8 Months and Still No Real Income. Is It Worth It???

[DaveA]

What do you do when they show up at the door, dropping off their kids on the way to work and say "all I have is $95, here you go" do you just turn them and their kids away right then and there at 7:45am??

Yes. Exactly that. Tell all parents " effective immediately partial payments will no longer be accepted." Then enforce it. They wouldn't go into work if they only got paid part of their paycheck. No reason you should have to.

[Play Care]

It's possible that you are in an area where daycares just aren't good business. Maybe there is too much competition or maybe the market won't bear a reasonable tuition, I don't know.
Sometimes the clients just aren't there.

[Snowmom]

The first year can be the most difficult! It's a big change emotionally and physically.

In addition to the above posters...

Money tips: Look at your food expenses and portion sizes to research where you can save.
Do you have discount stores nearby: Big Lots, Aldi's, etc.
Are you buying name brand?
Will bulk purchases be beneficial?
Are you using everything or throwing a lot away- you don't NEED to put monstrous servings on the child's plate as long as you have more available if they eat (food program). Freeze or dehydrate foods that are getting close to over-rippening or spoiling.

What are you requiring your families to supply?
Diapers, wipes, klenexes, etc.

Once you get over that one year hump and see the tax benefits too (write offs for your home and vehicle), it can be more rewarding than you think.
Just last year I got to write off windows I replaced, a Rainbow Swingset and new carpet. Of course, there was a lot of wear and tear too!
I also got grant money to purchase 2 new bicycles, playground surfacing and various toys. So definitely research state grants.

[MunchkinWrangler]

I started my daycare because I love children, I wanted to stay home with my children, so they could interact with other kids, and I wanted to make money while doing it.

It's been 8 months and I'm still broke. I'm not really sure what I'm doing wrong. As soon as I get a good solid 6 or 7 kids, one of the families loses a job, or the children end up being so bad that I have to terminate them. I'm not sure if it's supposed to be this stressful. The kids are disrespectful, the parents are always defending them, and always need some sort of "deal", they pay late, they refuse to help me and work with their children at home. I cook this food, they don't eat it. They sneeze and cough and don't cover their nose or mouth, the parents swear up and down that it's "allergy season".

I've tried to hire 3 different helpers, they were all unreliable. I'm stress eating and drinking wine every night. I've gained about 35 pounds doing this business. I'm neglecting my own 2 boys (9 months old and 3 yrs old). By the time the last family leaves at 6pm, I don't want to hear another cry or fix another bottle, wipe another table, wash another dish or change another diaper.

I'm confused. Where is the joy and the satisfaction of it all?? The good thing is my ex-husband has agreed to continue to pay all of our bills and support us in lieu of child support, so the money that I make is mine. But I'm not even making enough money to do anything nice for myself or my boys. Raising them as a single mom, I don't make enough money to take a "break" from it all.

Somebody brought this dang Hand Foot and Mouth Disease up in my house a couple weeks ago, and I know it didn't come from my house or my boys because they were the last ones to get it. So I had to close down for 2 days last week and nurse my boys back to health. The parents received a credit this week since I had to close, and I ended up losing 1 family behind the virus, and another family still has their child out with it. So I'm pretty much back to square 1 again.

How long does it take before I start seeing some real money? At the end of the week after buying food and supplies, I only have about $100 left. I'm not even making enough money to invest back into the business. Is it supposed to be this stressful??? I need some serious guidance please! I dunno if I'm overreacting or what. Do I need more patience? (That is a weakness of mine). I feel like I don't want to shut it down, bcuz people say I quit at everything (another weakness). But if something isn't working, then why keep at it? Do I need to close and revamp my business and get a whole new crew of children in here? I'm lost.

I have no advice, unfortunately, but want you to know that I stand in solidarity with you. I am just as baffled by all the things you mentioned above. I had to deal with my sons anemia due to too many viruses coming in that impacted his health so bad, all because parents lie about their child's illness'. I have lost 75% of my income because I refuse to care for sick children, I don't have enough toys(which is ludicrous, my whole house is packed to the gills it drives me crazy) and I'm too expensive.

Luckily for you, it sounds like you have some support. I don't so I am in the process of looking for a other job. This was supposed to support me and my son while I was in school because, I can't afford daycare(oh the irony) and I wanted to raise my son until he was old enough for school( this society just doesn't allow for that...again, the irony).

I feel for you, I really do! I feel chewed up and spit out!:hug::hug::hug:

[nannyde]

Okay start here: https://www.daycare.com/nannyde/inte...nyde-style.htm

Then do part two: https://www.daycare.com/nannyde/category/interview-2

That will help you learn how to interview and get the better behaved parents.

Then read the first two blogs of this: https://www.daycare.com/nannyde/

They are excerpts of the book on parent behavior.

If they are helpful you can get the book on Amazon Kindle for 9.99.

https://www.amazon.com/Daycare-Whisperer-Doing-Would-Parents-ebook/dp/B00N6H3LLE?ie=UTF8&keywords=doing%20daycare&qid=1409829119&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

This will cover pretty much every kind of parental behavior. I didn't cover helicopter parents because I haven't had one but other than that... most parental behavior is covered.

There are other blogs for free that discuss policies and how to enforce them.

Look... this job is HARD. It's supposed to be. You are a fresh newbie and it, like any other job of value, is HARD to learn in the beginning. Think of it as learning a foreign language... for real.

You have to learn your craft and make your mistakes like we all have.

Another HUGE tip is to devour the archives here. Go through every post from as far back as you can get and read the ones with ten or more responses. Read the entire thread then move to the next one.

I don't know how far back Michael has the archives now but when I came hanging around in 2008 I spent hundreds of hours pouring over the archives before I joined in 2010. I do this with every daycare board I can find. Back in those days there were more that actually supported their archives so I could read them. I didn't join any board until I read the entire archives. With two littles of your own you won't have the time to read them ALL so start with the bigger threads and move your way forward to the present.

This site is the best for learning how to do daycare. You have to teach yourself how and reading how others handle issues is imperative to getting your own style hammered down.

Once you find posters that you enjoy reading then search their posts exclusively. I recommend Cathearder , Blackcat and Crystal for starters. They are my go to's.

Do the work.... it's not supposed to be easy... and it aint.

[Blackcat31]

Okay start here: https://www.daycare.com/nannyde/inte...nyde-style.htm

Then do part two: https://www.daycare.com/nannyde/category/interview-2

That will help you learn how to interview and get the better behaved parents.

Then read the first two blogs of this: https://www.daycare.com/nannyde/

They are excerpts of the book on parent behavior.

If they are helpful you can get the book on Amazon Kindle for 9.99.

https://www.amazon.com/Daycare-Whisperer-Doing-Would-Parents-ebook/dp/B00N6H3LLE?ie=UTF8&keywords=doing%20daycare&qid=1409829119&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

This will cover pretty much every kind of parental behavior. I didn't cover helicopter parents because I haven't had one but other than that... most parental behavior is covered.

There are other blogs for free that discuss policies and how to enforce them.

Look... this job is HARD. It's supposed to be. You are a fresh newbie and it, like any other job of value, is HARD to learn in the beginning. Think of it as learning a foreign language... for real.

You have to learn your craft and make your mistakes like we all have.

Another HUGE tip is to devour the archives here. Go through every post from as far back as you can get and read the ones with ten or more responses. Read the entire thread then move to the next one.

I don't know how far back Michael has the archives now but when I came hanging around in 2008 I spent hundreds of hours pouring over the archives before I joined in 2010. I do this with every daycare board I can find. Back in those days there were more that actually supported their archives so I could read them. I didn't join any board until I read the entire archives. With two littles of your own you won't have the time to read them ALL so start with the bigger threads and move your way forward to the present.

This site is the best for learning how to do daycare. You have to teach yourself how and reading how others handle issues is imperative to getting your own style hammered down.

Once you find posters that you enjoy reading then search their posts exclusively. I recommend Cathearder , Blackcat and Crystal for starters. They are my go to's.

Do the work.... it's not supposed to be easy... and it aint.

Well said!

I have been in this business for over 2.5 decades.
I am good at what I do but I FULLY believe that I am good at this because of the experiences I had the first 3-5 years. After that, the rest is simply fine tuning.

I believe all providers should have to endure a multitude of negative experiences before feeling comfortable in their role of business owner. I think it's the same for most jobs/professions.

It's impossible for someone to just give you the rules and simply say you now have the magic potion to never having issues again.... the real magic potion isn't in the answers it's in the experience.

Oh, and for what it's worth I didn't actually turn a profit in this business until I was probably in my 3rd year.

[daycare]

Well said!

I have been in this business for over 2.5 decades.
I am good at what I do but I FULLY believe that I am good at this because of the experiences I had the first 3-5 years. After that, the rest is simply fine tuning.

I believe all providers should have to endure a multitude of negative experiences before feeling comfortable in their role of business owner. I think it's the same for most jobs/professions.

It's impossible for someone to just give you the rules and simply say you now have the magic potion to never having issues again.... the real magic potion isn't in the answers it's in the experience.

Oh, and for what it's worth I didn't actually turn a profit in this business until I was probably in my 3rd year.

I love the words you posted..
It's impossible for someone to just give you the rules and simply say you now have the magic potion to never having issues again.... the real magic potion isn't in the answers it's in the experience.

this is sooooooo true

[Mike]

Another HUGE tip is to devour the archives here. Go through every post from as far back as you can get and read the ones with ten or more responses. Read the entire thread then move to the next one.

I joined the forum 2.5 years ago, but first came here about a year before that. I was researching the idea of going into this business and my Internet searches brought me here a few times, so I just started browsing the threads reading any topic that sounded like I should read it. A year later, I joined and have learned a lot here.

I'm still not certain of my future plans, but am planning to either do occasional off hours (evening/weekend) care in the next month or 2, or waiting till spring and going full days. Either way, I feel I'm ready for it now, because with many years of business experience, a lot of research in the field of child care, and what I've learned from here, I think I'm ready to handle almost anything, plus, if something comes up that I don't know how to handle, I'll just ask here.

Like several others said, it sounds like you need to step back and look over everything. A lot of people go into a business, of any kind, and don't handle finances the best way, and end up closing. Maybe even have someone else go over your finances and see if they see a problem.

[Ariana]

Lots of great advice so I don't have much else to add except that these parents are not like you and they might not care about their kids as much as you care about yours. That has been the biggest lesson for me. Doesn't make them bad parents per se but most parents I have dealt with are doing what is best for them not their children. The faster you realize this the easier your job gets. I used to pull my hair out wondering why these parents weren't "getting it". Would go out of my way to give advice to help them and all along they didn't want it. They just wanted to complain. Now I barely have a relationship with my clients. I take their kids and their money and that is the end of it.

Sounds harsh but it has helped me tremendously in being a better business woman. Don't take anything personally!

[Mike]

Lots of great advice so I don't have much else to add except that these parents are not like you and they might not care about their kids as much as you care about yours. That has been the biggest lesson for me. Doesn't make them bad parents per se but most parents I have dealt with are doing what is best for them not their children. The faster you realize this the easier your job gets. I used to pull my hair out wondering why these parents weren't "getting it". Would go out of my way to give advice to help them and all along they didn't want it. They just wanted to complain. Now I barely have a relationship with my clients. I take their kids and their money and that is the end of it.

Sounds harsh but it has helped me tremendously in being a better business woman. Don't take anything personally!

Very good point.

[childcaremom]

Okay start here: https://www.daycare.com/nannyde/inte...nyde-style.htm

Then do part two: https://www.daycare.com/nannyde/category/interview-2

That will help you learn how to interview and get the better behaved parents.

Then read the first two blogs of this: https://www.daycare.com/nannyde/

They are excerpts of the book on parent behavior.

If they are helpful you can get the book on Amazon Kindle for 9.99.

https://www.amazon.com/Daycare-Whisperer-Doing-Would-Parents-ebook/dp/B00N6H3LLE?ie=UTF8&keywords=doing%20daycare&qid=1409829119&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

This will cover pretty much every kind of parental behavior. I didn't cover helicopter parents because I haven't had one but other than that... most parental behavior is covered.

There are other blogs for free that discuss policies and how to enforce them.

Look... this job is HARD. It's supposed to be. You are a fresh newbie and it, like any other job of value, is HARD to learn in the beginning. Think of it as learning a foreign language... for real.

You have to learn your craft and make your mistakes like we all have.

Another HUGE tip is to devour the archives here. Go through every post from as far back as you can get and read the ones with ten or more responses. Read the entire thread then move to the next one.

I don't know how far back Michael has the archives now but when I came hanging around in 2008 I spent hundreds of hours pouring over the archives before I joined in 2010. I do this with every daycare board I can find. Back in those days there were more that actually supported their archives so I could read them. I didn't join any board until I read the entire archives. With two littles of your own you won't have the time to read them ALL so start with the bigger threads and move your way forward to the present.

This site is the best for learning how to do daycare. You have to teach yourself how and reading how others handle issues is imperative to getting your own style hammered down.

Once you find posters that you enjoy reading then search their posts exclusively. I recommend Cathearder , Blackcat and Crystal for starters. They are my go to's.

Do the work.... it's not supposed to be easy... and it aint.

I would add Nannyde's to the list

I remember reading some of the ways providers handle things and thinking woah, I could never do that. Yeah, I can. And I do. This site helped me grow an awesome backbone and develop a great business sense.

[childcaremom]

Well said!

I have been in this business for over 2.5 decades.
I am good at what I do but I FULLY believe that I am good at this because of the experiences I had the first 3-5 years. After that, the rest is simply fine tuning.

I believe all providers should have to endure a multitude of negative experiences before feeling comfortable in their role of business owner. I think it's the same for most jobs/professions.

It's impossible for someone to just give you the rules and simply say you now have the magic potion to never having issues again.... the real magic potion isn't in the answers it's in the experience.

Oh, and for what it's worth I didn't actually turn a profit in this business until I was probably in my 3rd year.

There is a story/daycare family behind each and every one of my policies. All the issues I had were ways to show me what I was and was not willing to deal with in this business. Once I realized what those were, and set my boundaries of what I felt my job was, I started to really enjoy this business.

[DestinyAja]

Wow! You all this is sooooo sooooooo awesome!!! This advice has already changed my perspective tremendously. It feels good to know I'm not alone and that these issues can be overcome. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you ALL!!!

[Blackcat31]

Wow! You all this is sooooo sooooooo awesome!!! This advice has already changed my perspective tremendously. It feels good to know I'm not alone and that these issues can be overcome. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you ALL!!!

Just keep moving along one day at a time... it's a process not a task. keep hanging out here and talking, posting, sharing and learning.

We're all doing the same.. but are at different stages. It is constantly revolving. I've seen providers learn and grow from newbies to experienced during my time here (myself included).

[knoxmomof2]

I've been doing this for 4 years. I homeschooled my own 2 and did caregiving for Seniors overnight. My DH's schedule became unpredictable and I had to find an alternative. This was it. I started with 1 child coming full-time every other week and part-time on the opposite weeks. It took me until a year later to be comfortable enough to add a 2nd. I can have up to 4 in my state without needing to be licensed and I have been at capacity for over a year now.

The best learned lessons are the least comfortable ones. My DH has a great business sense and he would have so much advice for my issues, but I'm stubborn and have to really get hurt before I quit thinking with my heart and start thinking with my head. Enforce your payment policy! No pay= no stay. Realize that these clients are going to protect themselves first... And you have to do the same!

These posts have empowered me to take control of my business - I stared down 2 very controlling Dcms who have ran my life for the last few years and I said "this is the new policy, if it doesn't fit your family, I understand if you need to find a new care provider". I'm not rolling in money, but I'm over it. I'm ready to be my own boss and stop worrying about people who don't worry about me. I will interview with the understanding that I am a partner with them in regards to their child, but I am my own boss. If that scares them away, it wouldn't have worked out anyway ☺️ You just have to get mad enough! Lol...