I recently quit my job to stay at home with my 9 month-old daughter. I put an ad up on Craigslist offering to watch one other child. I used to teach preschool and also worked in an infant room at a daycare so I thought watching another child would be a great way to earn a little extra money. I got a call today from a mother that wants me to watch her 3 children (4, 2, and 8 months). It would be two days a week from 8-4:30. Since the number is less than 4 children that aren't my own, I could watch them without being licensed in our state of Nebraska. My question is, would I be considered a daycare even though I don't plan on watching any other children? Would there still be certain regulations I would need to follow to cover my butt? And now I am panicking about toys and sleeping arrangements and food and everything. And would I have her sign paperwork? I would need to report taxes I am assuming? And since it's part-time and more kids than I expected, I have no clue what would be appropriate to charge. I definitely didn't think this through before putting the ad up. I just wanted to babysit one other child and earn a little extra money. I'm beginning to think I shouldn't do this. Do any of you have advice? I would greatly appreciate it. With all that this entails, I have an even greater respect for all of you than I did before!

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you don't need to be licenced you are licened exempt. (im in nebraska too) no special rules to fallow, no paperwork unless you want to make a contract for her. depending were you live the cheapest i would go is 70 a day!

yes you need to do taxes claim the money.

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I don't know what your rates are like in NB, BUT based on the last post saying 70/day I'd say if she's generally bringing 3 kids 2 times a week for a full day, don't tell her 70/day. Give her a weekly amount of lets say 140/wk. But that seems really cheap to me.

Even maybe 200/wk for all 3 to a max of 20 hrs/wk.

When you start going into daily rates, I find thats when you end up with the nit picky people well I was only here for 2 1/2 hrs so I only owe you xx dollars and 50 cents.

flat out rate for the week. Then there isn't so many conflicts in terms of how much they owe you.

That's my opinion. Set what you want to charge for the 3 kids together, and times it by 2 days, and give her that as a weekly rate.

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yes
no
yes
yes
I would charge daily rate per child. The actual rate would vary depending on where you are, but i think $30/day per kid is reasonable for my area. I also give a discount for siblings, so maybe $30/$25/$25 a day for the three kids.
if you don't want to do it, don't. The upside would be you would have days with just you and your child. the down side would be extra kids on the days you do give care. have you met the family yet? that may sway you one way or the other too.

If all else fails, go with your gut.

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My issue with this is that if the dcps think they are paying a weekly rate, they may in the future want to add days without having to pay more.

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Yep hence the for up to XX hours.

So if they are there for 10 hrs 2 times a week, that's 20 hours. so lets say $200 for all 3 kids together, for a max of 20 hrs a week. That's her 2 days worth. The parent understands that if she wants a 3rd day, she's paying another 100 dollars

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Thank you for your thoughts! I greatly appreciate it. Any ideas/advice on sleeping arrangements and toys?

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the older two could nap on mats/sleeping bags in the living room or playroom (if you have one) for the afternoon nap time. Do you have a pack-n-play you could set up in your girls room for the little ones' nap times?

For toys, i'd definitely get lego duplos, little people, some books, blocks, dolls, and perhaps some art supplies. You really don't need a huge amount.

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Ditto with DaycareMomof3....you don't need a lot of toys. Many people go overboard and it's just all too cluttered. I would create a basic contract and put the actual days you will care for the kids from this time to this time in your home. I know finding child care for three children is difficult so she's lucky to find someone willing to take three at once. Make sure she pays in advance! You could have her pay the morning of the first day of care for the week OR at the end of care on the last day of the week (but she is still paying in advance). Let her know you'll do a trial of two weeks and see how it works out because you never know if they're too much to handle. You can always repost your ad and find a one or two child family to watch instead. Maybe you just want one infant around your child's age and not older kids....you never know. For sleeping, ask the mom to bring a blanket for the older two kids and a pillow. You can also ask her to supply a pack n play for her infant. BTW...if you charge per child, you'll soon realize that she will only bring one child (probably the most difficult child to handle, lol, as the others will stay with family or friends for free) and you'll not get your money's worth. I would just say a lump sum amount for ALL THREE whether they attend care that day or not. You are going to rely on this income. You could also offer drop-in care (if you like this family) and just have an hourly rate or something if you need the additional money too. Make sure to keep records and report it to taxes too. It's the right thing to do.

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