Things You'll Need:
- Pen, Paper,safety locks, toys
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Step 1
Determine Which portions of your home you are going to use for your daycare, i.e. living room, kitchen, bathroom, family room, play area, etc. Gate off the areas you do not want children to have access to. Gating off the kitchen, when not in use is a wise idea as well, as it is always a potential hazard for children. Keep the access to the bathroom limited, i.e. keep the door closed.
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Step 2
Have your home completely child proof. By this I mean latches on all cupboards and drawers. Lock up access to all chemicals. Assure there are no items a child can climb on or fall off of that would cause harm. Post poison control number by the phone. Think safety first. Go through your home as if you are a potential parent and weed out any thing that could cause harm, or pose as a danger or threat to children. This goes for the outside of your home as well. Are your walk ways safe and secure? Do you have a gated off area for children to play where they are protected from the street and other potential hazards?
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Step 3
Determine what toys you will have available for children to play with. This can be challenging, you need to keep in mind the age of the children and the safety guidelines of the toys. Do not get carried away with adding too many toys of focusing on the latest and the greatest as this just becomes over whelming for you and the children, children play better when offered fewer choices. The best method is to find toys that are easy to sanitize. If you have your own children you will need to ask them which toys they are willing to share with other kids and which toys are off limits. Keep your children's belongings and play areas, i.e. play rooms, bedroom, etc. off limits during day care hours, for not only the daycare children but also for your own children. This keeps things consistent and fair to all children involved.
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Step 4
Create a weekly structure that you can easily follow daily, stay regiment with this schedule. If you do not create a structured environment for the children and yourself from day one you are going to fail as your stress level will rise beyond the point you can handle. Children thrive best in a structured environment. Make your schedule as detailed as possible at a minimum it should include details like drop off, pick up times, meal times, nap times, hygiene time i.e. diaper changing/bathroom time, and of course activity time, and play time. If your own children will be attending daycare assure that they follow this schedule as well.
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Step 5
Create several well balanced weekly menus that you can rotate throughout the month. It is simpler for you as the provider to include meals in the price you are charging parents in order to keep a structured environment. You will have fewer qualms if everyone is offered the same things. Planned meals make meal times streamlined and efficient for you. Do not go over board and get elaborate with your meal planning as children to be very finicky when it comes to meals. Offering a well balanced cost effective meal with just the basics will assure your meal time success.
Comments
6daughters4me said
on 3/29/2009 godinluc- that's really interesting, but I think it's wrong of you to join eHow just so you can leave the same comment on every single article written about toys, just to advertise your discovery toys business. Please write your own articles instead of spamming.
3-Point said
on 3/20/2009 I love it! Thanks for your excellent advice. 5*
mrsrussell said
on 3/2/2009 I am in the process of opening a daycare! Great article! 5* and my recommendation!
FrazzledNanny said
on 2/24/2009 Well researched and written plan. Thanks for the helpful article. 5*