According to Minnesota's Center for Rural Policy and Development, the entire state faces a shortage of daycare centers. Childcare capacity has been expanding in and around the Twin Cities more rapidly than in the rest of the state. Still, there are plenty of opportunities for at-home daycare centers to offer a home-based alternative to commercial facilities.
Many parents prefer leaving their children in a neighborhood home, even if it's not their own home. Providers get the chance to run a business from their own house, and often, care for their own children while also providing safe, secure and fun care for others. Home daycare facilities can provide parents and daycare owners with a fun and secure alternative to a commercial daycare facility.
Suggestions for Secure and Comfortable Home Daycare Providers
Young children develop quickly and at their own different rates. This makes them unpredictable creatures. Just like a good Boy Scout, at-home daycare providers need to remain prepared. These tips should eliminate most unpleasant surprises in home daycare centers.
- Tips for a Child-Proofed Home:
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has an online checklist that you might consult to create your own personalized safety checklist. Some basic tips include obvious safety measures like covering electrical outlets, making sure that outdoor play areas have fences to keep children inside and intruders outside, and eliminating choking, tripping, and heat hazards and sharp corners.
The additional suggestions can also help you protect children against some less predictable home hazards:- Install bolted safety gates on stairs. Also make sure that chairs near counters and other tall objects don't invite curious toddlers to climb.
- Consider installing door knob, drawer, and window safety locks because some children love to open things. If you have vents near the floor, make sure that children won't be able to open them.
- Test out gates and locks to make sure you have an easy time opening them; otherwise, you might be tempted to leave them unlocked when you're busy.
No matter what you do, some children will probably still surprise you with their ability to generate mischief. Make sure you keep a log of potential safety issues as you notice them. Make it a daily or weekly habit to find solutions to any potential hazards that you notice and that had not occurred to you before.
- Plan for Emergencies and to Avoid Stress:
You may focus on guarding the safety of your young charges with admirable care and good intentions. If you don't also take care of yourself, you won't take the best care of anybody else. Some minimum suggestions from content and successful at-home daycare providers include:- Engaging at least a part-time and/or on-call assistant as soon as possible for emergency backup and relief with breaks
- Outsourcing tasks like accounting, house cleaning, and maintenance when possible
- Making sure that parents understand your contract and respect your time
- Having emergency numbers and a plan on hand and clearly displayed
- Inviting people in who can add enrichment with entertainment, supplemental lessons, and so on
- Why You Can't Do it All:
In one case, a home daycare provider suffered a severe and unexpected case of painful kidney stones. In this case, she was lucky enough to have her sister nearby and on call to watch kids and contact parents while she was rushed to the hospital. Luckily, this story ended well because the hospital released the provider a day later. The parents were delighted to see how well she handled this urgent situation and pleased to see that she was back in business very quickly.
You may feel prepared to handle everything on your own; however, you can't anticipate every situation. Emergencies will happen; and with proper planning, they don't have to end badly. Even if no crisis occurs, the day-to-day stress of both keeping children secure and of running a business can wear the hardiest and most committed daycare provider down. That's why it's a good idea to enlist help from reliable family, friends, and professionals when possible. - Learn to Manage Risks:
Many people who run home businesses make the mistake of relying upon their typical homeowner insurance policy for adequate coverage. At-home daycare providers should not expect their regular homeowner insurance policy to manage all of the risks associated with running their daycare. At the same time, getting the right coverage doesn't have to be complex or unaffordable.
Many small business owners rely upon a package of protection called a business owners policy, or BOP. Similarly, you can ask an insurance agent about buying specialized daycare insurance that will help extend your home policy to cover typical risks that at-home providers need. Insurers will usually offer some customization options, but a typical daycare insurance policy offers:- Required liability insurance: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and most states require liability for licensing. Of course, the main reason to have liability insurance is to protect yourself against any claims of wrongdoing in case a child gets sick or injured.
- Business property coverage: Your homeowners insurance may limit the maximum amount that you can claim for the contents of your home. This extra insurance will help you pay to replace or repair things that you need for your business, like safety gear, toys, fencing, and so on.
Insurance Advantage agents have seen a lot. Because of this, a lot of small businesses rely on our insurance professionals to help them with managing risks. We work with insurance companies that offer you discounts for actions that you might take to help minimize risks. Call one of our Insurance Advantage Agency professionals to help you with your insurance needs. Phone: 952-746-5770... ask for Kim, Teryl or Steve.
Enjoy Your At-Home Daycare Business:
Offering home daycare can give you a chance to help your neighbors, earn an income, and enjoy the kind of life you'd prefer to live. Those steps you take today to plan ahead, secure your home, and of course, protect yourself, will ensure that you can enjoy a long, successful, and very enjoyable career.
