Should You Open a Home Day Care Center?

Many moms who need extra money often think about opening their own daycare center. However this is not as easy as it seems even if you are thinking of opening up a very simple operation in your home.

The first thing you need to do is write a business plan. This does double duty as a guide as to how you will conduct the business as well as a document you can also show investors.

You also need to include your rent or mortgage costs plus the cost of making this business legal. There can be many permits and regulations that come with costs, fees and dues that must be paid for before you can even open the doors of a day care center. This is why more stay-at-home moms do not do it more often.

The bottom line is though it seems like anyone can do it, childcare is actually serious business. The licensing requirement of opening a daycare center really do vary state to state and you need to go to individual state websites to see what they are. Usually it is a Department of Health or a Department of Health Services that outlines what you need to do to open a home-grown child care neighbor.

One real selling point of any daycare is the nutritional quality of the meals that you offer. The more organic or progressive the food is that you offer the more you will be able to charge parents. As a rule of thumb children's meals usually adds between $8 and $25 per week to the bill of any kids you are taking care of.

Another reason that more moms do not open day care centers in their homes is that most states and cities have real restrictions about where one can be located.

When you do decide to launch a home-based business like a day care you need realize that it is a little more expensive and a little more high maintenance then most businesses just simply because there is such a liability involved whenever you are dealing with children.

Keep in mind that it is a business where laws govern everything and that your doors can be closed within minutes due to one silly little violation. You have to watch out for things like a member of your staff disciplining a child in just the wrong way and you have to be very mindful of how you discipline your charges. The fines for violating any part of the fire safety code and that the insurance required to run it can also be quite expensive.

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Tips for Getting the House Clean Faster

It can be just overwhelming when it comes to keeping the house clean. Most moms constantly deal with toys, dirty clothes, food crumbs, fluids and other messes. Some moms may disagree with this but usually the best approach is to do a little bit of cleaning every day rather than waiting a whole day to clean.

Some moms find it helpful to designate an entire day to a type of cleaning. This helps them keep track of what was cleaned. For instance, two days might be devoted to laundry and two might be set aside for vacuuming, dusting etc. Mondays might be 'Bathrooms', Tuesday could be 'Bedrooms', and Thursdays could be 'Basement and Garage' and so on.
It is also helpful to keep a list of rooms that you have cleaned on a chalkboard or dry erase board. This can help you keep track of which rooms need attention. This prevents you from doubling your work and neglecting doing other areas.

Kids often get in the way of cleaning house so the best time to do this is when your kids are napping. At the very least put them in front of the television or give them a game to play by themselves. Older kids will usually disappear the minute you mention the word 'housework.'

It is also a good idea to have an item called a clean-up basket. This works really well if you have a couple of kids and there are dozens of items cluttering up every square inch of carpet. You simply go around the house and pick up anything and everything. You can then take the different items to where they really should be stored in your home.

If you are a very overworked mom because you just had a baby or have other challenges then you are never going to feel much like cleaning. Cleaning experts recommend setting a timer to motivate you to work more efficiently. Basically you set a timer for fifteen or thirty minutes and during that time you work as hard as you possibly can to get as much as you possibly can. Then you can reward yourself with that nap or shower that you have been waiting for.

If you like a little direction then you can try a site like FlyLady. It gives you schedules and sends you emails so you can get your home clean in about a week or so. The first day you are instructed to 'shine your sink.' This type of thing can help you structure your time so you get the cleaning over and done with.

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