I hear people say to me all the time, “Boy, I would really like to work at home like you do, but I have no idea how to run a daycare.”  Or, I know people who thought they knew how to run a daycare, opened one, and came running to me for help because they didn’t think things through.

Opening a daycare isn’t easy at all.  It isn’t something that you can just say today, “Oh, I’m going to open a daycare, ” and have a house full of kids the next.  People who have this mentality open their doors for business, only to close their doors a few months to one year later.  Daycare is HARD work, and if you aren’t prepared for it, you will FAIL!

You may be asking yourself, what could possibly be so hard about daycare?  Well, let me share a few things with you so that you can better understand.  First, the hours, the extremely long hours.  This isn’t a normal 8 to 5 job where you get an hour for lunch and a couple of 15 minute breaks in between.  We are typically speaking about 12 straight hours of constant care for children and attending to their every need, feeding, cuddling, kissing ouchies, peace-keeping, changing diapers or potty training, playing, reading books, the list goes on and on.

Next, there’s the parents.  Think about how you are when it comes to how you want your children cared for, and then multiply that by about 6 to 10 different parental personalities plus your own.  This can be very hairy at times especially if you weren’t prepared for it.

Then, there’s the wear and tear on your home.  When you have 6 to 10 children with you all day, everyday, things will get broken or damaged.  It is inevitable, so please don’t kid yourself into thinking, “Oh, that won’t happen in my home.”  Ah, yes, it will.  In fact, just last week my husband and I bought a brand new sectional for our living room, and it already has a tiny whole in it.  Now, did the daycare kids do this or did my own children do it?  Who knows, but it still happened none the less.  Be prepared to become the Spackle queen waving your magical puddy knife as you become an expert at fixing the dings on the walls and corner beads.  Here again, be prepared.

You may be thinking, “Oh, my goodness, this lady makes daycare sound absolutely horrible. How in the world could she have loved daycare and stayed in it all this time.”  Let me clarify.  I do love daycare and the children I care for, but it is important for those of you who are thinking about opening a daycare to know that it isn’t all fun and games.  There are some real issues that you need to contemplate before you make the decision to go forward.

I encourage you to really think things through.  If you have children who attend a home daycare now, ask your daycare provider what they think the pros and cons are of daycare.  I would also encourage you to do some reading.  There are some really good how-to start a daycare ebooks out there, buy one or two and see what people who have been in the business for awhile really think about it.  Also, be sure to include your family in your decision.  They will be living in your place of business, so seek their opinion as well.

Daycare has been a huge blessing for me and my family, but we have made some adjustments as well.  Be sure that you are willing to do the same.