Money Saving Strategies for Daycare Providers

[mac60]

I am sure we all have our own little things we do to cut back and save a few dollars running our business. Let's share.

I make my own foaming hand soap. Fill pump soap dispenser 1/4 full of liquid handsoap and fill with warm water. Put lid back on and shake and you have a new container of soap.

I cut paper towels in half and fold them and place them on the bathroom counter to wipe hands with.

I keep a spray bottle with water and a little dish soap in it to spray off the table and high chairs.

I also cut napkins in half to place snacks on at the table.

When printing almost everything, I choose draft quality to save on ink.

I buy all my preschool supplies when school supplies are out.

I made my own sleep mats out of a twin size egg crate from Walmart for $12, cut it in 4 pieces, wrapped it in a piece of shower curtain I purchased for $1.97 (got 2 out of each) and used duck tape to secure and I ended up with 4 over 1 inch thick mats. Much better than the kindergarten mats sold at Walmart and Target. I made cheap pillowcase type covers for them. Pillows from Goodwill and pillowcases for 50 cents from Goodwill.

All my preschool activities come off of websites for free. I pay only for one, Kidsoup.com at $23 per year and I love it.

I'll keep thinking.

[momma2girls]

That's awesome!! Thanks for all the hints and good ideas!!

[mac60]

Please providers, share your cost cutting money saving tips.

[momma2girls]

I do the same for napkins, for snacks, since I started doing daycare. I rip them in 4's. It really saves on them. I will think of some other things I do, and write them on here.

[PositvityRuLes]

Insightful

I am sure we all have our own little things we do to cut back and save a few dollars running our business. Let's share.

I make my own foaming hand soap. Fill pump soap dispenser 1/4 full of liquid handsoap and fill with warm water. Put lid back on and shake and you have a new container of soap.

I cut paper towels in half and fold them and place them on the bathroom counter to wipe hands with.

I keep a spray bottle with water and a little dish soap in it to spray off the table and high chairs.

I also cut napkins in half to place snacks on at the table.

When printing almost everything, I choose draft quality to save on ink.

I buy all my preschool supplies when school supplies are out.

I made my own sleep mats out of a twin size egg crate from Walmart for $12, cut it in 4 pieces, wrapped it in a piece of shower curtain I purchased for $1.97 (got 2 out of each) and used duck tape to secure and I ended up with 4 over 1 inch thick mats. Much better than the kindergarten mats sold at Walmart and Target. I made cheap pillowcase type covers for them. Pillows from Goodwill and pillowcases for 50 cents from Goodwill.

All my preschool activities come off of websites for free. I pay only for one, Kidsoup.com at $23 per year and I love it.

I'll keep thinking.

Thank u for all the amazing tips. I am starting my very own daycare soon Your idea with the mats sounds really good. With the foam mats did u purchase 2 & cut both in half and, with the shower curtains are they the clear ones that u wrapped them in? Again, thanx 4 the info!

[mac60]

The mats were out of twin size egg crate mattress pads at Walmart. Depending on how many you need, you may get a better deal buying a full or queen size pad.

With the twin size, I simply cut them about 19" wide and they are 35" long. I purchased the clear shower curtains at Menards. I was able to cover 2 mats with 1 shower curtain. You kind of have to play around with it to figure out how to cut it right. I just wrapped the mat like I would a present and used duct tape to secure it. I have used them now for about 2 months with no problems. If someone pees at nap, the mat is protected and I just clean the plastic and disinfectant it. I will try to take a pic of them later and post it.

I used an xacto utility knife to cut the foam.

[PositvityRuLes]

Affordable!

The mats were out of twin size egg crate mattress pads at Walmart. Depending on how many you need, you may get a better deal buying a full or queen size pad.

With the twin size, I simply cut them about 19" wide and they are 35" long. I purchased the clear shower curtains at Menards. I was able to cover 2 mats with 1 shower curtain. You kind of have to play around with it to figure out how to cut it right. I just wrapped the mat like I would a present and used duct tape to secure it. I have used them now for about 2 months with no problems. If someone pees at nap, the mat is protected and I just clean the plastic and disinfectant it. I will try to take a pic of them later and post it.

I used an xacto utility knife to cut the foam.

Ok, great info. I'm so new to all of this and appreciate the feed back & post. Looking forward to the day when I can post & help with things I actually know and experienced

[Carole's Daycare]

I am required by law to use a bleach solution on tables/counters highchairs in the kitchen, but awesome ideas.
Another thing I do is on my monthly newsletter I let my parents know if there are craft or curriculum supplies I need for the upcoming month, or borrow things for specific themes. My parents are happy to help out. I also am lucky whenever kids are bored with toys or activities my parents bring toys from home that they've outgrown & donate them to us.
We save a lot of grocery money in the summer by planting our own garden. I used just a few 2 1/2 by 8 raised beds along my fenceline, and info from "Mini Farming for Self Sufficiency" by Brett Markham. My kids have tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, beans, peas, carrots, cucumbers, melons, strawberries and more for the cost of a few seeds all summer. Its easy, fun, the kids learn and are very proud, and I save tons of money.

[kitkat]

I was feeling so cheap by cutting the napkins into smaller pieces. I'm so glad I'm not the only one!

I use a ton of scrap paper for printing off the computer. My mom's work always saved it, but they hardly used it. She gave me a ton and it's lasted for about a year! She doesn't work there anymore, so I'm going to have to find a new "supplier" soon. I dread the thought of actually having to buy paper.

[Carole's Daycare]

I was feeling so cheap by cutting the napkins into smaller pieces. I'm so glad I'm not the only one!

I use a ton of scrap paper for printing off the computer. My mom's work always saved it, but they hardly used it. She gave me a ton and it's lasted for about a year! She doesn't work there anymore, so I'm going to have to find a new "supplier" soon. I dread the thought of actually having to buy paper.

Put a request in you're newsletter- maybe one of your families has access to paper from work that thay can donate, or ask a local copy place for their recycle piles of misprints etc to use the back of.

[DBug]

We use face clothes instead of paper towels for hand drying and that's worked out quite well. One mom suggested the idea of using wash clothes for cleaning hands and faces after meals and snacks (right now I use baby wipes). At first I didn't give it much consideration, but now I'm thinking it may actually save a ton of money. My thing is that I'd have to have them wet and ready to go throughout the day. Anybody have any ideas? I'm sure just having them in water may encourage mould or bacteria growth. I would wash the used ones each night, of course, but there may be some clean ones left over that wouldn't get used til the next day.

[Carole's Daycare]

We use face clothes instead of paper towels for hand drying and that's worked out quite well. One mom suggested the idea of using wash clothes for cleaning hands and faces after meals and snacks (right now I use baby wipes). At first I didn't give it much consideration, but now I'm thinking it may actually save a ton of money. My thing is that I'd have to have them wet and ready to go throughout the day. Anybody have any ideas? I'm sure just having them in water may encourage mould or bacteria growth. I would wash the used ones each night, of course, but there may be some clean ones left over that wouldn't get used til the next day.

I've been thinking about trying it myself. Another daycare provider I know using Golf towels- (they have a grommet for hanging, small tea towel sized) in different colors for each child. After meals she just rinses them off in a water/bleach solution to disinfect & hangs -I think on rubber suction hooks to dry. Then she just gives it a rinse in warm water before she uses it. She seems pretty happy with it.

[momofsix]

I use washclothes for meal clean up too. Each child has a different color. I bought those 3M hooks to hang them on, which works really well. I also buy almost all my toys/baby equipment at garage sales/goodwill...I buy wipes in bulk at a wholesale club--i do get Huggies brand though, otherwise I find myself having to double up, which makes the cheap ones more expensive b/c I'm using twice as many. I buy holiday craft supplies AFTER the holiday to use the next year. We need to do everything we can to keep a little bit of money that we work so hard for!

[wejo928]

hand towels

I buy $1 t towels form dollar store and cut them in 1/2.
If you are a baby 1 piece is made into a bib and other I crochet a tie on. So they have matching set so I know which one belongs to whom.
If they are older I make 1 piece w the tie for bath and other crochet trim for hand washing.
3 and older they are just 2 ties. 1 for bathroom & 1 for after meals.
Newborn to 6 months is both 1/2s made into spit clothes. Ruffels for girls and boys plain border.
I wash every night & reuse.
As for keeping them wet w meals I put the 1/2 on the table or tray & have a squirt bottle w soap. I spray their hands and they wash them. and then wash their faces too. and dry w hand towel. I use Dove soap. I also use a squirt bottle of same soap at the changeing table with papertowels cut in 1/2. I spray a squirt or 2 and use the papertowels. With coupons 1 buy 2 roll pack of Marcal small steps (enveiromentally safe for .79 and then get 560 wipes out of 1 pack. where as a pack of 400 + wipes is over $8.

[Greenshadow]

Love this thread...wanted to bump it up for new ideas!

I also use washclothes for cleaning faces. I have a different color one for each child and I throw them on the line to dry outside when not in use. (The clothesline is right outside the dining room/kitchen area). I also cut up paper towels to use. I go through less that way. I do not do a newsletter but am thinking about starting up one. I ask the parents from time to time to bring in things and Ive only had one parent do that for me so far. I can barely get my parents to read the bulletin board!!

Anymore cost saving ideas????