I’ve had one! I loved it and will be opening back up next year. I didn’t hire anyone and had 6 kids total. It wasn’t our only source of income. The worst part was getting my license. Once you have all your ducks in a row and are open it’s not too difficult. Next time I open I will hire someone and have more kids (max 12 in my state). AND have aftercare programs! Like someone else said, you make money off of having something else going on too. It also helps cost wise if you have your own children and aren’t having to pay for your childcare. I closed down once I had my first and didn’t feel prepared as a first time mom and to have it open, it was too short notice for me to hire someone I trusted to keep it going.
My advice: really have your paperwork put together as in policies and regulations, don’t leave it up for discussion and explain what you want from parents. Have hard boundaries for you and your family. Customers are not your friends, this is a business. Be careful about what favors you to for people, they will always push for more. Example of what I’m taking about- I took someone’s kid early to help them out 40 minutes before opening… Then I’m being asked multiple times a week to do it because 'I’m home anyway" NOPE not next time. You learn as you go!
I’ve had one! I loved it and will be opening back up next year. I didn’t hire anyone and had 6 kids total. It wasn’t our only source of income. The worst part was getting my license. Once you have all your ducks in a row and are open it’s not too difficult. Next time I open I will hire someone and have more kids (max 12 in my state). AND have aftercare programs! Like someone else said, you make money off of having something else going on too. It also helps cost wise if you have your own children and aren’t having to pay for your childcare. I closed down once I had my first and didn’t feel prepared as a first time mom and to have it open, it was too short notice for me to hire someone I trusted to keep it going.
My advice: really have your paperwork put together as in policies and regulations, don’t leave it up for discussion and explain what you want from parents. Have hard boundaries for you and your family. Customers are not your friends, this is a business. Be careful about what favors you to for people, they will always push for more. Example of what I’m taking about- I took someone’s kid early to help them out 40 minutes before opening… Then I’m being asked multiple times a week to do it because 'I’m home anyway" NOPE not next time. You learn as you go!