A Dying Profession - The Stay-at-Home Mom
The age of the stay-at-home mom, the home-maker, is slowly going by the wayside. Increasingly more married couples are unable to live on just one income. In some cases, the mom becomes so engulfed in her career before she has kids that she doesn’t want to quit to stay home with babies. Being a stay-at-home mom is an honorable and important occupation, but it seems fewer moms desire to do just that as the years go by. On the other hand, some moms only desire is to stay home with their babies, but they just can’t afford it.
Some would say that the age of the stay-at-home mom is all but over. The once honorable profession is slowly dying to the point that moms are actually looked down upon for choosing to stay home. Meanwhile, daycare centers and restaurants are thriving as a result. Both parents work, so daycare ends up raising the kids. Less time is available to shop for food and prepare meals, so families go out to eat more often.
My wife decided before we even had children that she was going to take advantage of the situation. She knew she wanted to stay home after we had children, but she also wanted to continue earning an income. A home daycare was the perfect opportunity! With the current trend of more and more working moms, it was obvious that the demand would be there. Not long after we got married, my wife quit her job and started her own in-home daycare.
Starting a Home Daycare
There are several things to consider when starting your own daycare. Just like starting any other business, the first thing you should do is educate yourself. Several different versions of a home daycare starter kit can be purchased online for usually around $30. This is a very inexpensive investment that will get you started and lead you down the right path. Although purchasing a kit is not essential, it is a great way to obtain a ton of information and guidance that somebody else with experience has already compiled for you.
Another way to find information about starting your own daycare is to do a Google search for daycare blogs. Since you are reading this on my blog, I may be a bit partial to this method. Blogs are a fabulous way to learn how real-life people are doing real-life things. You will be able to gain unlimited information and perspective by reading and following blogs in your niche.
Probably the best way to gain an understanding of the ins and outs of starting your own home daycare is to actually talk to somebody who has done it. In some fields of business, owners might not be so willing to share their secrets to success with their possible competitors. This is not the case with home daycare owners. There is a limit to how many kids you can have in your home at a given time and the prospects for future clients are seemingly unending. Because of this, one home daycare really doesn’t have to worry about another putting it out of business. Go ahead and talk to somebody in the business. More often than not, they are more than willing to share their stories of failure and success.
Benefits of Owning Your Own Home Daycare
One obvious benefit is that you are your own boss. Granted, you can’t exactly just take random days off just because you feel like it. Parents are counting on you to watch their children so they can go to work. But, you can plan your vacations in advance for whenever you want. You don’t have to get approval from an employer. Just let the parents know the dates for when they will have to make other arrangements. In our case, many times the daycare parents have actually scheduled their own vacations for the same week as ours. Also, you can accept or reject children into your daycare for any reason you see fit. Even if you have been watching a child for several months, if it just isn’t working out, you can terminate your contract to do business with that family. Just make sure this is all laid out in writing in the contract you have with the parents before you start watching their child or children. If you decide to buy one of the home daycare starter kits, it should include all necessary contracts.
Low overhead costs are another great reason to consider running your own home daycare. You already have the building, your home! Added expenses to your household as the result of running a daycare are minimal. Food is the biggest expense, and you might have a few others, such as: cleaning supplies, craft supplies, toys, gifts and fees. Diapers and baby formula are optional, depending upon your agreement with the parents. With all of your expenses added together, you should find that most of your income will be profit.
Another benefit to running a home daycare is the home office deductions that the IRS allows you to claim. Basically, any home improvement or home repair is a deduction, as long as that part of the home is used for daycare. Major purchases, like a new refrigerator, new carpet in a bedroom, replacement windows or even a new roof are write-off-able expenses. Also, portions of your home utility bills can be written off, such as; electric, gas, water, cable TV, internet and trash pick-up. If you are not a tax expert, make sure you consult one for the proper way to write off expenses like these.
Readers: Do you or have you sent your children to a home daycare? Are you a mom who wants to stay home with your children? Will you consider starting your own home daycare?
The age of the stay-at-home mom, the home-maker, is slowly going by the wayside. Increasingly more married couples are unable to live on just one income. In some cases, the mom becomes so engulfed in her career before she has kids that she doesn’t want to quit to stay home with babies. Being a stay-at-home mom is an honorable and important occupation, but it seems fewer moms desire to do just that as the years go by. On the other hand, some moms only desire is to stay home with their babies, but they just can’t afford it.
Some would say that the age of the stay-at-home mom is all but over. The once honorable profession is slowly dying to the point that moms are actually looked down upon for choosing to stay home. Meanwhile, daycare centers and restaurants are thriving as a result. Both parents work, so daycare ends up raising the kids. Less time is available to shop for food and prepare meals, so families go out to eat more often.
My wife decided before we even had children that she was going to take advantage of the situation. She knew she wanted to stay home after we had children, but she also wanted to continue earning an income. A home daycare was the perfect opportunity! With the current trend of more and more working moms, it was obvious that the demand would be there. Not long after we got married, my wife quit her job and started her own in-home daycare.
Starting a Home Daycare
There are several things to consider when starting your own daycare. Just like starting any other business, the first thing you should do is educate yourself. Several different versions of a home daycare starter kit can be purchased online for usually around $30. This is a very inexpensive investment that will get you started and lead you down the right path. Although purchasing a kit is not essential, it is a great way to obtain a ton of information and guidance that somebody else with experience has already compiled for you.
Another way to find information about starting your own daycare is to do a Google search for daycare blogs. Since you are reading this on my blog, I may be a bit partial to this method. Blogs are a fabulous way to learn how real-life people are doing real-life things. You will be able to gain unlimited information and perspective by reading and following blogs in your niche.
Probably the best way to gain an understanding of the ins and outs of starting your own home daycare is to actually talk to somebody who has done it. In some fields of business, owners might not be so willing to share their secrets to success with their possible competitors. This is not the case with home daycare owners. There is a limit to how many kids you can have in your home at a given time and the prospects for future clients are seemingly unending. Because of this, one home daycare really doesn’t have to worry about another putting it out of business. Go ahead and talk to somebody in the business. More often than not, they are more than willing to share their stories of failure and success.
Benefits of Owning Your Own Home Daycare
One obvious benefit is that you are your own boss. Granted, you can’t exactly just take random days off just because you feel like it. Parents are counting on you to watch their children so they can go to work. But, you can plan your vacations in advance for whenever you want. You don’t have to get approval from an employer. Just let the parents know the dates for when they will have to make other arrangements. In our case, many times the daycare parents have actually scheduled their own vacations for the same week as ours. Also, you can accept or reject children into your daycare for any reason you see fit. Even if you have been watching a child for several months, if it just isn’t working out, you can terminate your contract to do business with that family. Just make sure this is all laid out in writing in the contract you have with the parents before you start watching their child or children. If you decide to buy one of the home daycare starter kits, it should include all necessary contracts.
Low overhead costs are another great reason to consider running your own home daycare. You already have the building, your home! Added expenses to your household as the result of running a daycare are minimal. Food is the biggest expense, and you might have a few others, such as: cleaning supplies, craft supplies, toys, gifts and fees. Diapers and baby formula are optional, depending upon your agreement with the parents. With all of your expenses added together, you should find that most of your income will be profit.
Another benefit to running a home daycare is the home office deductions that the IRS allows you to claim. Basically, any home improvement or home repair is a deduction, as long as that part of the home is used for daycare. Major purchases, like a new refrigerator, new carpet in a bedroom, replacement windows or even a new roof are write-off-able expenses. Also, portions of your home utility bills can be written off, such as; electric, gas, water, cable TV, internet and trash pick-up. If you are not a tax expert, make sure you consult one for the proper way to write off expenses like these.
Readers: Do you or have you sent your children to a home daycare? Are you a mom who wants to stay home with your children? Will you consider starting your own home daycare?
Photo: kids from my wife's actual daycare, winter 2006.
0 comments:
Post a Comment