Daycare.com Forum
Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Time To Move On?
slorey 11:12 AM 05-15-2013
I have been doing home daycare for 5 years but this last year has been really difficult. I have been burned out and just not enjoying it much. I was hoping to take the summer off and come back refreshed and ready to start again. Only scheduled to have 1 family returning in September and a second family coming back in January after a maternity leave. The family that is supposed to be back in September told me yesterday they might be switching to a provider who can provide transport to and from preschool. I am ok with that, but that leaves me with no one until Jan! I feel as though this has happened for a reason and I should close and move on. My problem is I still have 3 young children of my own (2, 7, 9) so paying for daycare for them is not an option, but I need an income. My heart says move on but the practical part of me says no way! I am also having a hard time coming up with something I can do that would work around our school schedule. So to those of you moving on...how did you know it was time? And does anyone out there have any ideas for what I could do if I do decide to call it quits? So stressed about this but I really want to make a decision before my families leave for summer next month so I can let them know! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
butterfly 11:33 AM 05-15-2013
I think I'd keep quiet about it for now, see how the summer goes with no one and give yourself a couple weeks to decide if this was the break that you needed or if you need to make this a more permanent arrangement. 
Sugar Magnolia 11:35 AM 05-15-2013
Go.with your gut instinct. If you feel burned out.and your heart isn't in it anymore, maybe it is.A.D. Sign to move on. Only YOU know.what is best for you. You can always take the summer off and see if you feel like.starting over. Best wishes!
klamb28 09:25 AM 06-02-2013
definitely follow your heart as it would not be fair to the children in your care to not be able to give them your best. I also am burned out. I just recently closed my center after 22 years. I am hoping to lease it to a chain day care. i wish you the best in whatever you do. I personally am the type of person if i cant give it my all and my best then i aint going to do it. I will tell you like a friend told me, it is ok to move on to the next chapter of your life.
cheerfuldom 11:21 AM 06-02-2013
well as a mother who also helps support her family thru home daycare, we dont always have the choice to just up and quit when we are ready. I would take the time now to carefully consider what you need your income to be. Can you cut expenses anywhere else? sell an extra car or anything like that? consider your budget. Also consider what skills you have in order to get another job. and what your choices are for child care for your three depending on what type of job you have to get outside the home in order to make your ends meet. with all that considered, you may find that taking one or two extra kids IS the best option for now. perhaps you will reconsider and hang in there till all your kids are school age. If you end up coming back to daycare, you can then consider what days, hours and ages really work best for you. Do you even want to care for another infant in Jan? you dont HAVE to take this family back just because they want to come back. perhaps a sibling set of preschool age kids would be better for your group anyway (especially with your kids being older). Another thing to consider is if it is really daycare stressing you out or is it just your own life and your kids that you are needing help with. Perhaps there are other things in your life that you can tweak in order to have the patience and energy to continue doing daycare. Now is the time to really consider that options that you personally have. Dont waste time wishing for something that is not an option, if being a SAHM is not an option just let it go and figure out what will work. good luck to you!
Evansmom 12:01 PM 06-02-2013
I agree with cheerfuldom. Sometimes we cant just quit even tho we are burned out. I know I can't. I've been over and over this in my mind for more than a year and here are some things I've come up with:
One thing would be to reduce the number of kids you watch, of course this reduces your income but make budget cuts where you can. And start requiring parents to pack lunch so there isn't that expense and stress. Simplify as much as you can.
Another thing is to do like you are, take an extended amount of time off and then go back to work hopefully refreshed.
One idea I had was to begin to take only SA after school kids. My plan was to have the whole day to do what I needed/like to such as be a SAHM. Then when school let out I would work with SA from that time until 7pm or so. I'd stay open later as a way to set myself apart from other after school programs and other home daycares. I'd market myself as a program that stayed open late as a perk to working parents so that they didn't have to rush in the evenings and could run errands or go to the gym after work. If I did this in my area I could charge $300-$400 per month and with 4-5 SA kids thy would be comparable to my full time income I'm making right now. So work less hours but still have income.
Hope some of these ideas help! I feel ya! I'm in the same boat too. I'm actually planning on closing in Feb or march of next year. We are seriously downsizing, selling our big house and going to rent for a while. I'll only keep one child and home school my own. No yard to take care of, no daycare supplies to buy, less in monthly rent than we are paying in mortgage. More free time! Yay!!
One thing would be to reduce the number of kids you watch, of course this reduces your income but make budget cuts where you can. And start requiring parents to pack lunch so there isn't that expense and stress. Simplify as much as you can.
Another thing is to do like you are, take an extended amount of time off and then go back to work hopefully refreshed.
One idea I had was to begin to take only SA after school kids. My plan was to have the whole day to do what I needed/like to such as be a SAHM. Then when school let out I would work with SA from that time until 7pm or so. I'd stay open later as a way to set myself apart from other after school programs and other home daycares. I'd market myself as a program that stayed open late as a perk to working parents so that they didn't have to rush in the evenings and could run errands or go to the gym after work. If I did this in my area I could charge $300-$400 per month and with 4-5 SA kids thy would be comparable to my full time income I'm making right now. So work less hours but still have income.
Hope some of these ideas help! I feel ya! I'm in the same boat too. I'm actually planning on closing in Feb or march of next year. We are seriously downsizing, selling our big house and going to rent for a while. I'll only keep one child and home school my own. No yard to take care of, no daycare supplies to buy, less in monthly rent than we are paying in mortgage. More free time! Yay!!
DaisyMamma 06:42 AM 06-03-2013
Use the summer to recharge.
You'll likely get plenty of calls come end of Aug. Choose families carefully.
You have a 2 year old. That's the real issue with quitting IMO. Being away from him or her for 45+ hrs a week would be very hard and with the cost of daycare might not be worth it for you.
You'll likely get plenty of calls come end of Aug. Choose families carefully.
You have a 2 year old. That's the real issue with quitting IMO. Being away from him or her for 45+ hrs a week would be very hard and with the cost of daycare might not be worth it for you.