How to Become a Child Care Provider
If
you are looking for a way to earn extra money, and you have
small children, one of the best ways is to become a child care
provider. Most women work outside the home and need to have a
reliable, kind, and loving person to care for their children
during the day.
FAST TRACK: Get your
step-by-step
child care business guide.
It doesn't take experience,
although if you have ever had children you certainly have the tools for
the job. If you have a little extra room in your home, and a yard in which
the children can play in good weather, you could start immediately.
First, tell all your friends that you are embarking on this path. If they
don't have children who need to be supervised, they probably have friends
who do. An ad should be placed in the local newspaper and on supermarket
bulletin boards, telling just exactly what you are offering.
The most important services you can offer are supervision, play times,
meals and snacks.
Set your hours and your prices: for instance, will you be taking children
just for a morning or afternoon if asked, or will you take the child for
the whole day only. Make your price attractive to the prospective client.
If you can take a child for staggered times, let that be known. Not all
mothers need a full-time facility for their children.
Start with only a few children. As you become known as a reliable and
caring person, you will soon have more mothers coming to you for your
service. You will need to have a place where the younger ones can have
afternoon naps, so perhaps it would be a good idea to limit your clients
to smaller children at first.
You will need to make a few purchases such as toys (they must be sanitized
every night), books, blankets, pillows and chairs for little ones. Get
used to mess, and have a plan to tidy up each evening. Keep receipts and
check on the laws in your town for running a day care.
Make playtime fun for the little ones, and keep them interested in singing
and dancing. Perhaps you feel that you could not take on a full day, five
times a week. If so, start with five mornings a week, until you feel more
confident in taking on more hours.
Make sure that you serve nutritious snacks, and have a bathroom available
at all times. When the weather cooperates, take them into your yard and
have a little program of games and exercises they can do.
Running a day care can be fun and rewarding., and it doesn't require you
to rent a facility.
