What Don't You Like About Owning A DC?

[Christina72684]

I HATE paperwork! I never knew how much was involved! I also hate scheduling. I own 2 daycare homes with a total of 6 PT employees (my mom and I are owners and I'm counting us), and I hate trying to work around 3 girls in college, 3 of us being moms, and wanting to make everyone happy!!!

[Blackcat31]

The continuous struggle to help parents understand what "group care" means and how ONE family's actions affect everyone else.

Everyone seems to think I am here just for them.

I TOTALLY understand why. It just gets old after a while.

[MsLaura529]

That "stuck" feeling ... especially since I have my own DD and DS with me. We can't decide one morning to get up and head to the park or zoo or library. We are stuck.

[melilley]

Originally Posted by MsLaura529

That "stuck" feeling ... especially since I have my own DD and DS with me. We can't decide one morning to get up and head to the park or zoo or library. We are stuck.

Same here! Also if they decide to take a short nap or not nap at all, then we don't really even get a break!

[Provider_Manda]

Mine is in my home and I hate the feeling of no privacy. I use our whole downstairs, and it seems like I have no privacy. I also hate the stuck feeling. DCP get mad if you have to close early for a dr.'s appointment, but they can take off a whole day from work. Get's old after awhile.

[butterfly]

I really LOVE what I do, but I dislike the licensing aspect of business - keeping track of immunizations for example. I feel that shouldn't be my problem to worry about.

[Jack Sprat]

Parents who linger too long and paper work. I have two months of tax info etc to catch up on. Guess what I am doing Labor Day weekend??

[melilley]

Originally Posted by Lil Monkey

Parents who linger too long and paper work. I have two months of tax info etc to catch up on. Guess what I am doing Labor Day weekend??

I'm with ya! I have a whole envelope of tax stuff to file/input in my computer program!

[LK5kids]

I S O L A T I O N!!! I hate working alone for 10 1/2 hrs a day.

[craftymissbeth]

That my home is not really my home anymore. Daycare has taken over the entire first floor of my house and it's affecting DH and DS.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

Originally Posted by Lil Monkey

Parents who linger too long and paper work. I have two months of tax info etc to catch up on. Guess what I am doing Labor Day weekend??

Hmm yes, definitely parents who linger too long.

They physically EXHAUST me. I have Asperger's and the interactions with parents who linger absolutely drain me when they last more than 30 seconds. It drains me so much so that I only interact with the "early drop off" families. I sit in the back (3 rooms back -- you can see directly to the back through all of the daycare rooms) where their 2 tables are while they eat breakfast. All of the other families let themselves in. I am in the front during pick-up time, though, and some parents love to try and chat, chat, chat, chat, chat, chat, chat. They try to make lengthy conversations because they like me but having 9 five minute conversations just isn't possible or okay.

[JoseyJo]

The "dramas"- It seems like there is always drama when there are 8 different families to deal with every day. Like DCM today who goes on and on about how dcb is "covered" in chigger bites even though they didn't go outside yesterday. He must have got them here and aren't all the other kids covered? NO dcm, no one else has any, DCB is not "covered" he has 4 and we use bug spray every time we step out the door!

***! I need to let this stuff roll off my back like a duck!

[e.j.]

Originally Posted by craftymissbeth

That my home is not really my home anymore.

I'd love to have more privacy. If I could afford to turn my garage into a day care area complete with kitchen and bathroom, I'd love it!

[CedarCreek]

1. Lack of privacy and general disrespect of my home

2. Isolation

3. Trying to fill open spots

4. Keeping up with immunizations! (Although it turns out my licensor made a mistake on one of my children and had to take that deficiency back! )

[MarinaVanessa]

The only thing that I hate about working in my home is that my DH, bless his heart because I love him and I don't think he means to do things that bother me on purpose, has his own ideas of how a daycare should be run and he still sometimes forgets that his home is a business during the day and that he can't come home after work to crack a beer and take off his shirt to have "a cold one" in the backyard while the kids are playing or take a nap on the couch in the living room which is our main play space and the room that the parents walk into when they first come in .

[Laurel]

The long hours

Laurel

[spud912]

1. The Unpredictable: At one moment I can be full and the next moment (ok, well 2 weeks, but still not entirely long enough to fill vacancies), I could be scrambling to find new families.

2. The Inflexibility: I can't make doctor's appointments without cross-checking with my back-up to see if the time is ok. Considering my back-up is my dh, he has a way of making me feel bad about ever needing a back-up without really saying much. In the beginning, my back-up was my mom, but she got a part-time job so she's not always available. My dh's job is more than flexible (he often works at home), the kids know him well and he knows the routine so it only makes sense that he would be the back-up. But, noooo, he always has to comment about how it irks him that my mom is no longer always available....hello?! She has a life and personal responsibility too!

3. The Need for Constant Availability: I can't just take a day off without ample notice. The one time I called in sick in 3 years, I felt horrible because now 4 other families are burdened.

4. Inability to Take Extended Time Off: Ok, I guess we can take time off, but it's at the risk of losing clients and definitely without any income. I WAS spoiled because my prior job was in the government and I had paid short-term disability, 4 weeks of paid vacation time, 1 week of paid sick time and 10 paid holidays per year . I understand taking this job was cutting all of that out, but I constantly worry about how we are going to scrape by if I get injured and cannot work during the recovery part. This is probably my biggest concern! Plus, I really feel like we need more than a few days or 2 weeks for maternity "leave" should we decide to have another baby; however if we do take more time, then we risk losing all of our clients...plus that time off is all unpaid .

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love what I do and I love these kids, but all of these concerns really worry me to the point at which I know I will eventually HAVE to leave this profession. It's great when my children are young, but not so much when they are older and don't want to spend all of their time off of school cooped up in a house full of toddlers.

On top of that, it's only a matter of time before the government completely pushes us out of business with all of their "early intervention" tactics .

[Sunnyyy1]

I love what I do, but what I like the least is paperwork and drills...lol

[Play Care]

There are so many things I love about this job, but the long hours, paperwork, the possibility of being injured and unable to work/no benefits etc. I don't know if any of those outweighs the positives, yet.

[Lyss]

Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa

The only thing that I hate about working in my home is that my DH, bless his heart because I love him and I don't think he means to do things that bother me on purpose, has his own ideas of how a daycare should be run and he still sometimes forgets that his home is a business during the day and that he can't come home after work to crack a beer and take off his shirt to have "a cold one" in the backyard while the kids are playing or take a nap on the couch in the living room which is our main play space and the room that the parents walk into when they first come in .

literally one of my biggest annoyances too. Or when he takes a day off during the week. Ugh. Headache for me!

Also:

Always feeling behind on tax/receipt stuff (But really I think thats an organizational issue I need to work on not just a DC one!)
High needs parents
How sometimes that last hour just drags on and on...

[MotherNature]

the long hours for little pay. I work 10 hr days and only make a few bucks an hour. It allows me to stay home with my son, but we decided last night to pay off what I owe my school and go back and pick up some medical certs or finish my degree.. I left after I had my son.

[Maria2013]

Originally Posted by Christina72684

I HATE paperwork! I never knew how much was involved! I also hate scheduling. I own 2 daycare homes with a total of 6 PT employees (my mom and I are owners and I'm counting us), and I hate trying to work around 3 girls in college, 3 of us being moms, and wanting to make everyone happy!!!

I hate the renewal time!
....and having to follow someone else rules even though I own the business! I would like to take in the number of kids I can prove to be capable of caring for...but I understand why they have a regulation

[Familycare71]

Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa

The only thing that I hate about working in my home is that my DH, bless his heart because I love him and I don't think he means to do things that bother me on purpose, has his own ideas of how a daycare should be run and he still sometimes forgets that his home is a business during the day and that he can't come home after work to crack a beer and take off his shirt to have "a cold one" in the backyard while the kids are playing or take a nap on the couch in the living room which is our main play space and the room that the parents walk into when they first come in .

My husband tries to fall asleep on the couch too!! I keep telling him it is CREEPY!!!

I really dislike dealing with licensing... The idiotic rules just bug me!
I dislike always having people in my home and the loss of privacy.
I dislike when parents just don't get it!
I dislike that people assume I am making mad cash for little work!

But over-all:.. I love what I do and cannot imagine doing anything else! Although I COULD imagine doing it legal unlicensed!!

[Maria2013]

that's the second time I read the term "legally unlicensed" can someone please explain to me what it means?

[Familycare71]

Originally Posted by Maria2013

that's the second time I read the term "legally unlicensed" can someone please explain to me what it means?

In my state I could care for two children not my own FT, any amount related to me and any amount for less than 3 hours and not have to be Licensed. It would be legal... But unlicensed.
There are illegal unlicensed who would care for more than allowed.
States vary... Some have no legal unlicensed and some don't require licensing at all.
Hth!

[blandino]

I dislike not being able to call in sick.

I dislike having to find someone to cover for me if I need to make a Dr. appt.
I am so jealous of my DCM who can just schedule an appt without orchestrating an army.

I dislike the feeling of confinement.

I dislike the long hours. I counted once, and I work a full extra work day compared to my friends. Not including the nights that I set aside to do things that can't be done while working, grocery shopping - etc.

[blandino]

Originally Posted by Blackcat31

The continuous struggle to help parents understand what "group care" means and how ONE family's actions affect everyone else.

THIS !! Someone should write a primer, for parents before they start looking for daycare.

[daycarediva]

Originally Posted by CedarCreek

1. Lack of privacy and general disrespect of my home

2. Isolation

3. Trying to fill open spots

4. Keeping up with immunizations! (Although it turns out my licensor made a mistake on one of my children and had to take that deficiency back! )

stuck

less time off than ANY other job, seriously I work 250/365 days a year, 10+ hour days

disrespect, parents AND kids

physical/immunizations (PARENTS SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS!)
having my home look like a preschool

interviews, gah. Sometimes you KNOW the second you see someone you won't take them, but you are pretty much obligated to waste everyones time by interviewing anyway.

Missing things for my own kids (this year within 2 weeks my kids have 8 things going on before school starts that all happen during the work day and the school gave a WEEKS notice!) My dcp's are off, or calling in, of course.

parents who linger. 8x even 5 minute conversations adds up F A S T!

parent drama. I have heard it ALL. Yup, I AM sorry that your co-workers sisters cousin got into an accident and you drove her to the hospital. Yes, you still owe a late fee because you're STILL LATE.

worrying about being paid. Even with the best of families, if they don't pay me, I can't pay MY bills. I worried MUCH less when I had a traditional job

TAXES. (I can use taxes as an expletive)

record keeping. Paperwork takes me a good hour+ per day for the daily things. Add in updates to anything, or reviews of records, that sort of thing and it just adds to my 'naptime break work'

That parents think I should do everything. Potty train, teach them the alphabet, how to write, tie their shoes, etc. when they can't manage to dress ONE kid before 8 am. PJS AGAIN!? Oh he wouldn't get dressed for you? Oh he wouldn't get dressed for ME either.

[Josiegirl]

1)The responsibility and liability that goes along with caring for others' children.
2)My home isn't MY home anymore; the wear and tear to the furniture, floors, etc., etc. that happens.
3)The fact people think we play all day and don't think of it as a real job.
4)Lack of benefits.
5)Feast or famine, no steady paycheck you can count on
6)Having to please everybody and they all want something different

[Shell]

Originally Posted by blandino

I dislike not being able to call in sick.

I dislike having to find someone to cover for me if I need to make a Dr. appt.
I am so jealous of my DCM who can just schedule an appt without orchestrating an army.

I dislike the feeling of confinement.

I dislike the long hours. I counted once, and I work a full extra work day compared to my friends. Not including the nights that I set aside to do things that can't be done while working, grocery shopping - etc.

Exactly!

[coolconfidentme]

sleep deprived!!!

[My3cents]

Originally Posted by Blackcat31

The continuous struggle to help parents understand what "group care" means and how ONE family's actions affect everyone else.

Everyone seems to think I am here just for them.

I TOTALLY understand why. It just gets old after a while.

[My3cents]

Originally Posted by LK5kids

I S O L A T I O N!!! I hate working alone for 10 1/2 hrs a day.

[My3cents]

Originally Posted by Laurel

The long hours

Laurel

[My3cents]

Originally Posted by spud912

1. The Unpredictable: At one moment I can be full and the next moment (ok, well 2 weeks, but still not entirely long enough to fill vacancies), I could be scrambling to find new families.

2. The Inflexibility: I can't make doctor's appointments without cross-checking with my back-up to see if the time is ok. Considering my back-up is my dh, he has a way of making me feel bad about ever needing a back-up without really saying much. In the beginning, my back-up was my mom, but she got a part-time job so she's not always available. My dh's job is more than flexible (he often works at home), the kids know him well and he knows the routine so it only makes sense that he would be the back-up. But, noooo, he always has to comment about how it irks him that my mom is no longer always available....hello?! She has a life and personal responsibility too!

3. The Need for Constant Availability: I can't just take a day off without ample notice. The one time I called in sick in 3 years, I felt horrible because now 4 other families are burdened.

4. Inability to Take Extended Time Off: Ok, I guess we can take time off, but it's at the risk of losing clients and definitely without any income. I WAS spoiled because my prior job was in the government and I had paid short-term disability, 4 weeks of paid vacation time, 1 week of paid sick time and 10 paid holidays per year . I understand taking this job was cutting all of that out, but I constantly worry about how we are going to scrape by if I get injured and cannot work during the recovery part. This is probably my biggest concern! Plus, I really feel like we need more than a few days or 2 weeks for maternity "leave" should we decide to have another baby; however if we do take more time, then we risk losing all of our clients...plus that time off is all unpaid .

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love what I do and I love these kids, but all of these concerns really worry me to the point at which I know I will eventually HAVE to leave this profession. It's great when my children are young, but not so much when they are older and don't want to spend all of their time off of school cooped up in a house full of toddlers.

On top of that, it's only a matter of time before the government completely pushes us out of business with all of their "early intervention" tactics .

this scares me-

[My3cents]

Originally Posted by blandino

I dislike not being able to call in sick.

I dislike having to find someone to cover for me if I need to make a Dr. appt.
I am so jealous of my DCM who can just schedule an appt without orchestrating an army.

I dislike the feeling of confinement.

I dislike the long hours. I counted once, and I work a full extra work day compared to my friends. Not including the nights that I set aside to do things that can't be done while working, grocery shopping - etc.

the above. I put a lot of extra time after hours into my daycare. It is hard to shut it off on down time, even with it not being in my home-

[My3cents]

the anxieties that come along with our job.

other people coming into your business and judging you or the fear that they are judging your business.

long hours, sometimes no break

isolation

parents that expect you to raise the child because they are paying for it

dealing with $ end of it

repeating over and over to the point that you go home and do it to your own loved ones with out realizing it.

I absolutely hate drop off and pick up time and the parents that stand there talking about the same stuff everyday. I just want to shoot myself in the foot. It gets old. Or the parents that wants to show you the cute stuff the child does- you just want to shoot yourself in the foot with I know, I know I am with your child 10 plus hours a day. I know all those cutesy things they do. Go home now so I can go home.

The last kid that never seems to go home and the clock watching that come about because of it no matter how you try to not look at the clock. That last hour every day seems to take forevvvvvveeeeerrrr no matter what I do. Or the kid that usually goes home early doesn't on the day that the one that is always there till close leaves early. Never seem to be able to catch a break.

Sounds like I am complaining a lot and I am not. I love my job. So many rewarding moments through the day and this job affords me to be able to do more for my family. I love my kiddo's and families for the most part. I would just say the above are annoyances and you find those in any job setting-

[MyAngels]

The wear and tear on my home, and the fact that I can't decorate like normal people can because everything has to be child-proofed. I didn't mind this so much when my kids were young, but now it bothers me more.

The fact that on any given day any number of people can show up unannounced and uninvited and I have to allow them full access to my home.

The inability to take a spontaneous day off.

The lack of any kind of security or benefits.

Taxes ( @ taxes as an expletive!)

[Tdhmom]

Originally Posted by LK5kids

I S O L A T I O N!!! I hate working alone for 10 1/2 hrs a day.

Definitely!!!! I feel like I don't know how to talk to adults anymore.

[melilley]

ALL of the above!

I am not saying that doing home daycare is horrible, there are a lot of perks too!

[Maria2013]

Originally Posted by Familycare71

In my state I could care for two children not my own FT, any amount related to me and any amount for less than 3 hours and not have to be Licensed. It would be legal... But unlicensed.
There are illegal unlicensed who would care for more than allowed.
States vary... Some have no legal unlicensed and some don't require licensing at all.
Hth!

thank you

[WImom]

1. Licensing
2. Interviewing/having to fill spots
3. Having to rely on others to take my kids to activities
4. Paperwork

[Jack Sprat]

Oh yes! I do miss sick days! And having only one kiddo right now. DH is working even more now that I am down to one.

[Maria2013]

Originally Posted by coolconfidentme

sleep deprived!!!

yes that^

[mrsnj]

Originally Posted by MsLaura529

That "stuck" feeling ... especially since I have my own DD and DS with me. We can't decide one morning to get up and head to the park or zoo or library. We are stuck.

YES! In the beginning I had my mom who helped me. She passed away. Now it is mainly me. So when my kids are sick, DH has to take them to the dr. Someone needs afterschool pick up, DH or someone else has to get them. There is a school function, I can't go or have to either bring in DH or pay someone to come in. That "stuck" feeling is not so great!

I don't like to haggle either. I don't like parents who think it is ok to ask about time/rules changes or parents who want to pinch that penny. It is right there. Take it or leave it but stop giving me a headache over it. It kinda gets me peeved.

[blandino]

I thought of another...

A few months ago, I was with a friend and she said "I have to go grocery shopping tonight, because I wasn't able to do my grocery shopping on my lunch break today".

I was so jealous. I would love to be able to run my errands on a lunch break and free up some of my evening time.

[Blackcat31]

I am starting to feel like the kid on the playground that just doesn't fit in...you know the last one picked for anything...

Most the things you all listed as to why you don't like daycare are the some the things I like most about it.

• isolation (I am loving my solidarity as I age...socializing gets old fast and so fake sometimes)
  
• paperwork (My mom always said I should have been an insurance salesman as I LOVE paperwork, documentation and filling out forms.)
  
• interviewing (Shhh......that is one of my favorite parts of this job... )
  
• feeling stuck or not having my home as my home during work (# 1 reason I have my own house for daycare)
  
• not being able to take days/time off or schedule appts (I feel like that is one of the perks of running a daycare...I schedule time off when I want it, not when someone else gives it to me.)
  
• long hours (I personally like being busy. I feel useful. I feel as though I am contributing to society as a child care provider)
  
• someone said sleep deprivation (again, I am the weird one...I HATE sleeping. If I could get away with not ever doing it, I would. )

This has been an interesting thread though... I think I will start one about why we LOVE what we do.

[Heidi]

Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa

The only thing that I hate about working in my home is that my DH, bless his heart because I love him and I don't think he means to do things that bother me on purpose, has his own ideas of how a daycare should be run and he still sometimes forgets that his home is a business during the day and that he can't come home after work to crack a beer and take off his shirt to have "a cold one" in the backyard while the kids are playing or take a nap on the couch in the living room which is our main play space and the room that the parents walk into when they first come in .

Is there any way to make him some sort of "man cave"? My dh has the whole family room that the dc kids only go in to nap. So, it only gets in the way when he has a rare weekday off and it's too cruddy to fish.

As for taking his shirt off, believe me, nobody wants to see that. My dh, who I find rather sexy despite these facts, is not only about 30 lbs overweight (all in front), but is also "the missing link"...

[Michelle]

I can't set my phone, computer, or drink down for a second without a baby going for it

yea... that's a big one!
You should see me on the weekend.
Friends will come in and I will point at the coffee table all excited..
Look look! I get to leave my phone on the table.

They're like..."yea, we will be making that call now"

[Michelle]

Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa

The only thing that I hate about working in my home is that my DH, bless his heart because I love him and I don't think he means to do things that bother me on purpose, has his own ideas of how a daycare should be run and he still sometimes forgets that his home is a business during the day and that he can't come home after work to crack a beer and take off his shirt to have "a cold one" in the backyard while the kids are playing or take a nap on the couch in the living room which is our main play space and the room that the parents walk into when they first come in .

Marina.. I am going through the same thing but my dh loves to run around barefoot... and he's my assistant!!!!
It's a daily struggle

[Heidi]

Originally Posted by Michelle

Marina.. I am going through the same thing but my dh loves to run around barefoot... and he's my assistant!!!!
It's a daily struggle

wait...I walk around barefoot....

So do all my dck's...

[Michelle]

Originally Posted by Heidi

wait...I walk around barefoot....

So do all my dck's...

We run our daycare like a school and for me I feel it's unprofessional.
I am also very weird about feet. I get really nice pedis but I am self conscious about my feet.
The kids run around barefoot but we don't.....except at the pool.
I think it's awesome that other people run around barefoot but this is just how I feel and how I want to run my program.