When I first started to think if I wanted to open a daycare, I was already working with children for about 6 years.I knew everything about toddlers, preschoolers and somewhat infants.I also worked as an after school lead teacher with children that were 5 years old to 10 years old.I knew what I had to do with each age group and the importance of taking care of them and making sure I was able to keep the classroom safe for each age group.
What I didn’t know was everything extra that had nothing to do with the supervision of the children or the lesson planning etc. The fun part for me,jaja. I had to do my research even with all my years of experience because its not the same working for others than working for yourself. There’s more things to know about the daycare business such as what the department of health sees as the most important like releasing children from care, visitor control procedures and other things.
Caring for children is personally rewarding but being trusted to properly take care for them is a big responsibility. That is why we need to take these important steps before opening an at home daycare business.
5 important steps into opening an at home daycare for beginners
Step 1: Attend an online orientation session
In the online orientation you will learn the different license and certificates you will need before opening your own daycare.They will also demonstrate with videos all the responsibilities that it takes to become a daycare provider.By the end of the orientation You will also have an idea if daycare is the right business for you.
Step 2: Request an application
The application is like a booklet with all sorts of questions and information you will need to fill-in.Some of the questions they asked you will be for example, your full name and address, How will you conduct a fire-drill, where in your home you will conduct shelter-in-place drills, where will the children sleep and much more.
Step 3: Attend a 15 hour Health and Safety training
This course should be taken within the six months of employment and it covers topics such as preventing injuries, supervision,child abuse and more.
Step 4: Attend 30 hours of training
This ten required training courses that I will tell you Should be taken every two years:
The ten required training topic areas are as follows:
- Principles of childhood development
- Nutrition and health needs of infants and children
- Child daycare program development
- safety and security procedures
- Business record maintenance and management
- Child abuse and maltreatment identification and prevention
- Statutes and regulations pertaining to child daycare
- statutes and regulations pertaining too child abuse and maltreatment
- Education and information on the identification, shaken baby syndrome
- Adverse childhood experiences,trauma and nurturing resiliency
Step 5: Attend a CPR class
For the CPR certification you must make sure that your certification clearly states child CPR AED and Infant CPR so it can be approved by the department of health.
During this class you will see a long video of what to do if any children is choking Or if they get hurt.You will also demonstrate how to do CPR to an infant manikin, this will be done by sometimes taking turns with other providers.
Every states has different regulations on opening a daycare. please check your states regulations because most likely it will be different from mines,I live in New York city.This steps that I provided is for only New York city providers.I hope this five important steps into opening an at home daycare will benefit you in having an idea of the first important steps for you to start your daycare provider journey.