Opening a home day care?

Question

I am interested and thinking about opening a home day care for january of 09. I was wondering what people can tell me about opening up a daycare, from experience or what not. Anything you can tell me that I would need to know or should know, anything - it's driving me crazy trying to figure this out please help. I live in massachusetts if that helps. Thanks.

Answer 1

The first thing you need to do is find out what the rules are for your state. In many states, you need a license to operate a home daycare, and the licensing process can take a while. There may also be rules about how many children you can care for at one time, etc.

After you've figured out the legalities, it's time to figure out a few important things. What ages will you take? What hours will you be open? How will you find the families? What will you charge? What will you offer? Come up with a rough schedule for your day. Start thinking up basic menus that will be cost effective, nutritious, and easy to prepare. You'll be providing breakfast, lunch, and a snack.

Now start thinking about space. Do you need baby gates? Where will the children sleep? How will older kids get to the bathroom while keeping littler kids out? Where will kids store their stuff? Where will they play? Where will they eat? What kind of activities will you do with the children? Where will they play outside, and how will you make sure they are safe? You'll need to start childproofing the area to prevent injuries. You'll need to come up with a plan for emergencies like a severe storm or a fire. You'll need a first aid kit. You'll need a safe place to store the childrens medicines. Children must not have access to knives, scissors, medication, cleaning supplies, or other things that could injure or poison them. There's more, but this list should get you thinking.