Saturday, June 20, 2009

Running A Day Care From Your Home

By Scott Allen

The reasons that people choose to work from home are numerous and vary from person to person. One of the more common reasons, though, is the desire to care for and raise their children themselves. This in and of itself can force you to overlook several kinds of at home employment, because you will need to work around the interruptions that children tend to bring.

One of the ways to solve this issue and still be able to work from home is to run a day care center. If spending time with children is not a problem for you (even if said children are not related to you), if you don't mind opening your home to other people, then you might find your calling in running an at-home day care center, although you should keep in mind is that this is not something everyone can do.

Firstly you have to have the proper training. Regulations differ from state to state, but all are likely to require some training and certifications before you are able to take children into your home. The Child Development Associate (CDA) credential is often the minimum that will be required, along with a verification visit to ensure that your home is safe and fit for young children to be in.

The CDA requires approximately one hundred and twenty hours of training, and there may be other requirements that you need to meet, including having a certain minimum number of children that you care for before you can call yourself a day care operator.

Failure to complete the CDA doesn't automatically mean that you can't offer babysitting services. You can still do that, but there will be a limitation to the number of children you'll be allowed to take in.

Once you have a group of children you're taking care of in your day care center, you need to make sure that you're properly meeting the needs of all of them, and not giving priority to your own children or the ones you're closest to. They will all need your time and attention, and that may make your own children jealous if you leave them to take care of other kids.

The children will need to be kept happy and engaged as well as just safe, and this too can be a challenge for some people. Regular activities will need to be offered which can stretch the imagination. Involving all of the children in those activities can be even harder, especially if some decide that they want to do something else. Your home will need to be large enough to offer the space needed for the children to play, potentially to nap, and to house all of the activities that you arrange.

Discipline and your own demeanor are another important consideration. If you are prone to losing your temper, or are unable to handle discipline in a calm and level manner whilst following the instructions of the child's parents, you would not be suited to this line of work.

If you enjoy the company of kids and can handle them while providing them with a fun and mentally stimulating environment, opening an at-home day care center is an excellent income-generating opportunity

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