Opinion/advice needed for providing summer day care!

[4kids4me]

I'm considering providing summer home care for school-age children in my home. Has anyone done this or put their children into daycare for the summer?

 

Here are some questions:

 

1) What should I charge?

2) What should the parents expectation from me?

3) What should I expect from the parents?

4) What kind of activities should I provide? (I have four children, and they just play outside and in during the summer...should I be doing more sit-down stuff?)

 

I'm hoping I can get a few children in that would be around my three younger kids' ages. This way everyone will have playmates...but also I realize we may need an hour of alone time, too!

 

Thanks...if there's anything I haven't asked, please include anything else!!!!

[4kids4me]

No one? Come on, surely someone has advice!!!!

[Hen]

Actually, I am wondering the same things and was thinking of starting a thread.

 

I am considering offering to watch 2 to 3 kids this Summer. I am thinking that what to charge is going to depend on where you live.

 

Where I live, there are a lot of day camps- themed ones. They are pretty popular here. I am thinking I might out price myself if I am not less than a day camp, and yet, I don't want to be paid too low. I think the advantage to home care is that day camps don't usually run for a full work day so some parents could not do camp.

 

I am in Orange County, Ca. Anyone with tips on what to charge?

 

I am wanting to make money this Summer to pay for outside High School courses for my two oldest kids.

 

:bigear:

 

when I was little and my mom worked, our babysitters did not do anything with us and didn't even give us snacks. I think times have changed, though. I am thinking I will do a few park days, library and the beach once a week, and have craft stuff available.

[4kids4me]

Thanks for your reply. Hopefully we'll get a few more which will give us ideas! :001_smile:

[fairfarmhand]

I'm considering providing summer home care for school-age children in my home. Has anyone done this or put their children into daycare for the summer?

 

Here are some questions:

 

1) What should I charge?that would be regional. You may want to ask friends who have used sitting services for a good estimate

2) What should the parents expectation from me?dependability, fairness, communication

3) What should I expect from the parents?payment, on time; communication, promptness

4) What kind of activities should I provide? (I have four children, and they just play outside and in during the summer...should I be doing more sit-down stuff?)you may want to have special things planned for each day because they will get bored and antsy. (art day, play in the hose day, etc.)

 

I'm hoping I can get a few children in that would be around my three younger kids' ages. This way everyone will have playmates...but also I realize we may need an hour of alone time, too!

 

Thanks...if there's anything I haven't asked, please include anything else!!!!

 

In your position, I would type up a contract outlining sickness policies, payment policies (think about whether you need to be paid by the day or by the week. Will you prorate the daily rate if the kid misses a day? I would also require payment ahead of time) also, what happens if one of your own kids gets sick, or if you get sick? I'd also include my plan for handling discipline. You may want to include a place for them to write down their projected summer vacation dates so that you have it in writing.

 

Above all, communicate well with the parents. Double check that they will be there when they say they will. (on Thursday or Friday "Are we still on for a full week of care next week? Let me know if you make plans! I am shopping for ____(art supplies, snacks, whatever) and I want to make sure I have plenty)

 

You will need to decide who supplies lunch and snacks too.

 

One thing that I did with my kids is allow them to put away a few treasures (no more than one or two) in my bedroom so that their special things were not out for general playtime. But they couldn't get those things out until the other kids went home. Also, the rule was if a child brought a toy to my house, he had to expect to share it with everyone. If all of my kids had to share their home, stuff and mom with other kids, I was not going to allow one kid to bring a toy in that would be off limits. If the child did not want to share it, I would put it away for the day.

[fairfarmhand]

I realize all of that sounded very technical, but I found that if I did not portray myself as a professional, people tended to think that they could come or not, pay or not as it pleased them. It was irritating for my kids to expect someone to come over, for me to get up and be waiting, and nobody to show up.

 

Getting things in writing saves everyone a whole lot of headache and for the amount of time that it takes, it is worth it!

[Hen]

Fairfarmhand,

 

thank you, that was really helpful. I've never done this before, I was planning on asking for payment at the first of the week, I've seen several threads about daycare moms not getting paid.

[4kids4me]

Wonderful advice! Thanks so much!!!! :D

 

Henjen or Fairfarmhand, any advice about hours? Do you say you have set hours and if they want extra time before or after, how would you handle extra cost?

Edited May 4, 2012 by 4kids4me

[fairfarmhand]

I would have "set hours" . At my house it would be like 7-5. Any earlier or later, you pay by the half-hour (not cheap!!!) This keeps people from running by the store to pick up a few things while your dinner gets cold and icky.

 

I would make a point to tell them that I go by MY clock, and I'll give you 5 minutes grace, no more.

 

Of course, if someone calls like ahead and they have an emergency (this would be a RARE event. Not an everyday thing. You know the kind of people who ALWAYS have an emergency) I would discretely write off the lateness.

[fairfarmhand]

oh, and check with homeowners insurance and car ins. company if you will be transporting kids by car/van.

 

You may need parents to sign medical release forms if you plan on field trips.

[4kids4me]

Oh man, so much liability. That scares the pants off me!!! Thanks for your advice. :001_smile:

[Guest daycareaunt]

I saw your post and thought I'd touch on some of the areas that others did not cover.

 

You need to check with your state's department of health & human services and see how many kids you can take on without becoming licensed. My state is 4 but you need to make sure and stay below your state's number and they might include your own kids in the ratio, so in my state (NE) you would only be able to take on 1 kid.

 

If you are gonna do it, keep receipts for everything, keep track of mileage cause if you don't take all that off your taxes you are gonna end up paying a lot.

 

I do preschool/kindergarten homeschool all year round both because then I can just use the activities they suggest and parents want their child to learn in daycare.

 

I do a ton of field trips, at least 2 a week. I have a local zoo I go to about once a week.

 

What I would do, if I were in your shoes is find a friend or acquaintance you know really well and take care of their child.

 

Sorry, for running on and on.