Setting up an in Home Daycare

If you don't have the room for specific play 'areas', consider creating play area 'boxes' that you can bring out into the main living/playing area. You could have arts/crafts, coloring, reading books, puzzles, dramatic play (dress up), school time (specific school themed activities in there including writing their name, ABC's, maybe some cds with music on them), another one could be music box with instruments, 'creative play' box with play-do, shaving cream (to write in), House box (dolls, kitchen ware, etc).

That way you could create a schedule/curriculum for all the kids based on the boxes. Then in the main living area you could have a baby swing and baby toys which dont take up much room and have your other boxes in another room/closet/etc. I like the idea of a small table in the kitchen but honestly, you could just use your table and I think that's sufficient.

Outside I would create a play area with balls, toys for them to maybe rock on/ride on, bubble wands, etc.

Then maybe if you want you could create one 'area' in the basement for a change of scenery - maybe a place for them to play when it's too rainy/cold outside but they are bored upstairs. Have specific things to play or do down there.

i have three children during the day and I'm hopeful that I'll be getting an infant soon - same situation it sounds like. I have a livingroom-dining room combo in my house and i actually have it gated off and that is where we spend most of or time. We do go to the kitchen table to eat snacks and meals and do projects.

Hi S., I have lots of years in Center style child care (Usually 50+ kids enrolled) and wanted to say congratulations on running a home daycare. I think the idea of the table it good. At my house I have started using Windex on my Little Tykes Tables and Chairs, it cleans better than anything else I have in my home. I spray it on and about 20-30 seconds later any food residue, dirt, etc...just wipes off. it may not sanitize like bleach water but I think it works okay for my bunch of kids. We use that table for just about everything. We even tend to eat dinner around it, I get to have a blue chair and my kids sit on the yellow ones and my hubby sit's in the recliner. Terrible, I know.

I think it is important to have a couple of centers no matter what. You can decide what they are based on what the kids are in to right now. I know in my last center the 4yr. olds were nuts about the big wood blocks and stayed that way for months. The homemaking area is always an important one with the little ones too. They are learning to be the future parents of their children there. Also, pretend play can fit in there if it has to. I have a tub on the shelves full of old halloween costumes that both boys and girls will enjoy. I do wash them after play if the kids have friends over.

I would say think about your layout. Can you use tubs on wheels and bring them into the living area when the kids are having play time? They could have a permanant home in the garage on shelves but avail. when needed and easy to move. Kids always seem to respond to having "new" toys to play with. What about the shelves you can buy at Wal-Mart that have 5 shelves on them they are about 30" wide and can hold tons of tubs and supplies. We used L-brackets and screwed every shelf in our home to the studs. We also took out those little plastic pegs that hold the shelves and replaced them with tiny L-brackets. I bought 3 drawer containers from Hobby Lobby that my scrapbooking papers can fit in and they fit onthose shelves too. You could store your construction paper, crayons, markers, paints, etc...in one of the 12X12 ones. They were on sale for 50% off so they were less than $10.00 each I think. I bought the 12X12 ones and then some that the regular 8.5X11 paper fits into too. Easels can be easy to have too if your husband or you are handy with tools. They can be a flat piece of MPB? Smooth wood that's not plywood, anyway, you can paint it with chalkboard paint and use chalk or a solid color and screw on metal clips to hold the paper. It can be on a hinge on the top and then have a fold out peg to keep it off the wall. We just bought the white panelboards from Lowes...they fit around showers/tubs and are slick and water resistant. The kids use water based markers and wipe off crayons on the wall allthe time. We put it up with a special glue from Lowes too. Ours was on the back wall in the wood paneling area.

As for the baby, buy a long piece of non breakable mirrored glass/material and screw it to the wall along a base board, that way the baby can see themselves while laying down on the floor. It will encourage them to crawl over to visit with that baby.
I hope you get some really good ideas.

I've had an inhome daycare for 8+ years now. We use the living/dining/kitchen area (open like a great room) for all activities, with naptime split between sleeping bags/pallets in the living room & the "under age 2" group in the bedrooms in packNplays.

I do not have an eat-in kitchen, my dining set is antique & I don't want it destroyed......so we use the coffee table for meals/activities. The table is actually a full-size dining table cut down to size to go with those inexpensive stackable plastic chairs for kiddies. The table has been treated with a bartop protective finish.....so it wipes down with disinfectant, as do the chairs.

I have two antique cabinets which store all of my supplies....one for books, games, activities, & project supplies - I am the only one allowed to pull from this cabinet....& one for the larger toys (the doll house & all of its pieces, the sets of musical instruments, etc) which I rotate out on a regular basis.

On a daily basis, this is what I keep out & readily available for the kids: a Little Tykes kitchen set; a doll bed, strollers, carseats, & all the stuff you need for the dolls; a large box of kid-proof books; a 3 drawer storage cart with specific toys in each drawer - which have to put away properly!; 3 ride-on toys; a big container of blocks. Everything else is brought out as a special activity, & completely put away before we move on. (**I have all girls, except the infant.)

Each day, we sing songs - we read books together - we try to do a daily project, even if it's just coloring. My current group (4 kids) range from 5 months, 18 months, 2 1/2 & a just-turned 3 y.o. We are just now beginning academics for the older two. (my last group, I had from baby years thru KG...so I am starting over with this crew.)

You mentioned an infant joining your group. The 5month old that I have is my 1st baby in ??4 years. It was a challenging adjustment for all of us. Adding the swing, the bouncy seat, the packNplay to my living room space was overwhelming. & yet, I knew I needed the baby with us at all times. When he is older, I will move his naptimes to a bedroom. His needs also change the dynamics of our group, he's very insecure & is held nonstop at home.....you get the picture!

My living space is 35x35. This works great with all of my daycare equipment. But, I will caution: my house always look like a mess - there's no way to eliminate the look of it being a daycare. When we have family parties, it takes at least 15 minutes to get all of the equipment out of the room! ....& then my bedroom ends up looking like a mess!

Inhome daycares can be rewarding. I chose this career to provide 24/7 availability for my school-age son. We have one more year before H.S., & then I will readdress my own daily needs. Good Luck & feel free to contact me. Oh, & save every single receipt for those taxes! You can claim a ton of expenses...I was surprised at how much.

Well, I have a home based business and I took over the formal dining room since it's just sitting there most of the time, not being used. I sold the lovely table and chairs, painted and moved my things right in. I would say, find the least used room in the house, even if it means moving 2 kids in together and taking over a bedroom and use it.

An easy art area...all you need is an easel and a cheap shower curtain or disposable flannel backed table cloth to protect the floor. This also works great if you set up a water table for water play. My sister keeps dry beans in a tote for sensory play and always has them play on top of a cloth table cloth for easy clean up ( just gather the corners of the table cloth and dump back into the tote. If space is really limited I have found tons of uses for the the hang on a back of door shoe holders ( the kinds with pockets) if they are clear it is even better because you can see through, but if not labels work well...I had one on the inside of my closet as a safe easily accesible place to stick art supplies...I have found them at the dollar store before and even at Biglots. Having a safe spot for the children to have individual cubbies is nice because I always ask parents to provide one set of seasonable clothes in case of an accident, also if I care for younger children I have the parent provide each individual childs diapers, wipes, or ointment and that keeps them from getting confused.

Having a quiet area for kids to look at books, a couple big pillows or bean bag, some stuffed animals is a nice alternative for non nappers.

A small colorful rug that can be rolled up and put out of the way is nice for circle time. You can easily make a felt board to use for circle time to learn about everything from the basics of letters, colors, numbers to the weather - your only limitation is your own imagination. You can make tons of easy felt board activities that require interaction from the kids based on the books you read...popular ones for me have been The Very Hungry Caterpiller and If you give a mouse a cookie...good for learning sequence.

Good luck! I hope you find a system that is practical and not too invasive on your regular home life = ) I started working in a professional daycare setting, then moved to working as a nanny in clients homes, then when I had my kids to having a few kids in my home, I have never done anything even close to professional care in my own home. I know the two in home care "facilities" I had Kristen in had big enough homes to have been able to convert one whole room into a "playroom" and the one thing in common of those 2 play rooms...No tv...I would not have my child in an in home care that had a tv...but that is just my personal opinion.