Hi, thinking of starting family day care. I'd appreciate any tips, pros and cons, costs, grants, start up allowance info, anything that can help me start and not have to sell my first born to make a suitable environment for growing minds filled with resources to nurture and develop little people.
Also thinking of choosing Holistic Approach Family Day Care Scheme for my provider. Ny feedback on them?
Starting family day care
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linsaa fdc
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Re: Starting family day care
Hi Childcarer1,
My biggest tip is to take it slowly, with each new personality into your home it takes time and adjustments to make everything work together.
Cons are paperwork paperwork paperwork, not only planning, documenting etc but enrolments and timesheets and fees.
Pros are everything else. You can be as busy as you like, only work nights or weekends, only have schoolies, or do it all. You set your own fees interview your own families, you get to stay at home and be with your own baby and won't have to sell your first born...lol.
A lot of schemes have equipment libraries to borrow what you need at first, which is what I recommend till you know what age groups etc you want to care for. All the big department stores have very reasonably priced portocots and highchairs though. As far as I know there are no grants or start up allowances available atm.
I don't know of the scheme but if you start and are not happy you are able to change schemes as long as you give your scheme the appropriate notice.
All the best
linsaa fdc
My biggest tip is to take it slowly, with each new personality into your home it takes time and adjustments to make everything work together.
Cons are paperwork paperwork paperwork, not only planning, documenting etc but enrolments and timesheets and fees.
Pros are everything else. You can be as busy as you like, only work nights or weekends, only have schoolies, or do it all. You set your own fees interview your own families, you get to stay at home and be with your own baby and won't have to sell your first born...lol.
A lot of schemes have equipment libraries to borrow what you need at first, which is what I recommend till you know what age groups etc you want to care for. All the big department stores have very reasonably priced portocots and highchairs though. As far as I know there are no grants or start up allowances available atm.
I don't know of the scheme but if you start and are not happy you are able to change schemes as long as you give your scheme the appropriate notice.
All the best
linsaa fdc
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Childcarer1
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Re: Starting family day care
Thank you Linda FDC, much appreciated, I'm coming from nearly 10 years in LDC so paperwork is the norm. Planning and programming for 4 or 7 is much much better
than 20
.
Do you program for your before and after school kids, if you have them?
than 20
.Do you program for your before and after school kids, if you have them?
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Childcarer1
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Re: Starting family day care
*Linsaa FDC ... Blinking auto correct
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linsaa fdc
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Re: Starting family day care
I agree, definitely better than 20+. I have activities available and planned for the schoolies then they do what they want to do and record it at the end of the day, pretty much the same as if they were in before and after school care.
I used to do homework and reading so when the parents pick up and go home they don't have to worry but my coordinator recommended that after a day at school that they just do fun stuff. I'm fine with whatever. My 6yo that arrives at 5:30 walks in the door wearing his pj's and goes back to sleep till the others arrive at 7ish.
I used to do homework and reading so when the parents pick up and go home they don't have to worry but my coordinator recommended that after a day at school that they just do fun stuff. I'm fine with whatever. My 6yo that arrives at 5:30 walks in the door wearing his pj's and goes back to sleep till the others arrive at 7ish.
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Childcarer1
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Re: Starting family day care
Poor little lamb, a very long day for some.
So you program activities for them, so does that mean you take obs and evaluate plan an activity (follow up) to further their learning then evaluate again?
So you program activities for them, so does that mean you take obs and evaluate plan an activity (follow up) to further their learning then evaluate again?
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linsaa fdc
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Re: Starting family day care
Yes but no where near as much as we do with the little ones.
I also did a lot of scrapbooking when I had a lot of school kids, they wrote all about their experience and decorated their page to go into their portfolio's, even the boys enjoyed it especially when they had funny photos.
Also it depends who your coordinator is at the time as to what they want to see and how much they want you to do.
Some say we don't do enough and others say we are doing too much and to simplify it.
I also did a lot of scrapbooking when I had a lot of school kids, they wrote all about their experience and decorated their page to go into their portfolio's, even the boys enjoyed it especially when they had funny photos.
Also it depends who your coordinator is at the time as to what they want to see and how much they want you to do.
Some say we don't do enough and others say we are doing too much and to simplify it.
