Women Corner

Have you ever thought about starting a home daycare? On the one hand the benefits can be really nice. You don’t have to go to an office every day; you get to spend a lot of time with your children. However there are quite a few other things to keep in mind if you’re thinking about caring for children full-time.

Before doing anything, contact your local authorities and ask them if you need a special license to operate a home daycare. Some states are more lenient than others. Many states will allow you to watch up to 5 children (including your own) without a day care license. Once you take on more than 5 kids though you’ll have to take the state’s tests, get inspected and get a formal child care license.
If you are going to be running a daycare out of the home, you’ll need to child-proof everything. Make sure all the electrical outlets are covered, make sure there are no breakables that they can get to, make sure to get child locks for all cabinets, and keep any and all chemicals away from the child care area. If you can, keep them outside in a shed or garage. This will eliminate the possibility of accidental chemical poisoning. Lastly, make sure that all outside doors remain locked at all times and that any rooms that the children cant be in are also closed.

 Next you are going to need to get a lot of information from the parents of the children you watch. The best thing to do is simply make a professional looking form on the computer. You can ask for as much info as you need but this information is a must:

Contact numbers

A medical history from the child’s doctor. (many states require this by law)

Other contacts that may be picking up or dropping off your child

Insurance information.

 In a nutshell, you’ll need to basically act like a second parent to the kids you’ll be watching, and as such prepare your house just as you would for your own children. Make sure the area is toddler or baby-proofed, keep open communication with the parents, and lastly….remember to have fun!