Ideas for starting Child Care

[melvin]

I have recently left my job to start child care from my home. I have been looking for children for six months, with no luck. I am not sure if it is my location, Red Head. I have been posting flyers and ads on I Saint John. Does anyone have any ideas how to go about finding children?

[Pumpkin]

Word of mouth usually works best. Tells friends and family, especially the ones with kids. People talk, it will get spread around. I am guessing you already posted on the store door out there...? There is a high demand for child care but like you said it may be your location. I know Rothesay is hurting!! There is no work in Red Head so maybe that's why. A lot of people will try and get their day care close to work or home. All that is out your way in the LNG and most of those guys are here without their families.

A lot of people are funny about putting their kids in with any joe blow...do you have your ECE and first aid and all that up to date? Or have you worked in any day cares before? Maybe if you have anything under your belt you can "blow your own horn" a bit louder so to speak. Make sure you have a criminal check done so you can offer that to anyone who might be interested. Not just the criminal record cheque but the one that tells u u have no charges or convicions against children or whatever it is.

I see someone on Champlaigne drive has a big sign outside on their lawn advertising for child care, dunno how successful they have been with the sign but maybe you could try somethin like that too. I suggest a more "catching" sign though, one that catches the eyes a bit quicker and easier. :) No offense to whoever owns the sign I just spoke of!!! :)

If you know or even if you don't know anyone at a daycare, you could ask some of the daycares to pass it around. Most of them are full so when they get calls and have to turn people down they may be willing to pass your info on to those people still looking!!

Wasn't much help, but hope it helped even a lil and good luck!!! =)

[livkat]

Some great tips pumpkin, but most daycares keep a waiting list and are unlikely to pass up the business to a private sitter . When you do get some children melvin, make sure to ask if they are on a list for daycare. You could find parent's looking for a temp spot, and just when the little one is in to the routine they leave. That leaves you starting from scratch.

[Pumpkin]

I know and I can't believe there are that many places with waiting lists!!!! We must have had a baby boom around here or somethin :P

You may be right, they may not want to share!! But if they had any heart at all they would. They know the parents are looking for a reason and need it asap in most cases. Hopefully, if you try that approach, they will have a heart for the parents in need! =) But again, if you have ever worked in one or have any friends who do, they may be willing to put the word out in help of you and the parents in need.

[momof2sweethearts]

Location is key but I'm sure there are plenty of families in your area that would love to have a daycare closer to home. Advertise on isaintjohn in the childcare section, ****** saint john (sorry isaintjohn) also you can check both places for people seeking childcare on both sites as well. You can email the buyer flyer and they will put your ad in the flyer for free as well. It gets distributed every 2 weeks so you have to email them every 2 weeks. What you put in your ad is a major part too, if you are are advertising that you don't want to go back to work so you decided to stay home and watch kids instead that isn't really appealing to most parents. They want to know that you are good with children and have experience, even if it is just your child you are talking about (that's all the experience you need) CPR training is great to have, the YMCA has courses and it only takes a weekend, costs $90 now but it is an expense that you can claim the end of year too so that is great. A lot of parents want reciepts, daycares are expensive and they want to know that they will get to claim it at the end of the year and it works out the end of the year for you too as you get to claim food, supplies, toys, repairs and upgrades to any room in your house that you use for your daycare, heat, lights, expenses for taking them to movies, the zoo etc, once you claim all the expenses you wouldn't owe anything the end of the year so it isn't a bad thing to claim. Find out how much people are charging in your community and keep to that amount or if you can ask a little less, even if just until you get more experience. Advertising is the biggest thing though so make sure you let parents know that you are going to be great with their child, not just watching them so you can stay home and make some money. Good luck!!

[momof2sweethearts]

Other places you can advertise are your closest convenience stores, schools on your bus route.

If you would really enjoy watching children but you don't get any children would you consider working at an after school program?? or the YMCA offers full time too. They pay $8 something an hour plus the gov't gives you an extra $2 so $10-11 hour, they pay for the CPR course and if you want to take the ECE course they will pay it for you as long as you sign a 2 year contract with them. The gov't then pays you an extra $4 with the ECE. Once you have that under your belt you could always decide after the 2 years to look for children in your home. Just a suggestion, oh and if you have children in school or in the daycare you get a discount for childcare I think 30% off, something like that which the amount you pay can be claimed in your income tax.

[shadoww]

I have been a childcare provider in Red Head for aprox 10 years. I have advertised off and on over the years at the store but my biggest success is definately through word of mouth. The majority of my clients come from outside of Red Head( I have had some that travelled from half an hour away to come to me). The thing about Red Head is there are so many providers in a small area. I turn many people away as my clients tend to be long term, meaning they start as baby and stay until they are school. I prefer not to take school age unless its a child that grew up with me(besides there are probably at least half a dozen afterschool sitters in my sub alone). Usually when someone calls and I am full I will refer them to another sitter I know in the area. The biggest complaint I hear from people that I cant take is that there is no one else in Red Head that gives reciepts, that is a big deal. People invest alot in childcare and deserve to get that to claim on their taxes.

[melvin]

Thank you for all of the advice! I will definitely keep all of your suggestions in mind. I have tried a lot of your suggestions though. I originally did not want to provide receipts or meals, but I found that people were interested in this. So now I can provide meals and receipts if needed. I guess I will have to wait until word gets spread around. Thank you all again for your advice!

[SamAndEmmasMom]

PM'd you :)

[Pumpkin]

A little off the topic....But....just thought I'd pass a warning on....and this could apply to any job not just this one...

Be careful with applying at the Y. Hopefully the girl doesn't work there anymore that hired me!!!...but I did an interview for the afterschool program years ago. Was told I was hired, then was called back just days b4 I was to start my new job only to be told they decided to try out a man who applied, even though she didn't think he'd work out. Then when he didn't work out like she knew he wouldn't, she called me back and rudely asked me if I was ready and willing to work. LoL I told her I was ready and willing to work the 1st time she hired me, but not anymore, not after what she pulled and after I had taken all the clothes I had bought for the job back!!

I had gone and bought all new jeans (u have to wear jeans no rips, pulls, no visible wearing, etc) and then had to take em all back!! Well, I did keep one pair ;) lol Not a BIG deal but a huge waste of time spent!! and money!

But in any job, this is good advice....if you have to go and buy new clothes for your new job, make sure they aren't going to unhire you before you go shopping!! Especially now that we have so many stores here who will only give you back in store credit :) (That drives me mental!)

[Pumpkin]

PS I dunno if you can say it outloud on here or what but....

Where are you located in Red Head Melvin? Or do you have a special name for your child care service so we could even just pass on the name of it so they can look you up in the phone book? Maybe we who have read this could help spread the word to people we know. I often hear of people looking for child care, with every day care being so filled up!!

[momof2sweethearts]

A little off the topic....But....just thought I'd pass a warning on....and this could apply to any job not just this one...

Be careful with applying at the Y. Hopefully the girl doesn't work there anymore that hired me!!!...but I did an interview for the afterschool program years ago. Was told I was hired, then was called back just days b4 I was to start my new job only to be told they decided to try out a man who applied, even though she didn't think he'd work out. Then when he didn't work out like she knew he wouldn't, she called me back and rudely asked me if I was ready and willing to work. LoL I told her I was ready and willing to work the 1st time she hired me, but not anymore, not after what she pulled and after I had taken all the clothes I had bought for the job back!!

I had gone and bought all new jeans (u have to wear jeans no rips, pulls, no visible wearing, etc) and then had to take em all back!! Well, I did keep one pair ;) lol Not a BIG deal but a huge waste of time spent!! and money!

But in any job, this is good advice....if you have to go and buy new clothes for your new job, make sure they aren't going to unhire you before you go shopping!! Especially now that we have so many stores here who will only give you back in store credit :) (That drives me mental!)

Oh that wasn't right at all!! I just know someone who started working for the afterschool program now that her child goes to school and it seems to be working out for them but that was bad management for sure!!