Family Daycare: Why Part-time Works

I can honestly say that I love Monday mornings.  I look forward to them for a number of reasons: 1) My house is orderly as I'm prepared to get back to work, 2) I enjoy hearing what the daycare kids have been up to when I greet them, 3) Monday mornings at home are a gentle start to the week after a busy weekend of family activities.

A date with Banana Bread on a day off.

I'm not sure I would feel this way if I did daycare full time.  In the past when I ran family daycare Monday - Friday I found it more isolating; never having time to get to the bank; grocery shopping on Sunday night; being unable to schedule appointments etc.

Recognizing the pay-offs to this model of care (I currently run daycare Monday - Thursday with Winter, Spring & Summer breaks) is important to keep in the forefront of thought so that I intentionally appreciate it.  Here are some things I've learned to make this model successful:

1) Interview daycare families. Family daycare is a business in which I learn a lot about another family, and they in-turn learn alot about me.  I don't take this lightly.  When selecting children to care for I prioritize families that are referred by family and friends because they feel we will be a good fit.  When a family comes to check-out the daycare it is a two-way process.  They need to feel confident with my service, but I also need to feel confident in their fit. It is easier to say "good-bye" to a relative stranger after an initial meeting, than it is to deal with months of difficulty later. As a rule I do not accept families into daycare at the initial meeting (even if I feel good about the fit.) I suggest that we both take a few days to reflect on the meeting, encourage families to visit other daycares, and contact each other later in the week.  If the family is not a good match, I then contact them the next day to let them know.

Getting to dance class on time.

2) Be clear on your operating hours.  I think many people feel catering to part-time families is a scheduling nightmare - having fewer children spread-out over the week. I have not found that to be the case. Often part-timers have considerable choice in their work schedule. If I have a vacancy on Monday & Tuesday, a part-timer is often able to make their work schedule fit.   I am not very flexible on providing care beyond my operating hours (Mon-Thur 8-4.)  Although I do not want to unreasonably cause daycare families difficulty, I also want to be confident scheduling family activities around my work day knowing we can participate.

3) Adequate orientation. I practice a gradual entry process.  The week before the children return to daycare in September I have them visit the daycare (at no charge) for progressively longer periods of time. This allows me to learn each child's routines, and take some time to connect with them. I also consider offering more care for the first few weeks (working Fridays, for example) to help the children transition and develop an attachment with me as they adjust to their new routine.

4) Keep work at work. With the exception of organizing my home on Sunday evenings, I do not think about daycare when I am not working. I have daycare groceries delivered to the house so I am not doing additional shopping; I shop for daycare supplies online during quiet time; I have a basic curriculum developed so I can easily update templates for parent sheets during the work day; I run daycare laundry through the machine during work time; I exchange my toy bins at the local daycare resource centre right after work on Wednesday and do not open them until I start work on Thursday morning.

A Friday hockey trip.

5) Do not do driving field trips.  I discipline myself to stay home-based during daycare time. I do not drive the daycare kids to the post office or run errands; I do not sign them up for enrichment activities (gym time etc.); I do not drive to playgrounds away from my neighbourhood. I DO devote myself to providing quality care while I am working.  Part-time families often participate in enrichment activities (dance classes etc.) with their children on their days off so this is not a service I need to provide. I only visit playgrounds in my neighbourhood which we walk to so I can be confident in the location (fencing, hazards, proximity to washrooms etc.) As I am providing daycare part-time, I am then in a position to do all the away from home trips with my children on days off as family time.

6) The reduction in pay pays-off.  I feel well compensated for the work I do, and appreciate the balance in my life significantly more than I would favor a few extra dollars.  I have a rich life, and daycare is one of a couple of sources of income for me. I choose to do daycare because I love doing it - this is priceless.

Joyfully part-time,
Caz.