Starting Your Family Day Care Business:

Sitting in the brightly-lit meeting room, notebook in hand, I waited for the Family Day care Orientation meeting to begin. About thirty others waited with me, all wearing the same hopeful, anticipatory expression. I imagine they all shared with me their own variation of the "day care dream."

It was going to be such fun! I could earn an income and still be at home with my kids. I imagined the darling little preschoolers coming to my door every morning, eager to begin another fun day. I could envision my family room all set up with a child size table and chairs and shelves filled with books and toys, sunshine streaming through the windows. We would have a full day of games and songs, arts and crafts, meals and snacks, and a lengthy nap, during which I would do all of my housework. The parents would all be so happy to have such a loving, caring place to bring their children; they would gladly pay top dollar for such service!

Somehow these daydreams never involved any fighting, crying, kicking, screaming, biting, spitting, hitting, temper tantrums or rainy days!

Okay, maybe I wasn't really that unrealistic, after all I do have children of my own, but I did have some pretty impractical thoughts about my future child care career. In time I discovered that while childcare is truly a rewarding and important job, it can also be frustrating, exhausting and under appreciated.

Looking back at my own experience, there were a few things that I wish I'd been better prepared for when I was just getting started. The following are five common misconceptions about what it's like to have your own day care business.

1. "Licensed day care will give us the extra income that we really need!" - Need is the key word here. Day care is an excellent way to make an income at home, but getting a profitable day care going is a long process. Licensing can take from 2-6 months and it requires some start-up cash. Add to that the time it takes to find enough clients to make a profit. It may take up to two years to have a full, successful day care depending on the area in which you live. One solution to getting by financially in the interim is to look into the unlicensed childcare requirements in your state. You may be able to care for one or two children as an unlicensed provider while you work toward setting up your licensed day care.

2. "Doing day care will be just like my normal life, but with a few more kids around the house." - This is a very common misconception about home day care settings, believed by almost everyone who has never operated one. Don't let anyone kid you, licensed home day care is a serious business and you will likely spend more than a forty-hour week working for that business. Any activities not directly related to child care, including most housekeeping duties, will have to be squeezed into your "off" hours.

3. "I won't have to 'get ready' for work each morning." - True, you won't need a business suit to greet your day care kids at the door. However, you will be greeting the parents as well, and doing so in your bathrobe probably won't make the best impression. It can be really tough to pull off a professional image at seven o'clock in the morning, especially if you aren't a morning person. It helps to wake up early and allow yourself time to shower, dress and fully wake up before they begin to arrive, in other words, get ready for work. My most embarrassing moment in day care was the day that I missed the alarm and woke up to the doorbell ringing. I was at the door within two minutes, fully dressed and yet unable to speak coherently. At least my cheeks had a rosy pink glow (of humiliation).

4. "I'm great with kids, people will love me!" - This may be true, but remember, there are all kinds of people and they all have their own way of doing things. You may be the best caregiver in the world, but you can expect parents to still be wary and occasionally critical. After all, they are leaving you in charge of their most precious possessions. A good day care provider needs good people skills. You will be communicating with all types of parents about all kinds of issues. You'll need the ability to handle criticism tactfully, while keeping your self-esteem intact.

5. "It will be so nice for my kids to have built-in playmates!" - At first, this may seem to be the case. Having kids coming over to play every day is great fun. But be prepared for the novelty to wear off over time. There may come a day when your little one says, "I don't want so-and-so to come over today." Suddenly they find that they have no say in the matter. When you have small children of your own and a home day care business, there are ample opportunities for guilt. You may find that your kids don't get the individual time with you that they need or it may be difficult to treat your own kids and your day care kids equally. This is a really important consideration if you have small children. Though it works out great for some mothers, others may decide that it's best to wait until their own children are older before starting a day care business.

Quality day care providers are always in demand. It can be a wonderful way to earn an income from home once you have invested some time in building up your business. By all means keep a positive attitude, but examine your expectations realistically. Resist the temptation to rationalize away any potential problem areas. Instead, identify where you might have trouble and formulate a plan to meet it head on.

Then, go ahead and imagine those perfect days in childcare. They really do happen, every once in awhile!