Need Advice on Opening My Own Daycare.

Hi S.!
I provide childcare in my home, I don't really consider it a daycare although some do.
It all depends on your area. Do a bit of research into the available resources around you, even though they are a bit of a drive away. Make phone calls to the facilities and tell them you are checking on rates to enroll your child. Ask them what services are provided with those rates.
Get your First Aid and CPR certification. You are not required to be state certified (in PA) unless you intend on caring for more than 4 children at once.
In my area, the cheapest facility charges $165 a week and that does not include meals. I charge $150 a week (which breaks down to $3.75 an hour for a 40 hour work week), for all ages, and meals are included. I will do care in the evenings and on the weekend, then I raise my rate to $5 an hour.
Hope that helps you out a bit, if you have any other questions or concerns, I'll help you out the best I can!
Take care and good luck!!
E.

Congrats! Just wanted to let you know that I was never able to put my kids in any type of full time daycare center because I can't afford 150 a week per child. I decided on a drop in center with cheaper rates where I provided my own food for my children. The center is wonderful. I think it's great what your doing, but that's an unreachable amount for many people, depending on the income of families in your area. Good luck!

i don't know anything about opening your own daycare. but i do know that in our area which in NEPA that 150 a week is outrageous. i pay 25 bucks a day so my daughter only goes to daycare 3 days a week because 125 is too much for me to handle. i would actually be losing money by working and keep getting deeper and deeper n the hole of debt. i do want to wish you good luck, but in my experience a daycare opened in someones home is MUCH MUCH cheaper than that of a daycare at it's own location. good luck just keep the money aspect within reach for possible children parents. J. :)

Definately depends on your area and competition. How do you plan to market your business? In my area, one woman's daycare did fail because she couldn't keep up with her kids, the house, and the daycare. She didn't have a very good curriculum and the parents started leaving. She was also out of the way in an odd location for the parents to get to. Go into it like a business with business policies, contracts and set your rates. The statistics show that most daycares only survive about 2-years. Why? Probably burnout, though I don't know personally.
Financially, the income is not always steady and you must be prepared to deal with turnover in your daycare and that loss of income during vacations or sickness or turnover. As well, with most self-employed businesses, there are no retirement savings (unless you save privately) no health insurance benefits, and so on.

There is a website called www.carecourses.com They have a detailed listing of CDA training that they offer. Also check into licensing information etc.

Good Luck!

HI S. I HAVE 4 CHILDREN MYSELF AND I HAVE BEEN RUNNING A DAYCARE FOR THE PAST 13 YEARS AND IT HAS BEEN VERY FUN AND REWARDING. I WILL TELL YOU THAT 150.00 IS ALOT UNLESS YOU ARE ONLY TAKING DOCTORS LAWYERS KIDS. A MORE REASONABLE PRICE IS 100.00 PER CHILD NOW IF YOU HAVE TWO CHILDREN FROM ONE FAMILY YOU THEN HAVE TO GIVE A PRICE BREAK. IF YOU WATCH 3 OR LESS CHILDREN YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE LICENSED IF YOU ARE PLANNING ON WATCHING MORE LET ME KNOW I WILL TELL YOU SOME THINGS YOU WILL NEED TO DO IN YOUR HOME. YOU WILL NEED TO TAKE CPR AND FIRST AID CLASSES WHETHER YOU GET LICENSED OR NOT. AS FAR AS MEDICAL INSURANCE MY HUSBAND CARRIES OUR INSURANCE. NOW YOU CAN APPLY FOR THE CHIP PROGRAM FOR YOUR CHILDREN YOU STILL HAVE TO PAY 33.50 PER CHILD PER MONTH. FOR YOURSELF YOU CAN APPLY FOR ADULT BASIC WHICH IS ALSO 33.50 PER MONTH. I KNOW THIS BECAUSE MY SISTER IN LAW WORKS THERE. IF YOU NEED THE NUMBER JUST LET ME KNOW. PLEASE FEEL FREE IF YOU NEED ANY FURTHER ADVICE TO LET ME KNOW GOOD LUCK AND CONGRATULATIONS ON A FUN REWARDING CAREER. PS THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO GENUINLEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO AFFORD THIS RATE WHICH I HAVE HAD OVER THE YEARS I HAVE WORKED WITH THESE PARENTS I HAVE GONE AS LOW AS 50.00 PER CHILD THEY SUPPLIED CHILDS FOOD ,DRINKS ,SNACKS AND ANYTHING ELSE AND THEY HAVE ALL BEEN GRATEFUL RESPONSIBLEE PARENTS. WHEN YOU HAVE A INTERVIEW WITH A PARENT MAKE SURE YOU VIBE AND AGREE WITH MOST THINGS ONE RAISING A CHILD IT MAKES IT MUCH BETTER RELATIONSHIP. STEPH

I think most in home daycares in the Baltimore area are around that price - generally $25 to $40 per day and are open from 7:30 to 6:00. It is becoming more common for people to offer evening and weekend care also, some even do overnights. Discounts are often offered for sibblings. Daycare centers are usually a little higher - a friend of mine works at a center that charges $750/week for children under two, although most are in the $250/week range.

What you set the price as depends on your area along with how many children you are looking to watch. I find that parents are more willing to pay a little more if the number of children is going to be lower because it means more one on one time for their child.

I am a nanny, so I actually go to the family's home to watch the baby. I am paid $12/hour when I have just the one family, but a couple days a week I also have the family's neighbor's baby, during that time I am paid $15/hour.

I hope this helps! Good luck! There is always a need for more great and dedicated child care providers!

Are you looking for children to watch. i have 2 beautiful children and am in NEED of care.

HI S.

I AM A STAY AT HOME MOM WHO BABY SITS IN MY HOME
THIS IS SOME ADVICE FOR YA
I THINK YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO START OUT HIGHER THAN YOU WANT CAUSE THEM YOU CAN SAY WE'LL I'LL TAKE THIS INSTEAD THEY LIKE THAT ALOT
I KNOW IF I WANT 125.00 A WEKK I ALWAYS ASK FOR 150.00 SO JUST SO YOU KNOW YOU CAN GET THAT IF YOU WANT IT
I GET 125.00 A WEEK FOR A 2 YEAR OLD AND I HAVE HIS SISTERS WHICH THEY ARE 9 MONTHS OLD I CHARGE HER 250.OO A WEEK FOR THE 3 OF THEM I GAVE HER A DEAL
THEN I GET A BOY OFF THE BUS AT 3 AND HE GOES HOME AT 5 I GET 100.00 A WEEK FOR HIM
JUST SET YOUR GROUNDS
I DONT KNOW THE RULES FOR PA BUT NJ YOU CAN HAVE 5 KIDS BEFORE GETTING LICENSED

my daycare provider charges 25 per day for one child and 40 per day for two kids. She also only charges us for half days when they get their past 1 pm because I pick them up a little after 4. She also drops kids off and picks them up at various schools. I also took my kids to a day care that charged me $3 an hour for two kids. she didn't drop them off or pick them up. Both of these daycares were not licensed so they charged a cheaper rate because I could not deduct the expence on my income taxes.You also need to think about sibling discounts and maybe before and after school rates, part time rates and night time rates. A maybe even age rates. I took my kids to a daycare that charged in that manner. The older they got the cheaper they were. I go to school full time and my husband works retail so some weeks the kids only go a few days and I hate paying the same amount that I would of if they were there full time. That is just something to think about to make you stand out against center daycares. Good luck with your new adventrue and I hope that all this helped.....but I know that if you took part time and gave a cheaper rate for siblings than you would definitly haev my bussiness and I know alot of other moms that are looking for those same things in a daycare center.