Can anyone share pros & cons based on experiences in running a home-based Day Care?

Start with what happens when you are watching a kid and they break a leg on your stairs.

I would talk to a lawyer first.

I worked at an at-home daycare. I’ll be glad to give you the plus/minuses as I recall them.

She liked being able to open up her home to kids, putting household items as business expenses, working from home and the ability to teach the kids what she saw fit.

She didn’t like the long long hours, having your home feel less like home and more like a workplace (with no breaks), having to keep the house constantly clean, dealing with food safety protocols for her kitchen, working within the strict laws regarding child/teacher ratio and the fact she never had a day off. She couldn’t close the daycare for a vacation or a snow day because the parents were relying on her.

Just watch Daddy Day Care.

I think you would have to baby/child proof the space first and foremost. I believe there are other checks that can be performed and licenses you can obtain given the city you live in.

Pro: You get to work from home.

Con: Children are evil!

I also worked in a home-based daycare, back when I was in college. The situation was somewhat unique, because the owner ran the daycare from a two-family home. She rented one half of the home, and used the other half only for the daycare.

@gemiwing gave a great list of pros and cons. In addition to all of that, you have to be prepared to deal with parents that can be less than reasonable. You’ll need insurance, in case a child does get hurt in your care. You’ll need to first look into licensing procedures for your state, get your home ready to be used as a daycare, obtain the licensing (this will involve an inspection), and advertise your services. You might want to consider turning part of your home into the daycare area, separate from the rest of the home, if you have the space. Our daughter went to an excellent home daycare, and the caregiver used her large, finished basement as the “classroom.”

There will be a lot of paperwork involved, like keeping records for your taxes. You’ll need to set aside a percentage of what you make to pay your taxes. If you provide meals and snacks, you may have to plan menus in advance following state nutrition guidelines. You may need to keep grocery receipts, if you plan to be reimbursed by the state for some of your food expenses. Here in CT, home daycares can do that. It might vary from state to state.

I strongly suggest you have all parents sign a contract like the one in this link. It helps everyone know up front what is expected. If you want to attract families that will work with you and not take advantage of you, set high standards for yourself. Don’t charge too much, but run the daycare well with no TV, plenty of time for kids to run around, maybe a daily “circle time,” excellent communication with parents on a daily basis, lots of hugs for the little ones, creative activities, etc. Our daughter’s daycare provider was actually kind of picky about who she’d work with. I remember her being upset with one family who didn’t respect her stated hours, brought the child in hungry, dirty, sometimes sick, had no interest in working with her to help the child’s behavior problems, things like that. She asked them to find another caregiver.

Your particular qualifications may allow you, due to experience, to charge a bit more than a place that plops the kids in front of the TV for most of the day, does more “babysitting” than “caregiving,” or otherwise provides less than excellent care. It would be nice to work at home and set your own hours, if you are prepared to handle the rest of the job as well. I’d suggest finding a reliable “back up” in case you are sick. Someone who can come over to watch the children if you are ill or have an emergency in fact, you might be required to have someone on standby for licensing purposes or someone the parents can call in a pinch if you are unavailable.

It’s a lot of hard work, but if you really enjoy children it might be worth it!

I don’t run a daycare, but I remember all the places I went that were at peoples’ homes. They all had children of their own, which is different in your case, but I remember it being a good experience. I’m not sure if that helps you.

There’s a risk with any business venture. You should do your homework on daycare and find out what the risks are and if it’d be a good situation for you. Also, your state could have rules and restrictions on starting a home based daycare. I don’t think you need a business license, but merely training in first aid and cpr.