Childcare Options for Work-at-Home Moms

Most work-at-home moms find that they need some type of child care to get their work done. At first this may seem contradictory; why would you work at home just to end up putting your kids in daycare? But the truth is that even working at home or running a home-based business is demanding. If you are working so much that you are ignoring your children, then you need to find a different strategy. But don't worry; you won't need full-time care, you may just need to find a way to fit in some extra quiet hours to work. There are many options for childcare besides daycare.

In-house babysitter. Instead of sending your children out of your home for child care, hire a babysitter or nanny to come into your home a couple of hours a day. Depending on the age of your children, this could even be a high school student willing to work after school a couple of times a week. The advantage to this type of care is that you'll be right there if you're really needed, but you'll have someone else around to entertain the kids.

Preschool. Most preschools run through the school year, and have three three-hour sessions each week. Your child will need to be preschool age though, three to five, although you can often find preschools that have two-year old classes. If you're worried about the cost, check into private preschools that offer scholarships. Many schools will offer discounts to families with low incomes.

Mother's Day Out Programs. Mother's Day Out Programs are often offered in local churches once a week. The programs usually accommodate all ages, and last from about 3-5 hours. Because it is only once a week, the cost is usually minimal, and it's a fun place for your children to go and a good time for you to put in some hours working.

Babysitting and Preschool Co-ops. If you have trouble finding a preschool or babysitter that meets your needs, consider forming or joining a co-op. Co-ops are groups of moms who get together and exchange babysitting. Usually you earn tokens for babysitting other people's kids, and you pay tokens to have someone watch your kids. There are guidelines and rules in each co-op so that it remains fair to everyone. You can create your own co-op with your friends, or you can join a mother's group, such as MOPS or MOMS. These organizations often have their own co-op arrangement already in place.

Preschool co-ops are generally the same as baby-sitting co-ops, but they are designed for preschoolers. Moms take turns planning and teaching the group of preschoolers, so that you might teach the class once every four weeks; the other three weeks are yours.

Day Camps. During the summer, when preschool is over, check into Summer Day Camps. Most YMCAs offer day camps for preschool-aged children. They are entertaining for your children and will offer you a lot of free time.

When you decide to become a work-at-home mom, you're doing it to help your family. So don't feel guilty if you need to find childcare for your younger children in order to do the best job you can. No one will be happy if you end up neglecting your kids because of your job.