The Best and the Worst

[Unregistered]

Hello there!
I am comtemplating the idea of running a family daycare and am trying to get a feeling of the business.
I would like to ask you: what is the best part of what you do, and what is the worst?

Thank you all.

Marisela

[DBug]

Best: being home with my own kids, not having to leave the house in the morning to get to work, reasonable pay

Worst: long hours (12 hour days), daycare taking over the house, no breaks, no other adults around during the day to vent to or trade off with

[DanceMom]

Best : The Main reason I do this is to be at home with my kids.

Also love not having to commute / working for a boss.. / My business..I call the shots.


Worst - Toll it is taking on my house / Dealing with the Parents / Full Moons / Long hours

[QualiTcare]

the best part - being at home.

the worst part - being at home.

LOL. i started doing it because my last job at a school ended when the grant money ended and being as though i had the experience/education/resources to do it -it seemed like a great idea.

i stopped doing it several months ago because i don't like being at home. many people do and that's great, but for me it didn't work. i felt very secluded. i think i'm the exception though. i have to be out and about in order to be happy.

[SilverSabre25]

Best-- Getting paid to stay home with my child (soon to be children), being my own boss, calling the shots, not having to be somewhere on time.

Worst--Dealing with dopey parents, pay not the greatest, income limited by state law (based on number of children I can have), pay goes down when I have another child of my own (takes up a space), my house getting messy (I'm not the greatest housekeeper anyway, and this makes me struggle even more)

[momofsix]

Best: I get hugs all day long::, being my own boss, being able to throw in a load of laundry while at work, and I really enjoy what I do!

Worst: Paperwork (esp. for taxes) I despise it! Long hours- and it can be physically exhausting at times, hard to get a day off.

[sahm2three]

Best: being home with my own kids, not having to leave the house in the morning to get to work, reasonable pay

Worst: long hours (12 hour days), daycare taking over the house, no breaks, no other adults around during the day to vent to or trade off with

Completely agree with this.

[Lilbutterflie]

Best: Staying home with my kids, don't have to get ready for work, no commute, not having to answer to a boss, being able to get arrands done if I need to, I enjoy the moments when the kids learn something new or decide to get "lovey" with hugs

Worst: Dealing with parents, enforcing my policies, long hours, hard to get time off, unpaid personal time off, my house being taken over

[kidkair]

Best: staying home during bad weather; hugs and laughter; all the kids go home at the end of the day (I have none of my own)

Worst: paperwork; taxes; not having enough time to work on the curriculum I'm trying to establish

[Blackcat31]

Best: I am my own boss. I take the time off when I want (scheduled in advance) I make my own rules and I get to be the planner, implementer, and receiver of all the good things that come from kids! ie; hugs, kisses etc.

Worst: The rare parent that treats me like their hired help or teenage babysitter

[Lianne]

I don't have children of my own but I love working with children in a home environment. I was a nanny for 14 years before switching to home daycare. I enjoy/ed each equally although they were different in a variety of ways.

The best things about home daycare:*Watching the children in my care grow and develop and discover the world around them. I love being a part of their lives and having a small impact on who they become.

*I enjoy building friendships with my clients. I'm good friends/neighbours with two clients and business friends with the others but each parent brings something into my life in some way.

*I love working from home, absolutely love it. I can do housework and yardwork when the kids are engaged in other things or I can have them help me. I love not having to commute to work in unpleasant weather. If I'm not feeling great or it's just a blah day, I can wear sweats.

*I love being my own boss. I love not having to answer to anyone or do their bidding. Yes, I respect the parents' choices but to a point and I do my best to ensure the families in my care have similar child rearing philosophies as I do. I like not doing a craft one day because the kids would rather play a dress up game. I love getting outside when I choose to. I love taking the kids out into the community but I also love holing up inside and playing all day

The downside to home daycare:*Not being entitled to government benefits like unemployment, a pension, dental/perscription coverage, etc. (I'm in Canada so health care is covered)

*The loneliness. I'm a bit of an introvert so I don't mind being alone usually however sometimes it would be nice to have the interaction of co-workers. I'm fortunate that I have a good friend who does home daycare (met her through a message board in the spring!) in my area. She and I deal with our groups similarly so we work well together and we get together a couple times a week. I also have friends who are able to make personal calls or emails at work.

*The house is not your own. Because I live alone my house doesn't get trashed too badly, especially because I'm a tidy person but defentitely not a neat freak. I like items put away and dishes washed at the end of the day but you'll almost always see hairballs on the floor thanks to four cats and a dog and I'd never pass a white glove inspection. In my home, my whole living room and the master bedroom (right next to the living room) are devoted to the daycare. I don't even have a couch to sit on. I do have a recliner and I usually sit in my desh chair but occasionally it'd be nice to spread out on the couch or invite some friends over for a movie. For the most part, however, I don't mind the way my home is set up and am quite proud of it, really.

[newtodaycare22]

As a 23 year old who has no kids of her own, and just lives with her husband and cat....

Pros:
1. Being your own boss
2. no commute to work
3. being on your own schedule
4. controlling what clients you accept (I was a public school teacher prior to this!)
5. being with kids all day. Watching them learn and have fun is a blast ( I have all preschoolers)

Cons:
1. Long day with no real break (nap time is semi break I guess..but there is still stuff to do and you are still responsible for them)
2. Keeping your house clean is a must-I'm constantly vaccuming.

[Unregistered]

Thank you so much for your answers. I have to say, the pros sound amazing, and the cons exhausting hahaha especially the long hours and all the cleaning.
I will ask more questions later.

Thanks again!

Marisela