Getting Started
There are many benefits to starting your own home childcare business.  These include being able to stay home with your own children while still having some income, being your own boss, setting your own hours, getting to play all day, having playmates for your children, having the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of young children, and helping families by providing high quality care for their children.

People choose to start their own home childcare business for many reasons (to stay home with their own children, for some extra income, because they want their own business, etc.). However, it takes a special kind of person to be a childcare provider.  If you are considering starting a childcare, honestly evaluate yourself by asking yourself the following questions:
 1.    Do you love children?
 2.    Are you patient and loving with children?
 3.    Do you have the energy to work long hours do physical tasks such as lifting,
        dancing, playing, cleaning up, etc?
 4.    Can you keep up with a group of several infants, toddlers, or preschoolers?
 5.    Do you have any experience with young children (including your own
        children, other family members, or babysitting)?
 6.    Can you handle having very little adult interaction during your day?
 7.    Are you organized?
 8.    Do you like to play, help children with crafts and educational activities, read
        stories, and sing songs?
 9.    Is it important to you to provide the highest quality care?
 10.  Do you have the support from your family to take on this type of business?
        (after all, it will affect every member of your household for you to have
        additional children in your home)
 11.  Do you have appropriate spaces for the children to play, do activities, and
        eat?

If you answered yes to all of these questions, you probably will enjoy being a childcare provider.  If you answered no to any of the questions, you may want to re-evaluate your situation and consider other options.

Here we go
There are several things you will need to do before you open your home to other people’s children.

1.  Click here for contact information for your local government agency that regulates childcare, and check to find out what the licensing requirements are for your state.  Some states require that all family childcare providers be licensed, while other states only require licensing if you watch more than a certain number of children at a time. Because each state’s requirements are different, it is important to find out what you need to do to operate within regulations.

2.  It is advisable to obtain CPR and First Aid certification (some states require it for certification anyway) so that, in the event of an emergency, you will be prepared.

3.  Child-proof your home.  Even if you have children of your own, you need to go around your home and move breakable items out of reach (even though your child knows not to touch that antique vase your grandmother gave you, a child unfamiliar with your rules will not know that it is off limits).  Check that all outlets are covered, chemicals and cleaners are in a high, locked cabinet, and that all cords (on electrical devices and window blinds) are out of reach.  Get down on your hands and knees (child level) to look at your home and it’s possible dangers from a child’s perspective.

4.  Make your home child friendly.  It is important that your home not only be safe, but it
also needs to be clean and pleasant for children to spend their day in.  It is useful to have
a child-sized table and chairs (or child’s picnic table with benches) for meals and snacks as well as crafts and educational activities.  It is important that there be plenty of toys and books and that they be stored low enough for children to easily reach them.  Colorful children’s posters and pictures should be hung low enough on the walls for the children to easily see them.

5.  Decide which areas of your home will be used for different activities.  You need to have a place for the children to play (a living room, family room, your child’s bedroom, spare room, etc.), eat (kitchen or dining room), do arts & crafts and educational activities (kitchen is ideal...easier to clean up any messes), nap (child’s bedroom, spare room, or other quiet area), and you need an outdoor play area (a backyard is ideal, or, perhaps, a nearby park).

6.  Get organized and outline your policies.  Decide what forms you need. Decide what hours you are going to be available.  Will you be available for full time only or will you also watch children part time? How much will you charge?   Average rates vary by location, so a good idea would be to call some ads from your local newspaper to find out what the going rate is in your area. There will probably be a wide range in acceptable prices for your area.  For example, in Phoenix there are home childcare providers who charge as little as $50 per week per child for full time care and others who charge as much as $150 per week.  Each of these
examples is an extreme.  Most childcare providers fall somewhere in the middle. Figure out what the two extremes are and go for a rate somewhere in the middle.  In the Phoenix example, a good middle point would be to charge $90 to $100 per week.  This makes your business affordable for most people without coming across as too cheap (if it’s too cheap, many people will assume that it is also low quality without ever checking for themselves).  Although price and quality do not always correspond, it is important to understand that many people assume that they do.  Also, if you are not charging enough, it will not be worth your time.

In addition, if you are charging too much, you may have a harder time finding people who can afford your services.  If this is the case you may end up with fewer children to watch and, in the long run, less income than if you charged a little less but were able to watch more kids!

7.  Buy supplies.  Take inventory of what you already have that you can use for your childcare.  Then buy whatever supplies you are lacking.  This will vary depending on the pages of children you intend to watch.
If you plan to watch infants, you may need infant toys, a swing, a bouncy seat, a playpen, etc.  Decide whether you will supply diapers, wipes, formula, baby food, etc. or if the parent will need to bring them (in most childcare settings, the parent is required to supply these things).
If you plan to watch toddlers and/or preschoolers, you will need plenty of toys, books and other educational materials, and art supplies.  Make sure that the items are in good repair and are safe for the children.  Replace or remove broken toys.
You will need both indoor and outdoor toys.  Riding toys, simple board puzzles, dress-up clothes (children love hats, glasses, costume jewelry, and anything else you can dig out of your old unwanted accessories!  Make sure that any items you select are safe for the ages of children you are watching.), blocks, dolls, cars, balls, and musical toys are all wonderful for children.   Swing sets and slides are good for older children but are not necessary for younger children.
If you are watching mostly younger children, you will want mostly board books, instead of books with regular pages, to help prevent torn pages. The essential craft supplies (those that have a million and one uses...):  paints (watercolor and finger paint are great to have), crayons, white paper (newsprint or other inexpensive paper is fine), construction paper, child safety scissors (several pairs), white glue or paste, yarn, pom poms, assorted colors of pipe cleaners, wiggly eyes, beads, and feathers.  You can always add other items for specific projects, but if you always have these items on hand, you should be well equipped for most craft ideas.

8.  Advertise.  This may mean telling everyone you know (if they happen to need childcare or know of someone who does); posting an ad on a bulletin board at church, the library, or the supermarket; or running an ad in the local newspaper (many papers have a section where childcare ads and other services typically run).  Or you may want to post flyers around your neighborhood.  You might even make a sign to put on your fence (works well if your fence overlooks a busy street).  You might advertise on the internet (check out www.home-childcare.org).  Try any or all of these things to see what works best for you.

9.  Be patient.  Starting any new business takes some time.  Don’t expect to have a full house immediately.  But if by some chance you do...count your blessings!

Activities
You’ve got kids running all over the house...now what do you do with them all day?

Blow up some balloons and bop them back and forth with the children!
Sing songs.
Read stories and nursery rhymes.
Tell silly stories.
Have the children put on a puppet show.

Crafts
Here are a couple good craft ideas that you can always fall back on when you are running
short of ideas:
Newspaper hats.  You fold them.  Then let your little ones loose with paint, crayons,
stickers, beads, feathers, pom-poms and anything else you can think of to decorate them!

Crowns are even easier to make.  Take a sheet of construction paper (the child may select the color) and cut it in half lengthwise (instead of cutting it straight across, cut it with a large zigzag).  Lay the 2 pieces end to end and glue or staple them together.  Ask the children whether they are a prince or a king, a princess or a queen.  Then write their title and their name on the crown (i.e Prince Daniel).  Have the child decorate the crown by gluing on “jewels”...either colored bits of paper or colorful plastic beads.

Puppets can be made from socks or paper bags.  Then use paint, wiggly eyes, yarn, buttons, beads, feathers, etc to decorate!  Also you can cut out pictures that the children have colored (from coloring books) and glue the characters to popsicle sticks for a simple stick puppet!

Texture Person.  Use scraps of a variety of materials to make a face, arms, legs, etc.  You can use felt, corrugated cardboard, paper towel or toilet paper tubes, sandpaper, ribbon, yarn, scraps of cloth,  foam, or whatever you can recycle from around the house.

Masks can be made from paper plates.  Decorate to look like a tiger, lion, bear, pig, or other animal (a good snout can be made from an egg carton...just cut out a single cup from the egg carton and glue it to the paper plate!).  Tie 2 pieces of ribbon through holes punched in the sides of the mask to secure it to the child’s face. You can also make masks from the Styrofoam plates that meat comes packaged in.  Simply clean the tray, cut to the desired shape, then decorate and attach ribbon to each side.

Maracas can be made using a small coffee or baby formula can.  Use contact paper, construction paper or white paper to cover the outside of the can.  Have the children decorate the can.  Place a small amount of dry beans, rice, or M&M’s inside the container.  Put a line of glue around the edge of the can and replace the lid (hot glue works best, but white glue will also work), gluing it in place.  Then the kids can make music to their hearts’ content.

If the kids want a whole band worth of musical instruments, you can make a “guitar” by wrapping different sizes of rubber bands around a tissue box (around the opening of the box).  The kids can decorate the guitar with paint.

To make tambourines, use aluminum pie plates (the kind you might get when you buy a frozen pie or a frozen chicken pot pie).  Using a hole punch, make several holes around the edge of the pie plate.  Then use a small piece of string or wire to attach a small bell to each hole.

Painting.  Give the children a piece of paper and a paint brush and let them at it.  Any kind of paint will do...watercolors are probably the easiest as far as preparation and cleanup.  Finger-paints are messier, but lots of fun!
 

Educational Activities
A great activity for children is washing toy dishes.  This teaches the process of cleaning dishes, manual dexterity, and a love of helping.  Simply fill up two small pans with water...one soapy and one clear.  The kids can take turns with one set of pans, or you can have one child wash, one rinse, and another dry the dishes, or if you have enough pans, each child can work separately.  Spread towels on the kitchen floor and put the 2 pans on the towels (to help keep the mess to a minimum).  Give each child several plastic dishes (either play tea sets or real dishes will work), a sponge or scrub brush, and a towel to dry the dishes.

Shapes and colors can be learned with simple games.  When playing with blocks or other toys, ask a child to find particular shapes or colors.  If the child gets it right, cheer or clap your hands.  If the child gives you a green block when you asked for red, simply say, cheerfully, “That is a green block.  This is a red block.”  And hand the child the red block.  This way you are not focusing on the mistake, but are instead focusing on the blocks and their colors.  Only do games like this as long as everyone is having fun!  And try to end the game on a positive note.  If you were to quit when the child got it wrong, that leaves the child feeling like they couldn’t do it, but if you stop the game when the child has just gotten it right, they come away feeling confidence in themselves. One of the best ways to teach a love of reading and learning is to read to children (of all ages, including infants).  It is a good idea to have story time everyday.  Additionally, have plenty of books available for the children to look at throughout the day.  You might want to set up a reading area.  This can have pillows or mats to rest on and plenty of books all within a child’s reach.

Music and dancing are great learning tools for children.  Music helps children express themselves and teaches creative thinking.  Give each child an instrument (either homemade or store bought) and let them play!  Or turn on the radio, tape, or CD, and let them dance!  Exposing kids to a wide variety of music at an early age fosters a lifelong love of music.  Try dance music, classical, jazz, country, big band, easy listening, and children’s songs.  Also, sing to the kids and teach them songs...it doesn’t matter if you can sing or not...the kids won’t mind if you can’t carry a tune.

Games
Teach the kids and then play every game you can remember from your own childhood.
Try the Hokey Pokey; Duck, Duck, Goose; Ring Around the Rosie, Hot Potato; Simon Says; Mother May I; Red Light, Green Light, etc.  Also, when selecting which child will go first in an activity, recite a choosing rhyme, like “Eenie Meanie Miney Mo”, “Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum”, or “Engine, Engine Number 9”.  Little kids delight in hearing these rhymes and will learn them very quickly.

Discipline issues
When discipline issues arise, you need to have already decided how you will handle the situation.  Although most people probably use the time-out, it is probably not the most
effective way to resolve most issues that come up.  It works well with a child who is very emotional, upset and angry.  It gives the child a chance to relax and calm down.  Usually when a child hits another child or takes away a toy, they aren’t overly agitated and a time-out is not very effective.  A better response might be, depending on the situation and the age of the child, distraction or removing the child from the situation (“Come play over here” as you hand the child a different toy) or taking away a privilege (“Since you aren’t willing to take turns on the slide, you won’t be allowed to play on the slide right now”).  Spanking or other forms of physical punishment are NEVER acceptable for a childcare provider to use.

Potential Problems and Practical Solutions
Non-payment
This is a situation that many providers face.  When you have parents who bring their child to you all week, and then either write a bad check or don’t pay at all, it can be an extremely frustrating situation.  You have worked hard for nothing.  However, there are ways to handle it if it does happen to you and ways to try to prevent it from happening at all.

If on Monday the parents have forgotten their checkbook, you can either turn them away (which is a bit harsh), or you can let them know that there is a $5/day late fee which can be avoided by bringing the payment when they pick up the child Monday afternoon. Also let them know that you only accept payment one day late (after which you will terminate services), and that on Tuesday morning if they don’t have payment that you will, regrettably, be unable to accept their child.  Of course this must be done diplomatically to avoid creating ill will.  Understand that sometimes people really do forget their checkbook.  The purpose of this policy is to prevent you from suffering huge losses...the most you are out is one day’s worth of work instead of a whole week. Realize that some people will take advantage of you if they can...and it is up to you to prevent that from happening.  Remember that you are in business and you are not watching their children for the sheer joy of it.  Parents are not doing you a favor by paying you...they do in fact owe it to you.  Childcare is hard work and you deserve to be paid on time.  The parents would certainly not be happy if their boss said he forgot to
do payroll and they would have to wait to get their paycheck (while they wondered if they would ever get paid at all).

It can be difficult to stand up to someone who is saying they will pay you on Friday (when they get paid), but it is important to stand your ground about being paid in advance.  As has happened to many childcare providers, Friday comes and the parents have “forgotten” their checkbook and they say they will pay you on the next Monday. Then you never see them again.  It is better to have never watched the child than it is to get burned like this.

If you have been taken advantage of and the parent has skipped out without paying you, check with your local police department to see if it is possible to write a police report for theft of services.  Depending on the individual circumstances, the police may or may not be able to assist you.  If they cannot, you might consider small claims court.  However, even if judgment is in your favor, collecting the money owed you is still not easy to do. You can check into whether it is possible to garnish wages as a means of collection. There are also parents who will knowingly write a bad check, bring their child all week (while you think you’ve been paid) and then they find a new childcare provider for the following week to play the same scam on.  These people want something for nothing and often they get away with it.  You have a couple of options.  You may choose to accept cash only to preclude any possibility of this happening to you.  Or if it does happen you can check with your local law enforcement agency to see if it is possible to prosecute bad check writers.

Violation of sick policy
Parents who habitually bring their child when he/she is sick can make you, your children,
the other kids you watch, and their families sick.  Occasionally, it will happen that a child
comes when they are sick without the parent realizing it.  These instances can be overlooked.  Simply call the parents to come pick the child up.  However, some parents will never keep the child home no matter how sick the child is.  When you begin to notice this type of pattern, ask the parents to keep the child home next time.  If it happens again, remind the parents with a written notice of your sick policy.  If it happens again, give the parents two weeks notice to find another provider.

Contact Information for Childcare Licensing

Alabama
Dept. of Human Resources
Office of Day Care
50 N. Ripley
Montgomery, AL 36130
Phone:(334)242-1425

Alaska
Department of Health and Social Services
Division of Family and Youth Services
P.O. Box 110630
Juneau, AK 99811-0630
Phone: (907)465-3170
 

Arizona
Office of Child Care Licensure
1647 E. Morton Ave., Suite 230
Phoenix, AZ 85020-4610
and
Arizona Dept. of Economic Security
Child Care Administration
PO Box 6123
Phoenix, AZ  85005
Phone:  (602) 674-4220
 

Arkansas
Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education
P.O. Box 1437, Slot 720
Little Rock, AR 72203
Phone: (501)682-8590

California
California Department of Social Services
Office of Regulations Development
744 P St. Mail Station 7-192
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone:  (916)657-2586
 

Colorado
Division of Child Care
Colorado Dept. of Social Services
1575 Sherman St.
Denver, CO 80203-1714
Phone:  1-800-799-5876 or 303-321-4164
URL Address:  http://www.cdhs.state.co.us/childcare/licensing.htm 

Connecticut
State of Connecticut Department of Public Health
410 Capital Avenue MS # 12DAC P.O. Box 340308
Hartford, CT 06134 - 0308
Phone:  (860)509-8004; In CT - 1-800-282-6063
URL Address:  http://www.state.ct.us/coc/ 

D.C.
Service Facility & Regulation Administration
825 N. Capitol St. NE 2nd floor
Washington, DC  20002
Phone:  (202) 442-5888

Delaware
Office of Child Care Licensing
1825 Faulkland Road
Wilmington, DE 19805
Phone:  (302)892-5800

Florida
Florida Department of Children and Families
Family Safety and Preservation/Child Care
1317 Winewood Blvd. Building 7, Room 213
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0700
Phone:  (850)488-4900

Georgia
Child Care Licensing
2 Peachtree St., NW 32nd Floor
Atlanta, GA 30303-3142
Phone: (404) 657-5562
URL Address:  http://www2.state.ga.us/Departments/DHR/ORS/cclrules.htm 

Hawaii
Department of Human Services Benefit, Employment and Support Services Division
Employment/Child Care Program Office
1001 Bishop St., Pacific Tower, Suite 900
Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone:  (808)586-5770

Idaho
Department of Health & Welfare
Bureau of Family and Children Services 5th Floor
P.O. Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720-0036
Phone:  (208) 334-0641
Contact the following cities for their specific licensing rules: Boise, Coeur d'Alene,
Lewiston, Malta, Pocatello
URL Address:  http://www.state.id.us/adm/adminrules/rules/idapa16/16index.htm 

Illinois
State of Illinois Department of Children & Family Services
406 East Monroe St.
Springfield, IL  62701-1498
Phone:  (217)524-1983
URL Address:  http://www.state.il.us/dcfs/rules.htm 

Indiana
Family and Social Services Administration
Division of Family and Children
402 W. Washington St. Room W386
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone:  (317)232-4740

Iowa
Child Care Unit
Iowa Department of Human Services
Division of ACFS
Hoover State Office Building, 5th Floor
Des Moines, IA 50319 - 0114
Phone:(515) 242-5994
URL Address: http://www.dhs.state.ia.us/policyanalysis/RulesPages/RulesChap.htm  and http://www.legis.state.ia.us/Code.html 

Kansas
Kansas Department of Health & Environment
Bureau of Consumer Health Child Care Licensing & Registration Section
900 SW Jackson Street, Suite 620-N
Topeka, KS 66612-1218
Phone:  (785)296-1270

Kentucky
Kentucky Dept. for Community Based Services Division of Child Care
C.H.R. Building
275 East Main Street 3EB6
(centers and family childcare serving 7 or more children)
275 East Main Street 4E-A
(family childcare serving 3-6 children - no certification needed for less than 3 children)
Frankfort, KY 40621
Phone:1-800-421-1903 for Family; (502) 564-2800 for Centers

Louisiana
Department of Social Services Bureau of Licensing
P.O. Box 3078
Baton Rouge, LA 70821
Phone:  (225) 922-0015

Maine
Maine Department of Human Services Division of Licensing.
Child Care Licensing Unit.
State House Station 11 221 State Street
Augusta, ME 04333-0011
Phone: (207)287-5060

Maryland
Office of Licensing,
Child Care Administrations
311 W. Saratoga St. 1st Floor
Baltimore, MD  21201
Phone:  (410)767-7805

Massachusetts
Department of Public Health
250 Washington St. 5th floor
Boston, MA 02108-4619
Phone:  (617)727-7600
URL Address:  http://www.qualitychildcare.org/ 

Michigan
Division of Child Day Care Licensing, CIS
7109 W. Saginaw, 2nd Floor P.O. Box 30650
Lansing, MI  48909-8150
Phone:  (517)335-6068
 

Minnesota
Department of Human Services;
Division of Licensing
444 Lafayette Rd
St. Paul, MN  55155-3842
Phone:  (651) 296-3971
URL Address: http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us 

Mississippi
State Dept. of Health;
Division of Child Care P.O Box 1700
Jackson, MS 39215 - 1700
Phone:  (601) 576-7613
URL Address:  http://www.msdh.state.ms.us/documents/childcare.regs.pdf 

Missouri
Missouri Department of Health
Bureau of Child Care Safety & Licensure
P.O. Box 570 920
Wildwood, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0570
Phone:  (573)751-2450
URL Address:  http://www.health.state.mo.us/ 

Montana
P.O. Box 202951
Helena, MT 59620
Phone:  (406)444-7770,
URL Address:  http.dphhs@mt.gov 

Nebraska
Nebraska Health & Human Services System Regulation and Licensure
P.O. Box 95007 301 Centennial Mall South
Lincoln, NE 68509-5007
Phone:  (402)471-9302
URL Address:  http://www.hhs.state.ne.us 

Nevada
Bureau of Services for Child Care
711 E. 5th St.
Carson City, NV 89701
Phone:  (775) 687-4232
URL Address:  http://www.leg.state.nv.us/NAC/NAC-432A.html 

New Hampshire
Bureau of Child Care Licensing
6 Hazen Dr.
Concord, NH 03301
Phone: (603) 271-4624

New Jersey
State of New Jersey Dept. of Human Services
Division of Youth & Family Services, Bureau of Licensing
PO Box 717
Trenton, NJ 08625-0717
Phone: (609) 292-1018

New Mexico
Children and Family Division Child Care Services Bureau
PO Drawer 5160
Santa Fe, NM 87502-5160
Phone:  (505) 827-7499
URL Address: http://www.newmexicokids.org 

New York
New York Department of Social Services
40 N Pearl St.
Albany, NY 12243
Phone:  (518)474-9454

North Carolina
Division of Child Development
P.O. Box 29553
Raleigh NC 27626-0553
Phone:  (919)662-4527
URL Address: http://www.dhhs.state.nc.us/dcd/dcdpage.htm 

North Dakota
North Dakota Department of Human Services
600 East Blvd.
Bismark, ND 58505-0250
Phone:  (701)328-4809

Ohio
Child Care Licensing Section Department of Human Services
65 East State St. 5th Floor
Columbus, OH  43215
Phone:  614-466-1043
URL Address:  http://www.state.oh.us/odhs/cdc/ 

Oklahoma
Department of Human Services Division of Child Care
P.O. Box 25352
Oklahoma City, OK 73125
Phone:  (405)271-4471

Oregon
Child Care Division
875 Union St. N.E.
Salem, OR 97311
Phone:  (503) 947-1400

Pennsylvania
Office of Children, Youth and Families
Bertolino Bldg, 4th floor PO Box 2675
Harrisburg, PA 17105-2675
Phone: (717)787-8691

Rhode Island
Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth & Families Day Care Licensing
610 Mount Pleasant Avenue
Providence, RI 02908
Phone: (401)222-4741

South Carolina
Department of Social Services
Division of Child Day Care Licensing and Regulatory Services
P.O. Box 1520, Room 520
Columbia, SC 29202-1520
Phone: (803) 898-7345

South Dakota
Child Care Services State of South Dakota
Richard F. Kneip Building 700 Governors Drive
Pierre, SD 57501-2291
Phone: (605)773-4766

Tennessee
Department of Human Services
Citizens Plaza 400 Deaderrek, 14th Floor
Nashville, TN  37248-9800
Phone: (615)313-4778

Texas
Texas Department of Protective & Regulatory Services
P.O. Box 149030 Mail Code E-550
Austin, TX  78714-9030
Phone: (512)438-3262
 

Utah
Bureau of Licensing Child Care Unit
288 N. 1460 West PO Box 142003
Salt Lake City, UT  84114-2003
Phone:  (801)538-9299 or 1-800-287-3704
 

Vermont
Child Care Services Division
103 South Main St.
Waterbury, VT 05671-2901
Phone:  (802) 241-3110

Virginia
Department of Social Services
Division of Licensing Programs
Theater Row Building, 7th floor
730 E. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219-1849
Phone: (804) 692-1776

Washington
Office of Child Care Policy
Department of Social & Health Services
P.O. Box 5700
Olympia, WA   98504-5700
Phone: (360)902-8044
URL Address:  http://www.wa.gov/dshs/dockets/wacidx.html

West Virginia
Social Services
Capitol Complex Building 6 Room 850
Charleston, WV 25305
Phone:  Family and School -(304) 558-7980 Centers - (304) 232-4411

Wisconsin
Bureau of Regulation and Licensing
1 West Wilson St., Room 534
P.O. Box 8916
Madison, WI  53708-8916
Phone: (608) 266-9314

Wyoming
Department of Family Services
Hathway Building
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Phone: (307)777-6595
URL Address:  http://www.state.wy.us/ 

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