How to Start an At-Home Daycare in MA
Opening an at-home daycare in Massachusetts is a great way to earn a nice paycheck. You can enjoy the benefits of being your own boss and spending quality time with your family, and there are also numerous tax breaks and programs that help pay for food. There are few startup costs involved and you can market your daycare for free online. Before you get started, there are a number of things you need to do, including obtaining a daycare license.
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Instructions
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Attend a Potential Provider Meeting. Massachusetts' licensing staff holds mandatory meetings to talk about the positives and challenges of being a family child care provider, as well as what steps are needed to become licensed. During the first meeting, you'll be given an application as well as information on the types of classes that are required to become licensed. These usually include CPR, Shaken Baby Syndrome, First Aid, and SIDS. Classes are held by Massachusetts Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies throughout the Commonwealth.
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Childproof your home. You'll be given a list of things that need to be done to make sure children are safe in your daycare. Safety gates, outlet plugs, cupboard locks, and a commercial-grade fire extinguisher are just some of the things that Massachusetts requires in a licensed home daycare.
A great way to childproof your home is to get down on your hands and knees and look at the things a child could come in contact with. You'll also need to remove anything potentially dangerous on your counters and bathroom vanities. Sharp objects, poisonous cleaners, and items containing alcohol are very dangerous for small children.
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Purchase equipment for your home daycare. You'll need items like indoor and outdoor toys, books, art supplies, dishes, cups, linen, and cots or cribs. Visit Massachusetts' secondhand stores and garage sales to save money or check out Craig's List, where many free and inexpensive items are available. Make sure to disinfect everything and always check for recalled items.
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Anticipate a fire and home inspection from the Massachusetts' licensing agency. They'll inspect your home and go over any changes that need to be made prior to approving your license.
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Sign up with one of the Massachusetts food programs that work with daycare providers. You can receive hundreds of dollars a month to help pay for nutritional meals.
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Visit another daycare provider in Massachusetts. Be sure to call in advance, noting that you're opening a daycare and would like to get a better feel for the business. Most providers are very friendly and will let you visit during the day while they have children. You can see how they have their home set up for daycare.
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Advertise your home daycare. You can advertise for free at Local.com and Craig's List. You can also create fliers and post them in Massachusetts libraries, coffee shops, and churches, and advertise at schools and grocery stores. Post signs near your home advertising your openings.
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Create a policy handbook and contract for your parents. Utilize this to inform parents what your rules and rates are. List your available hours, payment expectations, scheduling and other procedures. Try to be as detailed as possible. You can make changes as you learn what works for you.
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Be very organized. You'll have lots of paperwork to store for your business, including child care forms, receipts, and tax information. You can never be too organized.
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Take additional child care classes. Massachusetts offers numerous classes that can benefit your child care program. Whether it's learning how to handle temper tantrums or creating a curriculum, you can only benefit from additional education.
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Pace yourself. Running your own home daycare can be financially and emotionally rewarding, but it's also a lot of work. Be patient and take each day in stride. As you become more accustomed to how you want to run your business, things will get easier.
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Tips & Warnings
Talk to your tax preparer about the tax benefits of operating an at-home business.
References
- Photo Credit children image by Marzanna Syncerz from Fotolia.com
