Work from Home as a Child Care Provider

Working from home as a Child Care provider can bring in a healthy income for your family. Many people think of Child Care as babysitting, but in reality it can be fun and rewarding both emotionally and economically.

Let's look at what it takes to get started. First you need a clean and safe home. Your home needs to have safety latches on cupboards, child proof plugs in the sockets, child safe gates on stairs or areas you don't want children to enter. It's also a good idea to walk through your home and think of the worse case scenario...is the TV top heavy on a stand? Does it need an anchor to the wall? If you already have small children you have probably already done this and just a quick review should be necessary.

The next step is to look into your state requirements. I live in Oregon and here you can take in 3 children or the children from 3 families before you need to become licensed. If you are looking for a little extra cash, this may be the way to go. I would encourage you to go a little bit further to protect yourself and the children you care for.

In Oregon, to become a Certified Child Care Provider you have to complete and pass the following 4 programs:

1. Food Handlers card - This lets the state know that you understand and have been tested to prove your knowledge of preparing and handling food for others meeting safety standards. You can take a class at your local community college or online. I took mine through the Chemeketa Community College online program - http://bbs.chemeketa.edu. I downloaded the book, studied and took the test. The cost for this was about $10.00.

This course is also offered through C.A.R.E. Courses: www.carecourses.com, Red Leaf press: www.redleafpress.org and Professional Training and Consulting: www.ptctraining.com.

2. First Aide and Infant/Child CPR certified - I completed this program through our local Red Cross office. This will take a good portion of your Saturday, but usually can be done in one or two days depending on where you take the course. If you are currently employed outside the home you might check with your employer to see if they offer this to their employees. If so, take advantage of the program and save yourself a few dollars!

3. Attend a class called 'Recognizing & Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect' - Locally, this class is offered through our Community College. By taking this class you will become what's called a 'mandatory reporter' which requires you to report any signs of child abuse and neglect to the authorities similar to a teachers requirements.

4. Family Child Care Overview Class - This class is also offered through our local community collage and is probably the first step you should take. It gives you a good overview of what other services are offered to you and the resources available to Child Care providers in your community. It also covers the requirements that you are required to meet if you become certified and accept children that receive state funding for their meals.

Now that you know the basic requirements lets look at a plan. You need to first remember that this is a business. You are not there to work for 'free'.

Creating your paperwork:

Create sign-up packet: This should include a basic contract for the parents. You need to specify when you are to be paid. It is helpful to try to work with parent's paydays and you should include 2 weeks payment in advance and require a two week notice of departure. Try to keep the contract down to one page if possible.
Many child care providers charge an annual fee of $20-$30 for supplies. This can be pro-rated for new customers and then charged annually on a specific date.

If you are charging the parent for food, be sure to include that in the contract.

You should also have an information sheet about the child. Informative questions about allergies, shots, etc... as well as fun questions that will make your life easier: nick names the child goes by, siblings, pets, birthday are just a few that come to mind.

Also include a schedule for the parents. Try not to over schedule your day, but just a basic list of when breakfast, lunch, snacks, naps, games, activities, etc... will occur throughout the child's day. This will assure parents that their child will not be 'parked' in front of a TV for the entire day as well as give them ideas as to the best time to drop off or pick up depending on their schedules.

Last, but probably the most important take time to consider discipline at your child care. Spell out your policy and include it in your welcome package with the other documents. This can be very important. It lets the parents know how you will handle their child in their absence.

You might group it by age if you have a wide age group. For example, you might say 3-4 year olds will have a time out for hitting, pushing, pinching in the chair near the door for 3 minutes if the behavior continues after their first verbal warning. Biting will require the child to be expelled for one day for the first offense; the second offense will result in...

If you are planning on being certified and having several children I would encourage you strongly to speak to your insurance agent about extra coverage for your home business.

You will also be able to write off a number of expenses come tax time and a tax professional will be able to assist you with this. Keep track of you monthly electric bills, any improvements or changes you needed to do to your home to make it child safe. Each of these receipts will be that much more off of your tax bill. The food you prepare for the children and any supplies you purchase, whether it's that new swing set or simple craft supplies its all part of your business. Simple excel spread sheets and a 12 pocket check holder will allow you to record and group receipts for your business and keep your tax professional happy!

The next step in becoming a Child Care Provider is advertising. You need customers! One of the easiest ways is to create a simple flyer. Many flyers have little cut-off tabs at the bottom, but one of the best I have seen used a simple flyer, and then used narrow post-it notes with the name and phone number along the bottom. This allowed the flyer to remain nice looking, and the numbers to be easily removed and taken by potential clients. Post these in every grocery store in the surrounding areas that have public bulletin boards.

Another great place to put these flyers is the little convenience stores. Often times these are located in neighborhoods and if you take a few minutes to chat with the clerk behind the counter they will often refer customers to you and your flyer.

The next place to put your flyer is at the local schools. Most schools will have a loose leaf notebook in the front office with child care provider information. Just check with the school at the beginning of every school year to make sure they have updated information.

In my area, you can also be registered with Lane Family Connections. They will refer customers to you based on your location and they will often call to verify if you are still an active provider.

Locally in Lane County, Oregon, Lane Family Connections keeps you updated on classes so that you can continue your education in Child Care if you are interested. If you are on a very limited budget, they can often help you with grants for toys or upgrades to your home to meet the state requirements.

Now that you are on your way to getting clients, it's a good idea to work on your curriculum. Try to keep it simple if you are having small children. Keep set meal and snack times as well as nap times. It will make your life much easier and less stressful. It will also assure the little ones the stability and structure they need to thrive and behave for you.

Your days will often run from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm depending on your parents schedules. I know many daycare providers offer 24 hour care and have children sleeping over rather than daytime activities. Look at your lifestyle and family and choose what works best for you. If you are in a financial crunch, the overnight care provider can charge a higher price with little impact on your family life.

Take advantage of free programs in your area. Use your library to check out books. puppets, and movies weekly to keep the children engaged without impacting your pocketbook. Use on-line resources to gather craft ideas. I keep a loose three ring binder of the activities that have worked well and write notes about any changes that I have made in the margins. On the weekend, take an hour to plan your activities for the week; your binder will be invaluable.

A weekly calendar for the children is also fun and gives them things to look forward to. Include activities for the week as well as meals. Try to choose a special event for the week to hi-light.

The benefits of being a child care provider are unlimited. You will impact your own family's life for the better by being home to tend to their needs, keep your home better organized, prepare meals in a timely manner, etc. You will impact the environment by no longer needing to drive on a daily basis saving money on gas, wear and tear on your auto as well as in many other areas of your life.

As a care provider you will enjoy seeing the children grow, learn and change over the years. Knowing that you have provided a stable caring environment for the most valuable resource on the planet will give you a sense of accomplishment.