If you are a stay at home mom or you just love kids and need to make some extra money running your own in home daycare may be for you. With dedication and some basic knowledge of kids you can run a successful daycare from your own home.
Decide weather you are going to provide meals, or if you are going to have parents pack meals for their children. There are pros and cons to both. If your watching several two year olds, you aren't going to want their lunch to be too messy, and if the parents are packing the meals they might send cans of spaghettiohs. If you have to supply the meals you will need to up your price and come up with a healthy and cost effective menu for the week. Also take your dining area into consideration. Do you need high chairs, booster seats or a kids table?
Next, you should decide what age groups you are comfortable watching. It's easier to keep children that are close in age so that you can supply activities and toys accordingly. If you have a smaller home infants would probably be easier for you to keep than five year olds. Just use common sense.
Stock up on toys, books, and kid videos. You might want to get an old vcr player and several children's vhs tapes from a pawn shop. They will come in handy you'll spend almost nothing on them. You should also check out good will and garage sales for cheap toys. Just make sure they are in good condition. Would you want your children playing with them? Dollar stores are a good place to get coloring books and crayons.
First you need to find out what the regulations are in your state. Legally, you can only have so many children to one adult. Go online and search child care rules and regulations for your state.
Start advertising. You can advertise on craigslist for free. I've had alot of luck with craigslist in the past. You can also take out an ad in your local paper. Calls should start coming in soon.
Decide how much you are going to charge before you even start talking to prospective clients. Look for other in home childcare ads on craigslist to get an idea of what is normal for your area. Just call them and pretend to be interested in their services to find out their price and what all it includes.
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