Need Advice...Starting New

[jenboo]

Hi!
I have relocated and have opened up my new home daycare. There are many new members on here so for those of you who don't know me, I had a home daycare, moved to a new state, had and baby and now I'm opening another home daycare.

There is a huge need for under 2 yr old care so that is what I am focusing on. We can only make it maybe 2 months financially without having daycare kids enrolled but i would like to get them asap because we really need the money.

I know the kids are out there. I have been advertising and networking for 2-3 months now. I have had a few people tour and just had a family sign on (for june and july only but its a start).

My problem is that I keep getting a lot of interest from people who need hours outside of what I want to provide. Im wondering if I should enroll them so that I at least have an income for now or if I should pass and hope I get other families soon.

For example, I have some one interested in 930am-730pm three days a week.

My ideal schedule is 7-5 or 530 at the latest. My family eats dinner at 6 and then my son goes to bed at 7. I'm hoping to push his bedtime back to 8. We dont really do anything in the evenings because of dinner and my 7 month olds early bedtime.

My husband gets home between 4-6pm. His thoughts are that I can do all my business stuff in the mornings before the kids arrive so that once the last kid leaves I will be finished with everything and we can have time alone.
i don't think the hours would be terrible to start with (keeping in mind I could change things up and term later).

I guess I want to know if anyone has done something like this and totally regretted it or if it wasn't too bad and was worth it in order to be bringing in income.

I hope this makes some sort of sense ::

[Mike]

I'm just getting set up to start child care. Since I expect a slow startup, I will be starting with off hours care while working a day job. Once I get established enough to think it's safe to quit my job, I will switch to full time days and give the off hours ones at least 2 weeks notice. If, in the process, I find there is enough need for off hours care, I may just specialize in that and take the day to be my free time.

I don't have a family, so my time is free to do with any way i want.

If you need the income, I would say take it and just let them know they will get advance notice when you switch to regular hours.

[jenboo]

I'm just getting set up to start child care. Since I expect a slow startup, I will be starting with off hours care while working a day job. Once I get established enough to think it's safe to quit my job, I will switch to full time days and give the off hours ones at least 2 weeks notice. If, in the process, I find there is enough need for off hours care, I may just specialize in that and take the day to be my free time.

I don't have a family, so my time is free to do with any way i want.

If you need the income, I would say take it and just let them know they will get advance notice when you switch to regular hours.

this is what i am leaning towards. It would be kinda fun to find all families that need care later in the day so that I could go on morning outings with my son. We are home every evening anyway so it wouldn't really interfere with anything.

[Mike]

this is what i am leaning towards. It would be kinda fun to find all families that need care later in the day so that I could go on morning outings with my son. We are home every evening anyway so it wouldn't really interfere with anything.

There you go. The majority of daycares are (6-8am) to (4-6pm), but not everyone works in the morning. If nobody worked after 5pm, how would we go shopping in the evening, or get gas on our way home?