Getting Started

Truth be told, this is my first real attempt at blogging. Wish me well. And wish we well on my new business. I have decided to start my own in-home daycare and thought to share my experiences. The California Department of Social Services has a Child Care Licensing Website with a lot of information on the licensing process but you don't get a lot of detail from it. I thought I'd blog about the process in the hope that it'll help someone else. I live in California and I'm not sure if these steps apply to all states so keep that in mind.

I've worked retail for so long that I've forgotten how to do anything else and have gotten too comfortable with it. It's time for me to do something that I actually want to do. In this economy starting a daycare sounds like a scary decision but I'm lucky to have the support of my family and of my most amazing fiance. I've wanted to do this for a while and now that I'm getting close to thirty I'm beggining to get anxious.

I've started this process a while back ago really. Almost a year ago to be exact. It doesn't usually take that long I hear but I wanted to do my research and to be able to decide if it really is what I wanted to do. Here I am now, extremely serious and excited that I have gotten the green light from Freddy (my Fiance). I've supported him in all of his endevors, it's time the table should turn. There's a lot to do that you don't think about when starting an in-home daycare but none of it is hard if you have common sense and a good head on your shoulders.

First you should contacted the city and ask about the zoning. I did that and everything checked out all right. Basically they want to make sure that there are fire hydrants and that it is safe to run a business that involves children in that particular area. It is very rare for city zoning to deny someone to open an in-home daycare and as far I know not one person that I asked has ever heard of that being done.

Second you should make an appointment with whomever does your taxes and ask for recommendations. There are a lot of added costs when running a daycare but you are also allowed a lot more tax deductions at the end of the year. We've talked to our tax accountant and weighed the pros and cons and for us the pros far outweighed the cons.

Now that you have an undertstanding of the financial responsibilities you should attend what is called a "Getting Started Workshop". It is an optional workshop but i thought it was very informative. They give you all of the nitty gritty and, from what I hear, most people drop out after hearing the details of having a daycare at home. This workshop cost me $10.00.

Once you have decided for sure that you want to continue and start a daycare you have to attend an orientation. Before you sign up, however, you should read the Pre-Orientation Registration information. It gives you a quick rundown of what you will need to do and some requirements. I really enjoyed the orientation. They explain more of the process of becoming a licensed child care provider, Child Development Resources services available, instructions on the application process, tips on how to prepare your home and pass the inspection and went into depth about all of the regulations and safety laws. We also got to talk to a tax consultant that gave us more information about good record keeping and tax deductions. All in all the $25.00 non-refundable fee was a deal when compared to what I learned. To sign up for the Orientation meeting call a Community Care Licensing office in your area and they send you a schedule of upcoming Orientation meetings as well as information on how to sign up. You may also want to preview the Family child Care Home Orientation slides before you go. The link is to the slideshow that was used at the orientation that I attended.