Question:

I would like to give you a 5 second back ground… My wife and I are proud parents of 2 who both love children. We reside in NY ( and I realize each state has its own laws/regulations ) and wish to try our hand at the day care business. We have went to a class or 2 at the local state center and I have been viewing posts in these groups for a bit. The main thing we want to accomplish is caring for children while letting the daycare be our PRIMARY source of income. We will have 1 more certified assistant besides ourselves, and plan on watching between 6-10 children daily. We live in a nice house with 1 acre of land and plenty of room to play inside and out. ( still with me ?? J ).

Ok – so here are some questions ( probably not all of them – but some I have in mind as of right now ).

1.      Contracts, policies, rules etc… Is it possible that you email me examples or what you use? I don’t want to have a lot of revisions, but don’t want a 10 page legal form either – I am hoping to get it right the 1st time – Impossible I know!!!

2.      Rates, hours, wages, etc… What do you pay your help ( if you have any ).  What do you charge parents ( please be specific i.e.. potty trained etc…. ) And what hours work for you?

3.      *****Night time day ca re... Realistically I wish to run the night-time day care while my wife runs the morning day care*** This is big for me, hence the stars– I want this one to work. I wish to stay up at night and run this shift, we have 4 local hospitals I would start advertising too, and go from there. ANY advise if you have any would be appreciated ( what to look for, problems, concerns etc. )

4.      Webcam access – Any thoughts – legal issues, etc on this one?

5.      General thoughts concerns etc… Ok here is where you give me the dirt J Tell me everything I need to hear good and bad!!!

I know I have A LOT more questions and concerns but I need to start somewhere without overwhelming you. So if you could find the time to reply back sometime soon, I know we are all busy – even a few words of advise would be appreciated

Answer:

I run my home-based daycare in NY State,  Right now there isn't anything in the regulations about alarms.  However, a daycare center was closed down because they "lost" a child.  The 3 or 4 year old just walked over to the front door of the center, opened it and left.  What happened to the child?  Someone was driving down the street and thought it odd that the child was all alone walking.  They stopped and took the child to the nearest police station (with out a car-seat) because she couldn't get any information from the child about why they were all alone!  The police returned to the center and closed them on the spot.  They are permanently closed now and the owner went to court to try and get their license back.  Said it wasn't their fault the kid left.  - Not a smart argument.  So I'm sure regulations will be changing soon requiring alarms.  It's against the regs to actually the lock the doors of the daycare home, because if the children need to evacuate and the adult is incapacitated, the children need to be able to get out.

1. Contracts, policies, rules etc. Is it possible that you email me examples or what you use?

I don't -want to have a lot of revisions, but don't want a 10 page legal form either - I am hoping to get it right -the 1st time - Impossible I know!!! Well, as you said, it'll possibly be different in your area, but here's a link with lots of free downloadable forms that might help:

-2. Rates, hours, wages, etc. What do you pay your help ( if you have any ).  What do you charge -parents ( please be specific i.e.. potty trained etc. ) And what hours work for you?

Unless someone in NY posts, we aren't going to be very helpful with this LOL! I can tell you what the UK average is, but not an NY average. Try to find a few local daycares and ask what they charge to get a rough estimate. I charge a flat fee per hour, regardless of age/ability, but do charge a higher fee for under 30 hours a week. I also charge a higher fee for before 8am and after 6pm, and a higher fee for weekends. I don't give discounts for siblings. I charge half fee for all absences apart from my own holidays, but everyone is different and you need to do whatever is the norm in your area. If you have a minimum wage in your area, you'll have to pay your assistant at least that amount.

3. *****Night time day care. Realistically I wish to run the night-time day care while my wife runs the morning day care***

I don't do overnight care so can't really help with this one. The rules over here (UK) are that the children must sleep on the same floor as you, you need a fire officer to check your home, and you must have mains-linked smoke alarms. Each child needs their own bed and bed linen. You don't need to stay awake to do overnight care, it's fine to sleep too, as long as the children have access to you if they need you.

4. Webcam access - Any thoughts - legal issues, etc on this one?

I don't know anyone who does this in a home daycare, the legal ramifications make it difficult.

5. General thoughts concerns etc. Ok here is where you give me the dirt J Tell me everything I need -to hear good and bad!!!

OK well, parents can be a pain in the backside, but if you get good families they can be wonderful. Make sure that you have policies and contracts that cover *everything*, especially sickness and exclusion. I don't know if you *have to* have these, but it is good practice to have a pediatric first aid certificate, plus possibly some kind of childcare/early years qualification. You'll need public liability insurance, and business insurance on your car; this will probably affect your household insurance so check with them before you start. I love my job, I find it interesting, fun and fulfilling - not many jobs pay you to splash in puddles and jump in leaf piles