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ON THIS PAGE: Starting A Daycare Daycare As A Business STARTING A DAYCARE Starting a Family Child Care Program
This document is for informational purposes only. No official endorsement of any practice, publication, program, or individual by Daycare Express is intended or is to be inferred.
Family Child Care Program Start-Up Information
Family child care can be an exciting and rewarding field, and a wonderful opportunity to have a positive impact on the lives of children and their families in your community. Caring for a child is a tremendous responsibility and each state has established regulations that govern child care settings. We hope that the following information will help you prepare to open your home to families seeking high quality care for their child(ren).
Developing a child care program in your home involves exploration of a variety of issues. Here are some topics to consider when starting a family child care program:
Training requirements before providing care and ongoing professional development;
Health and safety issues, including accident and illness prevention and emergency procedures;The child care needs of the community;
Licensing and professional requirements and standards;
Legal requirements such as zoning and insurance;
Appropriate use of your home's indoor and outdoor spaces;
Development of a curriculum and schedule of activities that meets the needs of the children;
Appropriate equipment and materials; and
Linkages with other community services and organizations.
Resources in Your State and Community
When starting a career in family child care, it is important to identify the resources for child care providers that exist in your community.
NCCIC State Profiles give a summary of key information about child care in your state.
World Wide Web: http://nccic.org/statepro.html
On each Profile you will find:
A portion of your state?equirements regarding child care. It includes the Maximum Staff/Child Ratios. The staff/child ratio indicates the number of caregivers per maximum number of children. (For example, 1:3 is 1 caregiver to 3 children.) It also includes the Minimum Staff Qualifications in your state for the responsibility of caring for children in your home.
Contact information for the state Child Care Licensing Agency. Contact this agency for a copy of your state?egulations and other requirements for caring for children in your home, including procedures for becoming registered or licensed, and guidelines for keeping children safe and healthy while they are in your care.
Contact information for the Child Care Food Program Administrator. The Child Care Food Program may reimburse family child care providers for the cost of healthy meals and snacks. Contact this office for information on how to participate in the program.
Child care resource and referral agencies (R&Rs) can provide information about current rates that providers in your community charge and can link you with training opportunities and other resources. Once you are established, the R&R will also be valuable in letting families know about your services. The following organization can help you locate these types of resources:
Child Care Aware
1319 F Street, NW, Suite 810
Washington, DC 20004-1106
800-424-2246
World Wide Web: http://www.childcareaware.org
Child Care Aware is a national initiative which can help you find the child care resource and referral agency in your area. Child care resource and referral agencies can provide information about current market rates and can link you with training opportunities and other resources.
In some areas, family child care providers are organized into networks that offer training, resources, and group benefits such as health and liability insurance. Joining a local family child care provider association or support group can help you meet other family child care providers so that you can share information and resources with each other.
National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)
5202 Pinemont Drive
Salt Lake City, UT 84123
801-269-9338
World Wide Web: http://www.nafcc.org/
NAFCC is a national membership organization working with the more than 400 state and local family child care provider associations in the United States. NAFCC offers publications and technical assistance to promote training, professionalism, and leadership development and can refer you to local family child care associations and support groups.
Accessing resources available through your state?ealthy Child Care America project can help you learn more about child care health and safety and can provide you with information about linking your program to comprehensive services in the community.
Healthy Child Care America (HCCA)
American Academy of Pediatrics
141 Northwest Point Blvd.
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
888-227-5409
World Wide Web: http://nccic.org/hcca/abthcca.html
HCCA campaign is coordinated by the American Academy of Pediatrics in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Child Care Bureau and Maternal and Child Health Bureau. The HCCA campaign is based on the principal that families, child care providers, and health providers in partnership can promote the healthy development of young children in child care and increase access to preventive health services and safe physical environments for children. The HCCA office can provide you with technical assistance, campaign materials (Blueprint for Action), and informational resources to help promote the campaign statewide or in your local community.
Additional Health and Safety Resources
Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Out-of Home Child Care Programs and the Caring for Our Children video series is available from the AAP Publications Department at 800-433-9016. The Caring for Our Children standards for out-of-home child care programs is also available in full text on the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care Web site at http://nrc.uchsc.edu, along with summaries of individual states?censure regulations.
Family Child Care as a Business
Family child care is also a small business, and as the owner-operator of a business, you will be responsible for many management details in order to be successful in your new profession. Some things to consider when developing your business plan include:
Setting rates: The fees you charge will provide the financial base for your business and your income. Setting your fees, explaining them to parents, and collecting them are necessary tasks. Your child care resource and referral agency or local family child care association can help you determine fair, competitive rates. They may also be able to provide you with information about serving low-income and other eligible families through the child care subsidy system in your community.
Record keeping: Attendance, medical, and payment records, as well as emergency contact information may be required by state regulations, the Child Care Food Program, and other public funding programs. In addition, these records will be fundamental to filing your federal and state tax returns. You will need to have accurate and complete records to receive full benefit of deductions associated with running a home-based business.
Contracts: To help eliminate possible misunderstandings between you and the families in your child care program, use contracts to clarify the rights and responsibilities of each party regarding payment rates and policies, hours that you will provide care, and other important details.
Liability insurance: Providers are responsible for the supervision of children in care at all times and for the appropriate handling of any emergency. Having the appropriate liability insurance can help protect your new livelihood. Additional information about liability insurance for family child care providers is available on the NCCIC Web site at http://www.nccic.org/faqs/liability.html.
Funding: NCCIC Funding Opportunities includes a compilation of resources of Federal agencies and other organizations that have child care funding information. This information is available on the Web at http://nccic.org/faqs/funding.html.
National Organizations
The following national organizations provide information on the above-mentioned topics, as well as other child care issues, including program development and curriculum resources. The materials produced by these organizations may be free or available for purchase.
The Children?oundation (CF)
725 15th Street NW, #505
Washington, DC 20005
202-347-3300
World Wide Web: http://www.childrensfoundation.net
CF has a series of one-page fact sheets on a variety of topics related to family child care, as well as several job-specific books and videos on curricula and child development for children birth through age 8. CF also has information about serving children with disabilities in your family child care home. These materials are available in English and Spanish.
Child Care Law Center (CCLC)
221 Pine Street, Third Floor
San Francisco 94104
415-394-7144
World Wide Web: http://www.childcarelaw.org
CCLC has information on a variety of legal issues including liability and insurance issues, zoning and deed restrictions, contracts, and materials about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA)
1319 F Street NW, Suite 810
Washington, DC 20004
202-393-5501
World Wide Web: http://www.naccrra.org
NACCRRA is a national membership organization of community child care resource and referral agencies (CCR&Rs). NACCRRA?ission is to promote the growth and development of high-quality resource and referral services and to exercise leadership to build a diverse, high-quality child care system with parental choice and equal access for all families. NACCRRA and Learning Options online campus (Web-based distance learning) are offering courses through the Web site, including:
An Introduction to the Business of Family Child Care;
Building Blocks One: How Children Grow and Develop; and
Introducing Family Child Care: A Service, A Business, A Profession.
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
1509 16th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
800-424-2460 or 202-232-8777
World Wide Web: http://www.naeyc.org
NAEYC is the nation?argest organization of early childhood professionals and others dedicated to improving the quality of early childhood programs for children. NAEYC has a resource catalog listing NAEYC?any brochures, books, and videos, including:
Fundraising for Early Childhood Programs: Getting Started and Getting Results Revised Edition (1995), by Matia Stevenson. This resource is available from NAEYC at 800-424-2460.
Membership in NAEYC includes six issues per year of the journal, Young Children. A catalog of brochures, books, posters, and videotapes is available by request. The catalog contains books such as:
Opening Your Door to Children: How to Start a Family Day Care Program;
Tips and Tidbits: A Book for Family Day Care Providers;
Setting Up for Infant-Toddler Care: Guidelines for Centers and Family Child Care Homes; and
Activities for School-Age Child Care.
Brochures in the catalog include:
How to Plan and Start a Good Early Childhood Program; and
Keeping Healthy: Parents, Teachers and Children.
For additional information, contact NAEYC?esource Sales at 800-424-2460 or on the Web at http://www.naeyc.org.
National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC)
243 Church Street, NW 2nd Floor
Vienna, VA 22180
800-616-2242
World Wide Web: http://www.nccic.org
NCCIC, a project of the Child Care Bureau, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is a national resource that links information and people to complement, enhance, and promote the child care delivery system, working to ensure that all children and families have access to high-quality comprehensive services. Some suggested resources for family child care providers can be found on the NCCIC Web site at:
http://www.nccic.org/faqs.html#informal;
http://www.nccic.org/cctopics/famcare.html; and
http://www.nccic.org/cctopics/health.html.
Redleaf Press
A division of Resources for Child Caring
450 N. Syndicate, Suite 5
St. Paul, MN 55104-4125
800-423-8309
World Wide Web: http://www.redleafpress.org
Redleaf Press is a publisher and a distributor of materials for early childhood educators. Their free catalog features a variety of informational resources on topics related to caring for children, including operating a family child care business. Among the many resources available for purchase are:
Family Child Care Record Keeping, 6th Ed. by Tom Copeland;
Calendar Keeper 2002; and
Family Child Care Contracts and Policies by Tom Copeland.
ZERO TO THREE/National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families
734 15th Street NW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
202-638-1144
World Wide Web: http://www.zerotothree.org
ZERO TO THREE is a national organization focused exclusively on issues affecting infants and toddlers. Their publications include:
Caring for Infants & Toddlers in Groups: Developmentally Appropriate Practice; and
Heart Start: The Emotional Foundations of School Readiness.
National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST)
Center for Research on Women
Wellesley College
106 Central Street
Wellesley, MA 02481
781-283-2547
Fax: 781-283-3657
World Wide Web: http://www.niost.org/
NIOST (formerly the School-Age Child Care Project) works to improve the quantity and quality of out-of-school time programs throughout the country. NIOST focuses on education and training, community development, consultation, research, and public awareness and policy. NIOST serves children, parents, out-of-school time program staff, school principals and supervisors, community leaders, and government officials committed to improving out-of-school time options for children and youth.
NIOST publishes a manual:
School-Age Child Care: An Action Manual for the 90s and Beyond, which features information on how to set up a school-age program, including financing options. Additional information about funding resources for school-age projects is available through the NIOST Web site.
National School-Age Care Alliance (NSACA)
1137 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02124
617-298-5012
World Wide Web: http://www.nsaca.org
NSACA is a national membership association of school-age child care professionals with 35 state affiliates. NSACA?ission is to support professionals to provide quality programs through publications, conferences and peer support networks. The National Office of NSACA can help you find an affiliate group in your area that may be able to offer additional information about local funding resources and support for your project.
School-Age NOTES
P.O. Box 40205
Nashville, TN 37204
615-279-0700 or 800-410-8780
World Wide Web: http://www.schoolagenotes.com/
This newsletter provides monthly ideas, strategies, and curriculum activities for working with school-agers. A quarterly resource catalog has materials on discipline, science, health, administration, activities and games for school-age programs and descriptions of model programs with contacts. One of the resources from this catalog:
Before and After School Programs: A Start-Up and Administration Manual, includes a complete set of materials for starting, operating and expanding school-age child care programs.
Best wishes to you as you begin the exciting process of developing your new child care business!
The National Child Care Information Center has additional resources on topics such as brain development, infants/toddlers and serving children with special needs. NCCIC does not endorse any organization, publication or resource. If we can provide you with additional information, please feel free to contact us.
DAYCARE AS A BUSINESS Starting a Child Care Center
This document is for informational purposes only. No official endorsement of any practice, publication, program, or individual by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Administration for Children and Families, the Child Care Bureau, or the National Child Care Information Center is intended or is to be inferred. For additional information on this or related topics, please contact the National Child Care Information Center at (800) 616-2242 or info@nccic.org
Child care can be an exciting and rewarding field, and a wonderful opportunity to have a positive impact on the lives of children and their families in your community. Caring for children is a tremendous responsibility and each state has established regulations that govern child care settings. We hope that the following information will help you prepare to open a quality child care program..
State Profiles give a summary of key information about child care in your state. On each Profile you will find:
A portion of your state's requirements regarding child care. It includes the Maximum Staff/Child Ratios. The staff/child ratio indicates the number of caregivers per maximum number of children. (For example, 1:3 is 1 caregiver to 3 children.) It also includes the Minimum Staff Qualifications in your state for the responsibility of caring for children.
Contact information for the state Child Care Licensing Agency. Contact this agency for a copy of your state?egulations and other requirements for caring for children, including procedures for becoming registered or licensed, and guidelines for keeping children safe and healthy while they are in your care.
Contact information for the Child Care Food Program Administrator. The Child Care Food Program may reimburse child care providers for the cost of healthy meals and snacks. Contact this office for information on how to participate in the program.
Resources in Your Community
When starting a child care program, it is important to identify the resources for child care providers that exist in your community. Child care resource and referral agencies (R&Rs) can provide information about current rates that providers in your community charge and can link you with training opportunities and other resources. Once you are established, the R&R will also be valuable in letting families know about your services. Accessing resources available through your state?ealthy Child Care America project can help you learn more about child care health and safety and can provide you with information about linking your program to comprehensive services in the community. The following organizations can help you locate these types of resources:
Child Care Aware
1319 F Street, NW, Suite 810
Washington, DC 20004-1106
800-424-2246
WWW: http://www.childcareaware.org
Child Care Aware is a national initiative which can help you find the child care resource and referral agency in your area. Child care resource and referral agencies can provide information about current market rates and can link you with training opportunities and other resources.
Healthy Child Care America (HCCA)
American Academy of Pediatrics
141 Northwest Point Blvd.
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
888-227-5409
E-mail: childcare@aap.org
WWW: http://nccic.org/hcca/abthcca.html
The Healthy Child Care America campaign is coordinated by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Child Care Bureau and Maternal and Child Health Bureau. The HCCA campaign is based on the principal that families, child care providers, and health providers in partnership can promote the healthy development of young children in child care and increase access to preventive health services and safe physical environments for children. The HCCA office can provide you with technical assistance, campaign materials (Blueprint for Action), and informational resources to help promote the campaign statewide or in your local community.
Additional Health and Safety Resources
Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Out-of Home Child Care Programs and the Caring for Our Children video series is available from the AAP Publications Department at: 800-433-9016. The Caring for Our Children standards for out-of-home child care programs is also available in full text on the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care Web site at: http://nrc.uchsc.edu along with summaries of individual states?censure regulations.
Stepping Stones to Using Caring for Our Children was developed to identify those standards most needed for the prevention of injuries in child care settings. This is a free resource, available from the National Maternal and Child Health Clearinghouse at: 703-356-1964, fax: 703-821-2098, or e-mail at: nmchc@circsol.com
Child Care as a Business
Love for and understanding of how children learn and develop are essential for providing child care. A child care program is also a small business, and as the owner-operator of such a business, you will be responsible for many management details in order to be successful in your new caring profession. Some things to consider when developing your business plan include:
Setting rates: The fees you charge will provide the financial base for your business and your income. Setting your fees, explaining them to parents, and collecting them are necessary tasks. Your local child care resource and referral agency can help you determine fair, competitive rates. They may also be able to provide you with information about serving low-income and other eligible families through the child care subsidy system in your community.
Record keeping: Attendance, medical, and payment records, as well as emergency contact information may be required by state regulations, the Child Care Food Program, and other public funding programs. In addition, these records will be fundamental to filing your federal and state tax returns. You will need to have accurate and complete records to run a business.
Contracts: To help eliminate possible misunderstandings between you and the families in your child care program, use contracts to clarify the rights and responsibilities of each party regarding payment rates and policies, hours that you will provide care, and other important details.
Liability insurance: Providers are responsible for the supervision of children in care at all times and for the appropriate handling of any emergency. Having the appropriate liability insurance can help protect your new livelihood.
Starting a Child Care Center
Developing a child care center involves exploration of a variety of issues. Here are some topics that you might want to research as you think about starting a center-based child care program:
The child care needs of the community;
Licensing and professional standards;
Legal requirements;
Costs of center start-up and operation;
Facility design, including both indoor and outdoor spaces;
Policies and procedures for staff and families;
Health and safety issues, including disease and accident prevention and emergency procedures;
Curriculum development;
Staff recruitment, training, and compensation;
Appropriate equipment and materials; and
Linkages with other community services.
Informational Resources
The following national organizations provide information on child care issues, including start-up costs, budgeting, program development, regulations and standards, funding, and staffing. The materials produced by these organizations may be free or available for purchase.
Child Care Law Center (CCLC)
973 Market Street, Suite 550
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-495-5498
World Wide Web: http://www.childcarelaw.org
CCLC has information on a variety of legal issues including liability and insurance issues, zoning and deed restrictions, contracts, and materials about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Child Welfare League of America (CWLA)
440 First Street NW, Suite 310
Washington, DC 20001-2085
202-638-2952
World Wide Web: http://www.cwla.org
CWLA has several child care publications, including: Guide for Establishing and Operating Day Care Centers for Young Children and CWLA Standards of Excellence for Child Day Care Service.
National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA)
1319 F Street NW, Suite 810
Washington, DC 20004
202-393-5501
Fax: 202-393-1109
World Wide Web: http://www.naccrra.org
NACCRRA is a national membership organization of more than 400 community child care resource and referral agencies (CCR&Rs) in all 50 states. NACCRRA?ission is to promote the growth and development of high-quality resource and referral services and to exercise leadership to build a diverse, high-quality child care system with parental choice and equal access for all families. NACCRRA and Learning Options online campus (Web-based distance learning) are offering courses through the Web site.
Redleaf Press
a division of Resources for Child Caring
450 N. Syndicate, Suite 5
St. Paul, MN 55104-4125
800-423-8309
Fax: 800-641-0115
World Wide Web: http://www.redleafpress.org
Redleaf Press is a publisher and a distributor of materials for early childhood educators. Their free catalog features a variety of informational resources on topics related to caring for children, including operating a child care business.
Early Childhood Care Resources
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
1509 16th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
800-424-2460 or 202-232-8777
World Wide Web: http://www.naeyc.org
NAEYC is the nation's largest organization of early childhood professionals and others dedicated to improving the quality of early childhood programs for children. Membership in NAEYC includes six issues per year of the journal, Young Children. A catalog of brochures, books, posters, and videotapes is available by request. The catalog contains books such as: Setting Up for Infant-Toddler Care: Guidelines for Centers and Family Child Care Homes; and Activities for School-Age Child Care. Brochures in the catalog include: How to Plan and Start a Good Early Childhood Program; A Beginner?ibliography and Keeping Healthy: Parents, Teachers and Children. NAEYC also has an Accreditation program to recognize high-quality center-based programs.
National Child Care Association (NCCA)
1016 Rosser Street
Conyers, GA 30012
800-543-7161
World Wide Web: http://www.nccanet.org
NCCA is a professional trade association representing the private, licensed early childhood care and education community.
ZERO TO THREE/National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
734 15th Street NW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
202-638-1144
World Wide Web: http://www.zerotothree.org
ZERO TO THREE is a national organization focused exclusively on issues affecting infants and toddlers. Their publications include Caring for Infants & Toddlers in Groups: Developmentally Appropriate Practice and Heart Start: The Emotional Foundations of School Readiness.
Another publication that may be useful for your initial planning is Child Care Information Exchange, a bi-monthly magazine for administrators of early childhood programs that features many articles on business management, financing strategies, marketing, public relations, and related topics in addition to program and curriculum development ideas. Reprints of pertinent articles are available, as are collections of articles on particular topics such as On-Target Marketing: Promotion Strategies for Child Care Centers. These publications are available through Exchange Press at 800-221-2864 or on the Web at http://www.ccie.com.
School-Age Child Care
In addition to those already mentioned, there are several sources of information on school-age programs that may be useful. These are organizations that gather data on aspects of school-age care, including information on quality, program development, and curriculum resources.
National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST)
Center for Research on Women
Wellesley College
106 Central Street
Wellesley, MA 02481
781-283-2547
Fax: 781-283-3657
World Wide Web: http://www.niost.org/
The National Institute on Out-of-School Time (formerly the School-Age Child Care Project) works to improve the quantity and quality of out-of-school time programs throughout the country. The National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) focuses on education and training, community development, consultation, research, and public awareness and policy. NIOST serves children, parents, out-of-school time program staff, school principals and supervisors, community leaders, and government officials committed to improving out-of-school time options for children and youth.
NIOST publishes a manual called School-Age Child Care: An Action Manual for the 90s and Beyond, which features information on how to set up a school-age program, including financing options. Additional information about funding resources for school-age projects is available through the NIOST Web site.
National School-Age Care Alliance (NSACA)
1137 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02124
617-298-5012
Fax: 617-298-5022
E-mail: staff@nsaca.org
World Wide Web: http://www.nsaca.org
NSACA is a national membership association of school-age child care professionals with 35 state affiliates. NSACA's mission is to support professionals to provide quality programs through publications, conferences and peer support networks. The National Office of NSACA can help you find an affiliate group in your area which may be able to offer additional information about local funding resources and support for your project.
School-Age NOTES
P.O. Box 40205
Nashville, TN 37204
615-279-0700 or 800-410-8780
Fax: 615-279-0800
E-mail for catalog orders only: sanotes@aol.com
World Wide Web: http://www.schoolagenotes.com/
This newsletter provides monthly ideas, strategies, and curriculum activities for working with school-agers. A quarterly resource catalog has materials on discipline, science, health, administration, activities and games for school-age programs and descriptions of model programs with contacts. One of the resources from this catalog is Before and After School Programs: A Start-Up and Administration Manual. This guide includes a complete set of materials for starting, operating and expanding school-age child care programs.
Best wishes to you as you begin the exciting process of developing your new child care business! The National Child Care Information Center has additional resources on topics such as curriculum development, child development, and serving children with special needs. We do not endorse any organization, publication, or practice. If we can provide you with additional information, please feel free to contact us.
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