go no prek to full day prek for 3 and 4 year olds.

[PB&J]

Our state has another new “quality” program for daycares, focusing on Pre-K. Head start and scholarships are here but not yet universal. And new regulations requiring even home-based childcares to be early interventionists are also indicating that the state and educational professionals will soon be the only ones “allowed” to be in the childcare industry.

[Cat Herder]

I ended up going back to college not too long after this thread was first posted. I did it to participate in my States QRIS program to stay competitive since my documentable education was in another field. I was the first in my area rated and am still at a higher rate than most of the big centers. I lost about $5800 for an "education" (I literally had to make toys and crafts and come up with recipes for class with a smile on my face during presentations ) that does not transfer (and is offered free to high school students through a trade school grant), but my business is as successful as ever.

The irony was that the Pre-K programs have fallen out of favor with many parents. They don't want institutionalized kids. They don't want the level of violence and behavioral issues they were seeing. They want free play, mud pies, safety and joy for their kids early childhoods. I did not see that coming. More parents are waiting until 6 to send their kids to public school, too.

The market corrected itself, here. The community has changed, too, though. Mills and farms shut down then subdivisions, resorts and golf clubs moved in. Rent and home values for most people went up significantly, the population had an influx. So, for me, 2020 looks to be a great year.

[DaveA]

Like CH said- I think you will see a split in the industry. Some will go toward school based or affiliated programs from birth on. The "rebels" will flock toward more "kids being kids"- play based programs and places that work more on social/ emotional development rather than "pre-academics".


The question will likely be how much public schools (and the politicians associated with government based education) will try to put a damper on or stop the other type programs.

[Annalee]

Originally Posted by Cat Herder

I ended up going back to college not too long after this thread was first posted. I did it to participate in my States QRIS program to stay competitive since my documentable education was in another field. I was the first in my area rated and am still at a higher rate than most of the big centers. I lost about $5800 for an "education" (I literally had to make toys and crafts and come up with recipes for class with a smile on my face during presentations ) that does not transfer (and is offered free to high school students through a trade school grant), but my business is as successful as ever.

The irony was that the Pre-K programs have fallen out of favor with many parents. They don't want institutionalized kids. They don't want the level of violence and behavioral issues they were seeing. They want free play, mud pies, safety and joy for their kids early childhoods. I did not see that coming. More parents are waiting until 6 to send their kids to public school, too.

The market corrected itself, here. The community has changed, too, though. Mills and farms shut down then subdivisions, resorts and golf clubs moved in. Rent and home values for most people went up significantly, the population had an influx. So, for me, 2020 looks to be a great year.

I agree with this, for now Those within our age-range are the ones "hanging with it". But, there have been three new FCC programs to open over the past two years within my county and opening a child care home or center is no easy task with the new rules in place now. So maybe this profession is continuing despite the downfalls!. I have rolled with change over the the years but can't imagine opening a child care now.

AS for head starts/prek, it's about 50/50 now. Not ALL leave for free daycare. So we move right along, day by day, week by week, and so on

[Blackcat31]

Originally Posted by Annalee

I agree with this, for now Those within our age-range are the ones "hanging with it". But, there have been three new FCC programs to open over the past two years within my county and opening a child care home or center is no easy task with the new rules in place now. So maybe this profession is continuing despite the downfalls!. I have rolled with change over the the years but can't imagine opening a child care now.

AS for head starts/prek, it's about 50/50 now. Not ALL leave for free daycare. So we move right along, day by day, week by week, and so on

I agree!

It's about 50/50 here as many families opt to stay with in home child care that offers a curriculum and others choose the all day free pre-K option.

I don't mind as there are plenty of kids in my area that I haven't really felt the effect but I have noticed that some of the families that opted for the free pre-k option are struggling to find care during those off days where preschool is closed, holidays and summer care.

I refuse to take a preschool aged child that is enrolled in universal pre-k during those off days. For one I refuse to be the one that fills in the blanks for the family that opted to go that route....their choice so their issue to manage...

The biggest reason however, is that the behaviors brought in with those children are horrid and are not behaviors I really want to deal with. So I don't.

Like Annalee said, it's week by week, day by day but so far I am surviving. I am grateful as I know several providers (newer and older) in my area that are struggling to fill spaces for various reasons.

[Cat Herder]

Originally Posted by Blackcat31

I have noticed that some of the families that opted for the free pre-k option are struggling to find care during those off days where preschool is closed, holidays and summer care.

I refuse to take a preschool aged child that is enrolled in universal pre-k during those off days. For one I refuse to be the one that fills in the blanks for the family that opted to go that route....their choice so their issue to manage...

I am seeing the same thing here. They close a lot, more than the public schools. They are also doing mandatory home visits that feel very invasive. Most require them to pay for after-care and meals now that funding has been cut as well. I have also heard of a pilot program that goes back to only 4 days a week, no Fridays, some half-days.

I have had some parents beg to come back after they leave for free, but I don't re-enroll, either. It is simply too much work to correct the behaviors of both child and adult and move people around from the waitlist. I must add them to the back of the line, it is only fair. Loyalty is valuable.

[Josiegirl]

For now, there seems to be enough need on all sides here to go around. Home daycares are full, centers are full. If anything it's the preschool classes within the school systems that have taken the hit a little bit. But then again, some of the centers are offering preschool now so that might be why.

It seems there are still so many parents in my area, that prefer a smaller home like environment for their children. Plus they realize how difficult it is to find care for school vacations if they don't pay for a year round spot.

It'd be truly sad to push home daycare right out of parents' options because well, so many parents don't like throwing their little ones into such large group settings.

The only places in our area that have many openings are *those* places that are only used as a last resort.

Originally Posted by Josiegirl

For now, there seems to be enough need on all sides here to go around. Home daycares are full, centers are full. If anything it's the preschool classes within the school systems that have taken the hit a little bit. But then again, some of the centers are offering preschool now so that might be why.

It seems there are still so many parents in my area, that prefer a smaller home like environment for their children. Plus they realize how difficult it is to find care for school vacations if they don't pay for a year round spot.

It'd be truly sad to push home daycare right out of parents' options because well, so many parents don't like throwing their little ones into such large group settings.

The only places in our area that have many openings are *those* places that are only used as a last resort.

I think it's fair play, though. I don't understand how parents come and want the biggest and best for lowest cost and make complaints over minor things because they feel they can bully us. When it's free, they let the schools be children zoos. Unless they want to go private, they know to keep their mouth shut in the pubic schools. I think many parents are get their just desserts. Here, many of the families get kicked out of charter schools.

[Country Kids]

Less than a 1/2 a mile from me is the new HS School that has all day classes.

The elementary school for my area of town has a HS class (the elementary school is probably a mile or two from my house) plus a free Preschool also. So one elementary school has HS in it and a free Preschool.

Our town also has the HS birth to three program.

Our area also has what is known has Preschool Promise.

All these are free programs that are beyond full. Plus at a conference I was at this was a class on this and they also said the income level is around $60,000 to quality.

[PB&J]

Originally Posted by Country Kids

Less than a 1/2 a mile from me is the new HS School that has all day classes.

The elementary school for my area of town has a HS class (the elementary school is probably a mile or two from my house) plus a free Preschool also. So one elementary school has HS in it and a free Preschool.

Our town also has the HS birth to three program.

Our area also has what is known has Preschool Promise.

All these are free programs that are beyond full. Plus at a conference I was at this was a class on this and they also said the income level is around $60,000 to quality.

Have you noticed an effect on your business? Have you had to change your program as a result? We haven’t, but we have always offered a kindergarten-ready program. Parents lately have been expressing that it has made a difference (positively) in their decision to choose us, so I imagine that if we didn’t offer it before, we may have needed to.

[Meeko]

So far, I haven't had any problem at all filling spots, despite plenty of the free pre-k programs popping up.

During interviews, I have always stressed the "home" part of my business. I want the kids to feel like this is a home away from home, not "school".

I make sure parents know their child will never be just a number here. They will be greeted by the same caring faces every day. Here, their kids will be hugged and loved and will play with friends they get to think of as siblings.

If they are looking a "school" for their kids...this is not the place. I offer a safe and loving HOME enviroment.

So as I offer a totally different kind of care, I'm not too worried about the free care places.

I HAVE received many calls from parents who regret grabbing at "free". They are frantically trying to find care for holidays, teacher development days etc.

[dolores]

Originally Posted by Cat Herder

With the growing trend to have 3-4 year old children in public/government sponsored preschools, do you think private (LEGAL) providers will still exist?

If they do will they be able to compete at all?

Could you operate and be successful with only Infants and Toddlers? Even when they continue to lower the ratios for ONLY private centers?

We serve children ages 2yo to 5yo. The trend in my nabe since UPK started is children are leaving my program when they turn 4 to attend public PreK. As a result, families stay with us for 2 years instead of 3 like before. Another trend is that increasingly, parents are seeking part-time i.e. 2 or 3 days a week and actually splitting a full time spot into 2 part time spots brings in more revenue as I charge more for part-time spots.
There is a shortage of infant and young toddler programs in my area because they reduce license capacity, require more staff and plus they are more work! However, for this reason, you can charge significantly more for this age group and I know of home daycares that are successful doing so.