How to Run a Successful Home Daycare

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Home large enough to accommodate number of children
Daycare License
Daycare Software
Toys
Separate Appliances/Storage for Daycare

Step 1

Contact your state daycare licensor. Check online for where to call. In NYS, we contact the NYS Office of Children and Family Services. The licensor will set up an appointment to come to your house, and will give you recommendations, and an application to license your daycare.
Step 2

There are lots and lots (and lots!) of things on the checklist that the licensor will check for when he inspects your home to complete the licensing requirements. Make an extensive checklist, and check off and date each item as you complete it. Some things, like outlet covers, need two check boxes, as you will need to check the morning of the inspection to make sure that your children (or spouse) didn't fail to put them back after using an outlet.
Step 3

Find good daycare software. The right software for your needs is like having TWO assistants in your daycare. I am most familiar with Minute Menu Kids Pro Software, from Redleaf Press, and it did everything from track my attendance, to keeping meal counts for CACFP food reimbursement. At the end of the year, it also printed really nice tax records for my parents, making it easier for them to claim their childcare credit on income tax returns.
Step 4

As much as possible, separate your family from your business. It's not fair to your children to make them share all of their toys with your daycare. As much as possible, your children should have an area of your home where they can keep toys that are off limits to the daycare, and are "put away" during daycare hours.
Also, it is easier to keep track of food costs, paper towels, etc, if you have a separate cabinet or shelves for daycare supplies.
I rented a duplex, and had the daycare in one apartment and the daycare in the other, making it possible to have separate kitchens, playrooms, etc. It also made it easier for my children to get away from the group when they wanted to.
Step 5

Make contracts, or buy them online. Make contracts with your daycare parents, setting forth your expectations, and making it clear what services you will provide. Some providers state in their contracts that they require four weeks notice before withdrawing, or that some holidays are paid, and the parent is still responsible for a full week's rate.
If you are going to have a partner, or an assistant, or substitutes, or all of the above, you should also draw up a contract between the two of you, ESPECIALLY if you are friends or relatives. This provides the opportunity for you to protect yourselves and each other from any kind of misunderstandings about what the responsibilities are, and reduces the chances of misunderstandings.
Step 6

Determine your rates. I determined my rates by going to the website for the Office of Children and Family Services, and I used their daycare subsidy rates, as I planned on accepting children who received daycare subsidy.
Step 7

Invest yourself in the children, and be creative! We thought of fabulous things to do with the kids. Once in awhile, we took the daycare kids to the drive-in movies. The parents paid for their children, and they got a free night off without having to pay the baby-sitter.
We took pictures and made iron-on t-shirts for Mother's Day and Father's Day that said "World's Best Father", etc.
We were creative and got free donations of prom gowns, dress-up clothes, blank eye-glasses from the optical (clear glass in the lens) and had an extensive dress-up area.
Step 8

Get volunteer helpers for your daycare from local high school (parenting classes) or local community college (early childhood education students). The students often get educational credit for helping you, and you get a free volunteer that has the potential to become a future assistant or substitute!
Step 9

Educate, educate, educate! Take every class that you can! In NYS, EIP, the Educational Incentive Program, offers funding to pay for daycare education. I was able to take online classes, and classes through the mail to earn training hours towards my licensing requirements.
Step 10

Give discounts!! Offer a discount to parents who pre-pay. If you pay in advance, you pay monthly for four weeks (getting the fifth week free). The parents end up getting a free month at the end of the year, and you have the advantage of being paid ahead of time for care, and you get paid whether the kids come or not, and are able to use that income to purchase food, supplies,etc.
Give discounts for siblings...10% for second child, 15% for third child, etc.
Step 11

Sign up for CACFP food reimbursement program. In my daycare, I averaged between $400-$500 per month in reimbursement from the government for food. My own children were also included in the meal counts, and that did a LOT for helping my food budget!!
CACFP offers a LOT of help with providing good nutrition, etc.
Step 12

Ask your licensor about child care networks in your area. In my county, the childcare network offered assistance with safety items for my daycare, including baby swings, high chairs, pack-n-plays, baby gates, fire extinguishers, nap mats, first aid kits, gloves.