Start & Run a Home Daycare

by Catherine M. Pruissen

Overview

Starting a home daycare takes more than just a love of children, it also takes an understanding of the business. Child care is a much sought-after service today. If you love working with children and want to run your own business, a home daycare could be the perfect choice. Providing quality child care and making a profit isn’t child’s play. Caring for children is as challenging and multifaceted as parenting itself. In addition, you need to master record keeping, licensing requirements, and all other tasks associated with running a small business. This book, an international best seller, will help you get started right and keep your daycare running smoothly and successfully.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781770407305
Publisher:	Self-Counsel Press, Inc.
Publication date:	10/01/2019
Series:	Start & Run Business Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	232
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Catherine is the CEO and Founder of About Child Care Consumer Services, publishers of an interactive Web site called Child Care On-line. She was the Coordinator/Owner of the Child Care Information Centre in Calgary, Alberta, co-owned and operated the City Wide Babysitting Service in Calgary, Alberta, and ran a successful dayhome for eight years. A mother of two, she is the owner of CanDan Publishing Co., under which she writes and publishes a number of other child care related books and other resources.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xvii INTRODUCTION xix 1 IS CHILD CARE FOR YOU? 1 1. The Entrepreneurial Spirit 1 2. The Business of Child Care 2 3. Why Daycare? 2 4. Evaluating Yourself and Your Situation 3 4.1 Step one: self-evaluation 3 4.2 Step two: family evaluation 6 4.3 Step three: situation evaluation 9 2 ASSESSING THE NEED FOR CHILD CARE 12 1. Determining Your Objectives 12 2. Creating a Questionnaire 13 3. Collecting the Data 13 3.1 Mailed questionnaires 13 3.2 Telephone interviews 13 3.3 In-person interviews 19 4. Estimating Costs 19 5. Analyzing Your Data 20 3 DAYCARE LICENSING 21 1. Group Size 22 2. Caregiver Qualifications 22 3. Program Outlines 23 4. Physical Environment 23 5. Health and Safety 24 6.Nutrition 25 CONTENTS vii viii Start&run a home daycare 7. Parental Involvement 25 8. Administration (Operating Procedures) 25 9. Getting Your License 26 10. Unlicensed Daycare 27 4 SETTING UP SHOP 28 1. Legal Advice 28 1.1 Finding a lawyer 28 1.2 Your first meeting 28 1.3 Keeping legal costs down 29 1.4 The Child Care Law Center 29 2. Naming Your Business 29 3. Your Business Structure 30 3.1 Sole proprietorship 30 3.2 Partnership 31 3.3 Incorporation 31 4.Insurance 31 5. Your Project Log 33 5 MONEY MATTERS: YOUR START-UP AND OPERATING BUDGETS 37 1. Your Start-Up Costs 37 2. You Need Money — Where Can You Go? 42 2.1 Relatives and friends 42 2.2 Banks and other lending institutions 42 2.3 Government 44 3. Your Operating Budget 44 4. Estimating Income 44 5. Estimating Expenses 45 5.1 Food costs 45 5.2 Supply costs 45 5.3 Equipment replacement costs 48 6 SETTING YOUR RATES 54 1. Local Rate Standards 54 2. Your Expenses 55 Contents ix 3. Your Time 55 4. Your Quality of Care 55 5. Late Fees 58 6.Absenteeism 58 7. Holidays and Vacations 58 8. Rate Increases 58 9. Bad Accounts 59 10. The Rate Sheet 59 7 SETTING AND STATING POLICIES 63 1. What Age Group Will You Care For? 64 2. How Many Children Can You Accommodate? 66 3. How Will You Handle the Illness of a Child? 66 3.1 Communicable diseases 67 3.2 Administering medication 67 4. How Will You Organize Transportation and Field Trips? 67 5. What Kind of Behavior Management (Discipline) Will You Use? 68 6. What Kind of Supplies Will Parents Provide? 71 7. Who Will Act As Substitute Caregivers? 72 8. Who Will You Release the Child To? 72 9. How Will You Encourage Parental Participation? 73 10. What Are Your Emergency Procedures? 73 11. When Will You Provide Care? 74 12. What Meals Will You Provide? 74 13. Your Policy Statement 74 13.1 Purpose and philosophy statement 75 13.2 Trial period 82 13.3 Illness 82 13.4 Transportation and field trips 82 13.5 Behavior management 83 13.6 Supplies 83 13.7 Substitute caregivers 83 13.8 Releasing the child from care 83 13.9 Parent participation 84 x Start&run a home daycare 13.10 Emergencies 84 13.11 Meals 84 13.12 Child abuse 84 8 FINDING CUSTOMERS 85 1.Flyers 86 2. Bulletin Boards 88 3. Newspaper and Newsletter Advertising 88 4. Using the Yellow Pages 88 5. The Internet 89 6. Marketing By Association 90 7. Word-of-Mouth Advertising 90 8. Your Logo 91 9. Publicity 91 9.1 Radio bulletin boards 91 9.2 The news release 92 9.3 Keep it up 94 10. Referral Agencies 94 11. The Marketing Activity Sheet 95 9 THE NEW CUSTOMER 98 1. Handling Those Telephone Calls 98 2. The Personal Interview 99 3. The Information Package 102 10 PROGRAM PLANNING 106 1. What Children Need 106 2. Creating a Daily Schedule 108 3. Choosing Activities for a Child’s Development 108 4. Weekly Activity Chart 111 11 PLAY 119 1. What Are Learning Centers? 120 2. Housekeeping Center 120 3. Art Center 121 Contents xi 4. Construction Center 123 5. Quiet Center 124 6. Book Center 124 7. Sand and Water Center 125 8. Music Center 125 9. Other Centers 126 9.1 Math center 126 9.2 Science center 126 9.3 Camping center 126 9.4 Infant center 126 10. Outdoor Play 126 11. Staying Organized and Having Fun 128 12. Toy Libraries 129 13.Games 129 12 HEALTH AND SAFETY 131 1. Why Caregivers Have to Worry about “Little” Illnesses 131 2. Preventing the Spread of Germs 132 2.1 Hand washing 132 2.2 Diapering 133 2.3 After using the toilet 133 2.4 Food preparation 133 2.5 Other helpful hints 134 3.Immunization 134 4. Recognizing Communicable Diseases 134 5. Parent Communication 135 6. The Hazard Zone — Your Home 136 6.1 Falls 136 6.2 Poisoning 136 6.3Drowning 140 6.4Choking 140 6.5Burns 141 6.6 Motor vehicle accidents 141 6.7 Other dangers 141 xii Start&run a home daycare 7. Outdoor Safety 142 8. Fire Safety 145 13 NUTRITION 146 1. The Food Guide 146 2. Menu Planning 147 3.Mealtimes 149 4. Getting Children to Eat 149 5. Infant Feedings 151 6. Special Diets 152 14 CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS 153 1. Making the Decision to Care for Children with Special Needs 154 2. Handling the Issue with the Parents of Your Other Children 154 3. Readying Your Home 154 15 PARENTS: PARTNERS IN CHILD CARE 156 1. Starting Out on the Right Foot 156 2. Keep Them Involved 157 3. Problem Solving 158 16 KEEPING RECORDS 160 1. Financial Records 160 1.1 What is a business expense? 161 1.2 Expense records 162 1.3 Revenue records 162 1.4 Your business account 164 2. Child Records 165 3. Facility Records 165 4. Employee Records 165 17 CHILD ABUSE 173 1. Your Responsibility to Report Abuse 173 2. What Constitutes Abuse or Neglect? 174 2.1 Physical abuse 174 2.2 Sexual abuse 174 Contents xiii 2.3 Emotional abuse 174 2.4Neglect 174 3. Signs of Abuse or Neglect 174 4. The Abusive Parent 176 5. Reporting Abuse 176 6. Telling the Parents 178 18 FINDING AND HIRING EMPLOYEES 179 1. Writing a Job Description 179 2. Recruiting Employees 180 3. Interviewing Applicants 181 4. Trial Period 181 5. Benefits and Incentives 182 19 THE OUT-OF-HOME DAYCARE 184 1. What Kind of Daycare Do You Want to Operate? 184 2. Finding a Location 185 3. Legal Legwork 187 4. The Director of Your Center 188 5. Other Staff 189 20 CARING FOR THE CAREGIVER 192 1. Managing Your Limitations 193 2. Taking Time for You 193 3. Join a Caregiver Support Network 194 APPENDIXES 1. Government Offices 197 2. Child-Care Organizations and Associations 203 3. Internet Resources 204 xiv Start&run a home daycare SAMPLES 1. Child-Care Needs Assessment Questionnaire 14 2. Cover Letter for Questionnaire 18 3. Food Cost Analysis 46 4. Supply Cost Analysis 49 5. Equipment Replacement Cost Analysis 51 6. Average Daycare Rates 57 7. Rate Sheet 61 8. Transportation Permission Form 69 9. Policy Statement 76 10. Flyer 87 11. News Release 93 12. Telephone Information Sheet 100 13. Child-Care Agreement 104 14. Daily Schedule 109 15. Weekly Activity Chart 118 16. Child Medical Form 137 17. Medication Permission Form 139 18. Weekly Menu 150 19. Monthly Expense Record 163 20. Expense Summary 164 21. Monthly Revenue Record 166 22. Child Information Sheet 167 23. Medication Administered Form 169 24. Accident, Injury, and Illness Report 170 25. Daily Information Sheet 171 TABLES 1. Child Development Chart 112 2. Activity Idea Charts 114 3. The Four Food Groups 148 4. Signs of Abuse or Neglect 175 5. Staff Responsibilities and Qualifications 191 Contents xv WORKSHEETS 1. Child-Care Provider’s Self-Evaluation Quiz 4 2. Family Evaluation Quiz 7 3. Situation Evaluation Quiz 10 4. Project Log 34 5. Pricing Start-Up Equipment 40 6. Start-Up Budget 43 7. Food Cost Analysis 47 8. Supply Cost Analysis 50 9. Equipment Replacement Cost Analysis 52 10. Estimated Operating Budget 53 11. Average Daycare Rates 56 12. Writing a Purpose and Philosophy Statement 81 13. Marketing Activity Sheet 96 14. Safety Checklist 143 15. Location Checklist 186