New & Question - Pond?

[midaycare]

Hello everyone! I've been reading your posts since January but have been too shy to post back. My daycare will be up and running in a few weeks and I'm all booked for the summer - hooray!

I'm nervous about the inspection though - we have a property next to us that has a pond. It's a decent size and there is really not a way for us to put a fence up. We have 7 acres, so to make the kids not have access to the pond at all, we would have to run a fence down the entire acreage of our property. We can't put a fence around the pond - because that's not our property. But the kids could technically go through our yard, past the bushes and into the pond.

Anyone run into this? What do you think an inspector will say?

TIA and hello again!

[craftymissbeth]

Could you possibly fence off a smaller section for the kids? Fencing for seven acres would be a lot of money, but I wonder if there's a way to section off space for the kids that doesn't allow any possible access to the pond?

We live on a very busy street and we have two sections of our backyard. The first section, directly behind the house, isn't fenced, but the bigger section where the kids play is. Since my house and kids area aren't directly connected I just have to have a written policy (and follow through with it) that I will physically escort all children to the backyard.

[craftymissbeth]

Oh and the forum picks back up during the week so I'm sure you'll get more answers tomorrow.

[NightOwl]

I have a fence that encircles my entire backyard and then a second smaller fence inside of it for my playground. So when we go out the back door, we are on the playground and there are gates to access the rest of the yard. It's definitely more cost effective. And you DO NOT want to chase children around on 7 acres! Lol.

[midaycare]

Fencing a smaller section is a GREAT idea. I hadn't thought about it ... off to see about some fencing options ...

[Maria2013]

Hello everyone! I've been reading your posts since January but have been too shy to post back. My daycare will be up and running in a few weeks and I'm all booked for the summer - hooray!

I'm nervous about the inspection though - we have a property next to us that has a pond. It's a decent size and there is really not a way for us to put a fence up. We have 7 acres, so to make the kids not have access to the pond at all, we would have to run a fence down the entire acreage of our property. We can't put a fence around the pond - because that's not our property. But the kids could technically go through our yard, past the bushes and into the pond.

Anyone run into this? What do you think an inspector will say?

TIA and hello again!

First of all welcome :hug:

now...I'm in Michigan, and I have a pond...I was told to use the house as a barrier, meaning the kids are not to play on that side of the house.


We did eventually fence in a playground for the kids, but that was by choice (had a child that liked to try running off)
...when I first started, I was so concerned over the pond and it turned out to be no problem, all you can do is wait and see what the inspector says, and you can relax, the first inspection is for letting you know what to correct, they will not write you up for anything

[CraftyMom]

Welcome!

As far as the inspection, it would depend on how easily accessible it is, and regulations differ by state, so I guess you just wait and see what they say.

If you are willing, it would probably be best to fence in a play area, then you have peace of mind. Also, as another mentioned, 7 acres is a HUGE area to be chasing kids around, best to limit their play area in that situation IMO

[cheerfuldom]

I know several providers that have fenced in/fenced off only a portion of their yard for daycare use. It is a big relief to be able to safely contain the little ones and all their toys. Especially so if you have portions of the yard that are not safe for children or if you need a dog run or any other reason.

[Unregistered]

I know several providers that have fenced in/fenced off only a portion of their yard for daycare use. It is a big relief to be able to safely contain the little ones and all their toys. Especially so if you have portions of the yard that are not safe for children or if you need a dog run or any other reason.

Plus it helps to define the area that is for child care vs. the yard that is only for your family's use.

[Maria2013]

Plus it helps to define the area that is for child care vs. the yard that is only for your family's use.

doesn't seem like it at first, but boundaries, is a must!

[Laurel]

I used my side yard rather than my backyard for the children. Would that be a possibility?

Laurel

[midaycare]

Thank you everyone for all of your responses. We do have a side yard that would be great to fence in. I just really didn't want to spend $2000 after all the other start-up costs if I didn't have to, kwim?

But the benefits would be nice. 7 acres is a lot ... and we do have an area that is marshy.

So we've decided to go ahead with fencing the side yard, just for the safety factor. Thanks for your help!

[TeacherAri]

I have a pond too

I'm starting an in-home daycare on a property that has a pond, and licensing has told me to enclose the pond separately, even if the children are in a fence play area. I'm wondering how closely I need to enclose the pond. Any thoughts? I'm in Nebraska.

-Ari