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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>rent a space or rent a house?
allsmiles 09:27 AM 12-04-2012
for the smaller daycare center owners..(20 or less kids) why did you choose to use the location you chose? I was surprised to see the rent for a small space with kitchen is a lil bit more if not around the same as it would cost me to rent a house. What are some of your pros and cons since both are another location than your home..
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Sugar Magnolia 10:09 AM 12-04-2012
Hi again! I chose a house, but I bought . I think the very first thing you should do is contact licensing and get clarification on if you need to be licensed as a center. Here in Florida, if you do not physically reside in the house full time, you must be licensed as a center. This is not true in some states, so finding out how you would be licensed is your first step. If you are allowed to be a home daycare and not live there, the rules and regs are generally a little looser for home daycares than centers. If you DO have to be licensed as a , then location and type of building is super important, in my opinion. I looked for these things when I bought my center. Not on a major highway, but on a well traveled secondary road. Zoning---majorly important! Is the home zoned commercial, institutional, office, or residential? If it is zoned residential (like mine was), you may have to get a conditional use permit from your city , and that can be complicated (trust me on this). My center is located directly next door to an elementary school, 2 blocks from a high school, across the street from a church daycare, on city transit line, and in the outskirts if our business district. So yeah, location, location, location.
Lady, if you pm me, I will give you a link to my website so you can see my facility and read about my small center philosophy. Its a wonderful gig, small, low ratios, family-like, hone-like, a true hybrid between home daycare and center. The best if both worlds, in my humble opinion.
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allsmiles 10:32 AM 12-04-2012
hey..ive actually tried 3 times to pm you.. i dont know what the heck im doing wrong..ive went to your page and "sent message" and then from my page "send new message"... rolls eyes LOL do i have to be your friend or something??

in tx its the same rules as Florida..if i plan to operate outside of my house it has to be a center.. which is why im toying with all this, i was looking at the house having to be zoned and going thru the city for all that hoopla and then getting permission form landlord to even do it..renting a space might not be much easier?? then i did think about BUYING but i was scared of a 30 year loan IF it didnt work out.. i could always rent out the house i guess?? ..in fact, to make it more difficult, im also thinking about the third option of being a licensed home where i can keep UP TO 12 children and stay in my home..
just wondering if i would really have more than 12 kids with just myself, my sis and husband to make becoming a center even worth it?? .. and if i were to hire others (which i really dont want to)..payroll issues, workers comp, blah blah..
by the way thats what i was pming you about..taxwise if you had to have payroll because you are a center even though its you and your husband..

girl if you can pm ME..that would be great to start..you dont have to even say anything and perhaps it will allow me to respond to you?? i dont know what im doing wrong.. i would love to see your set up.. im really excited about the possibilities.. just scared too..
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allsmiles 10:35 AM 12-04-2012
ha and with all that said.. when you pm me.. tell me why you chose to buy your house instead of go the route of renting a space..
was it already a house you owned..
my mom keeps telling me why dont i just do a space like normal but i REALLY like the homey feel of the family day care and since i still dont plan on doing field trips and things of that nature not sure what the benefit of having a space would really be?..
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yulandop 11:36 AM 12-04-2012
I am in Texas as well and having the same dilemma.
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