Meeting Other Providers

[Unregistered]

is there a good way to meet other home daycare providers in my area ? i'd like a support network and to form close relationships (possibly) with them so we can help each other by referring customers to the other if one can't take another child in.

any good way to go about this ?

[MarinaVanessa]

I would check your local resource & referral agency and ask if you have any local family child care associations. If not ask if the R&R holds special trainings for family child care providers and attend a few meetings to become acquainted with some.

I'm a part of a family child care association and our R&R allows us to prepare self stamped envelopes which they address with family child care providers addresses (we don't get their addresses so they still remain private) to announce events, gatherings and meetings etc. so maybe you can do the same and create a private FB page for your city/area and use your R&R to help promote it.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

Does your state have a website that tells who is doing daycare in your area? I e-mailed local ones to set up a time to get together for lunch about 1.5-2 years ago. I met 1 of them off of this board, she is no longer active, and the other one that came to that lunch lives about 2 streets over. We still talk and I have met a couple others since then. I was hoping for a better turnout, or more interest, but it just wasn't there. Some ignored me and others sent vague replies about not being able to (even before a date and time were set).

[Indianadaycare]

is there a good way to meet other home daycare providers in my area ? i'd like a support network and to form close relationships (possibly) with them so we can help each other by referring customers to the other if one can't take another child in.

any good way to go about this ?

I've recently opened a home daycare, and was so happy to get a phone call from another local home daycare owner. She had seen my business card at a local business, checked out my website, and then called me to see if I had an opening for an infant. (She didn't have an opening, and someone had asked her.)
We spent a half hour talking, and she told me about a local website of providers that meets monthly to learn/discuss child care issues. She told me they are well attended, and it's a great place to network. Told me to bring my business cards to pass out. I am hoping that this will be a start to some friendships with other providers and some good networking. We also both "liked" each others daycare Facebook page. Rather than seeing each other as "competition", we know there is enough work to go around. I love the attitude!
Google your town plus "home daycare" and you will likely get a list of providers. Reach out to them! Well worth the effort, IMO. Good luck!