Using HOD in at-home child care setting??

[Mom2Monkeys]

Hi Ladies,
First let me say, Carrie, that if I need to have any special permission or if I missed a big disclaimer that says doing this isn't allowed, please let me know!

I'm already tired of the whole public school thing w/dd but I really need to find some way to make income while DH is in school. As my title suggests, I'm considering using HOD and providing child care in my home. In AR, you can have someone else home school your kids which means I could open this up to 7th grade (I think that's the grade level with the extensions in the new ancients guide anyway).

If I do this, I would find 2 other interested moms to work with me. 2 of us to teach and one to help with the little guys, teach LHTH, lunch prep, recess time, help with math/phonics while littles are napping, etc...kinda like a floater We are allowed to have 5 children each, not counting our own kids but I would NOT accept that many!! 15 extras, plus my 3 and how ever many the other moms have...WHOA! No can do. I would start next school year, or maybe over the summer. My kids would be almost 3yo, K, and 3rd. We'd be using LHTH, LHFHG, and Bigger. If I added other kids to that, I could have 3 & 4 and 5s that missed the K deadline in LHTH together; K and 1st graders in LHFHG with their own math/phonics; then 2nd & 3rd graders in Bigger with their own math/reading. I'm thinking I need to do Beyond as well, but not sure how to fit it in and how to spread the grades...Your thoughts?

I'd like to also do Preparing and the new ancients guide allowing for the older kids as well. What is the teacher time vs. independent time in each of those? Since those 2 are 4 day plans, I would add in health, PE, etc. on the 5th day to meet state requirements. The only add in for the youngers would be Song School Latin for K-2 and Latin for Children at a slow pace for 3-6. Then 7th plus would use Latin Alive! on the 5th day. Classical methods are desired in my area and there's only one school providing it, so that will be one of my selling points. Classical and rigorous, yet living books that instill a love of knowledge...all wrapped up around a Bible core. I would call it Deus Primoris Academy-- it's Latin for God First.

I'm not sure how to add up my time commitment and how to see if this is possible. Thanks for anything you can offer, advice and telling me I'm crazy, encouraging me or talking me out of it...whatever. LOL. Let's see where God leads my thinking through this board of wonderful ladies.

[MamaMary]

Hi Tamara, (((Waving)))

So are you thinking that three of you will teach a small class using the HOD curriculum? I am confused how you will teach more than one core program? I love your excitement and I am very impressed with your dedication. I sincerely mean that. I know of moms who homeschool and have an in home daycare. None of them have attempted a unit study program though. You are really thinking this through. I can't wait to see what the final product will look like?

[Mom2Monkeys]

I'm thinking I'd have the "floater" to work with the youngest ones in LHTH, then one of us teach LHFHG and a more independent guide (either Preparing or the new Ancients one) and then another teach Beyond or Bigger with the other more independent guide. That way, we can teach like we would if we had just two kids in two guides....teach one while the other is doing independent work. I could also have olders read storytime books to the youngers if needed. I would likely target the older age group (maybe Bigger and up) as well as those working on the same level as my two oldest children.

As of right now, I have it in my head and it works. I just can't get it out to explain it well enough to anyone else...lol. Including DH. He doesn't want me to have the commitment of providing childcare in my home daily. I just can't see going to work 3 days a week and having to put the kids into school full time at a school we're not happy with...plus I'd make a LOT more income with home daycare which for now, out of need, is a top priority.

I wonder if there's a way to do it like a "university model" school...we have a classical christian home school academy a couple towns over.The kids receive instruction at school 2 or 3 days a week...Parents do the schooling on the off days. They never have openings for new students and have a long waiting list, so parents would be interested, its just a matter of knowing how to schedule it to make it work.

Forgive me for just thinking aloud on here...I have to bounce my ideas off someone, somewhere!

Oh, I am still curious about the teach time vs. independent time in Preparing and the new guide...anyone know?

[Jessi]

As one who does in home day care and homeschools please let me add my two cents. Take them for what they are worth...my experiences only.

First of all, do you already have 2 other ladies signed up to help you with this? Or is this only an idea to make it work? Having the other ladies does sound like a good option. But be prepared that it might be difficult to get commitments from other women especially if they are not used to HOD.

As for combining day care and homeschooling, let me say this: when you do day care you lose the "sanctuary" feel of your home. This may not sound important to you as money sounds like a real need but let me explain. Every day I know that people who are not a part of my family are going to come in and tear my house apart. I never "LEAVE" work, if you get my drift. It wears you down. Now homeschooling is very much the same. So just imagine having two jobs like that at the same time. With day care, it falls on you if it is in your house for all the insurance and if you have employees you have to consider how that affects your taxes with paychecks. You have to keep a LOT of paperwork to cover anything and everything. Even with it being a homeschooling day care- there are all kinds of things you have to consider. You sound like you have thought a lot about what you would do with the kids, which is a good start.

It can be done but make sure you understand that this isn't just schooling...it's taking care of other people's children. You'll get kids and families that will be VERY difficult to deal with. And if you need the money- it gets so much harder to let them go even with problems. Just be prepared for some situations that will not be pleasant to deal with. You will have families that will try to take advantage of you as a caregiver.

Now the plus side:

Your children will have the benefit of ready to go classmates and playmates. They can entertain each other more or less, especially the ages you have. I'd encourage you to avoid babies as they require too much attention. Day care is exceptional for money making! We never owe in taxes, thank God. You can count part of your house payment and some of your utilities in your taxes which are very nice! Also, every time you go to the grocery store (so long as you are paying for the groceries) you can count your meals for day care and your gas to go to and from toward your taxes too. If you do decide to do this, I'd be more than happy to send you my day care guidelines through email as a starting point to make your own. You'll want to have something to give prospective families about your home and rules- but of course you'd have to add the homeschooling part of it.

Anyway, good luck. I understand about wanting to make good money and still homeschool. If we actually had a good homeschooling base in my town I'd offer homeschooling to others but there are very few and they are already veterans.

[Mom2Monkeys]

I certainly appreciate your two cents! It's something I really need to consider that I hadn't thought of.
The good thing is that I will not have to be licensed or registered as a day care in arkansas so long as there are not more than 5 kids per adult not counting my own kids. I will not be able to accept day care assistance vouchers this way, but I coudln't make much with the amount they would pay anyway. I plan to not have any babies (3 and up only) and no, I don't already have any ladies to help. My mom in law might want to help a couple days/wk. though. I will plan to take applications and be particular about who I take in. Since I'd be schooling them, I'd request previous school records and check for any behavior problems as well.

Gotta run, but will check back here often for anymore of your great two cents (as well as anyone else's!)

[Jessi]

Even though you do not have to be registered or licensed, you'll still have to keep complete records. If ever someone calls DCFS on you for even some nonexistent reason, you need to be able to back up everything you are doing with paperwork. Also, I make each family sign a contract stating my hours for that particular family (it varies per family) and how much I'll charge per week. Also, in that contract I put my expectations of that family and what they can expect from me. Those are great to have on hand.

Let me also recommend that you charge a flat rate. Don't do hourly. And charge them even if their child is not there because of sickness, vacation, etc. You are relying on that income. But I don't charge if I take time off. It's only fair.

I really think HOD is a great curriculum and would be very fun to do in a group setting. I wish I could do what you are thinking about. Who knows, perhaps you'll get so popular in the homeschooling community that eventually you'd have a lady to teach each curriculum! What a nice dream....

If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me. Ok??? I'd be more than happy to discuss logistics with you.

[dale1088]

Jessi, I completely agree with your comments. I too have a home daycare, although mine is on a smaller scale.

I used to watch up to 8 kids, 5 days a week, when my dd was in school and then in summer. I was by myself and I really think it made me a little crazy. I hated it! BUT, my issue was all about isolation. If I could have had a helper it would have made all the difference. I could never leave my house during the day, and I had limited contact with friends during this time. At the end of the day I was too tired to go out with friends, and besides I had errands to run and responsibilites to my own home and family. Your comment about having others always in your "sanctuary" really hit home with me - it's so true!!! You feel all this pressure to have a clean and orderly home because other people are coming there day in and day out, but there are littles tearing it up constantly!

Finally, things eased up a little early this year and I reduced (through natural circumstances) the number of kids I was watching. Now I'm down to 2 kids, 2 days a week and am much happier. I am hoping to get a 3rd kid for those 2 days a week and that will be just what I need for our family budget. It means though that we have to be very focused in our homeschooling and I have worked hard on a daily schedule/routine so that I can make sure I get it all done. I will have my DD in Bigger and will do most of her schooling on the 3 days I don't have other kids, and will do some preschool stuff with my DS and one of the boys I watch this spring, moving towards LHTH this fall for them.

Tamara, I would definitely encourage you to make sure your DH is on board. It's hard for them to see you having rough days, and needing more help around the house, and not being able to fully support what you are doing. Keep in mind that you are talking about a full time job, even though your kids are with you. He needs to understand that.

I think it's a great idea, especially since you'll have help! If you have the space to handle all those bodies, then go for it! I assume your state has all the info you need on licensing up on their website, but maybe see also if you can talk to anyone else who might be doing what you plan. It's always good to get some input from people who are in those shoes already. I know that's why you posted in the first place, but wondering if you can find anyone around your state you could talk to?

Good luck to you and keep us posted!

[icul8rg8r]

If I were you, I'd probably take it slow and add maybe one or two "extra" kids to the grades YOU are already teaching YOUR children. No extra subjects for you to have to teach, no extra people to employ to help you out.

[Mom2Monkeys]

You mentioned recording all that I do...What kind of records would I need to keep? Just regular things like attendance, assignment grades, etc. or do you mean discipline, meals, etc.??

I do plan to target kids in my own dc's grade levels. I think 3 would get me the income I'm looking for. 5 days a week is a lot of invasion, lol...so I was thinking...

My latest idea is this...it's similar to the nearby classical "university model" school and I think I have figured out how to do it. 3 days/wk with me teaching the left side of HOD plus phonics for the little guys/DITHOR for the big kids. That would be Tues, Wed. Thursday. I'd write out assignments for the right side pages (plus those two days of phonics or DITHOR pages) and have parents do that with their children on their own schedule Friday through Monday and turn it in to me on Tues. Also, independent work from Preparing and higher could be completed over those days if they aren't finished here with me. I need to figure out what to charge for the 3 day/wk. though. The school that does it charges no differently than a 5 day/wk. private school. Parents also have to purchase the consumables and in this case, probably the DITHOR book set.

I think I could do the 5 days of left side plans in 3 days...but as I type, I'm thinking about my own kids and how that affects our school days with having the right side to complete still after we've been schooling throughout those 3 days... Maybe I could just complete 3 regular HOD days and tell them what to do the other two days? Now I'm backtracking...help! LOL Ideas on the 3 day/week thing, please....

Gotta run...

[Jessi]

You will have to keep track of attendance (days and hours for each month), payments, discipline, anything that is a tax write-off, Parent contact information, number of meals (breakfast, lunch, snack that you feed the kids- i.e. how many at each meal)...etc. You will also need to get extra insurance to cover the kids in your home. Check your state laws or a tax preparer to make sure your state doesn't require anything else to report. Since you don't plan on being licensed that eases your responsibilities. You will have to get a tax id number or give your social security number to the families you are watching/teaching so they can claim what they pay you.

Are the kids going to be at your house 3 days a week and then home on Mon and Fri? Do families really have the money to pay you for a full week and then turn around and find alternate childcare on those two days? Or are these families ones with a parent at home, they just don't want to do most of the schooling themselves? If it is the former- you might want to just consider doing it 5 days a week. It will make the planning easier on you and keep you and your kids going smoothly. And you'll get a better response if they don't have to worry about alternate care, especially if they are pulling the kids out of school. If it is the latter, I'd say make it mornings only and send them home in the afternoon. It shouldn't take you longer than the morning to do the right side of the pages with the various ages. Then that would free up your afternoons to continue with the left side with your own kids. LHTH would be easier if you just did it ALL there with you and not made them do two days worth of work at home.

[my3sons]

Hi Tamara! I have 2 sister-in-laws that do in-home daycare, and I agree that it would be easiest to just teach the HOD programs you're already doing. Also, anytime you hire people to come help, you have more people in your home which increases the stress and wear/tear on your home, and you also have to split the income - for those reasons, it might be best to just do it yourself with fewer children and no helpers. I've found in past childcare situations I've been in (I tutored for 3 years in my home and at libraries) that the only person you can completely depend on being there every time is yourself. I agree with much of what Jessi said, paying a flat rate, signing a contract, and payment whether they show or not (I went to having prepayment). Perhaps you'd want to only do this 3-4 days a week, for set hours as well - and maybe only half-days without providing lunch, as this cuts into profit as well. The home is your "sanctuary" - what a good comment - and so true! Doing what you can to maintain that sanctuary is vital - so start small and work up to more if you can is my advice. I overdid it when I first began tutoring, and regretted that. Keep praying about it, and you'll know what's best to do!

In Christ,
Julie

[tiffanieh]

Just wanted to say that I have a friend who wouldn't consider what she is doing as a daycare, but she actually "homeschools" about 5 other kids, beside her daughter. They are all on about the same level of curriculum. They come to the house every day from 10-3pm. These are kids that the parents would love to homeschool, see the benefits of homeschooling but either don't have the desire to personally do it, or have to work, etc..

She is cheaper than the local private school, yet still makes about $15,000 per year teaching these kids!

[Mom2Monkeys]

Tiffanie, THAT is what I'm wanting to do! Do you know how she found the parents that wanted to homeschool but couldn't?? I'm not sure how to get the word out exactly considering I'm not really going to be a daycare and not really a private school....

I've been having second thoughts about doing it at all, but I think I'm just worn out... ds2 had to be taken to the ER night before last for high fever and seizures, unresponsiveness, confusion...the works. He was fine at 8pm when I put him to bed, was asleep in record time, and when I checked on him at 8:45, he was burning up with a 104 temp! Then started the seizures and the scary stuff. We went to the ER and didn't get home til 5am. He had a high fall (umm, more like he dove off a dresser- intentionally) earlier that day so he was thought to have had a head injury- CT was clean thankfully. Fever caused the seizures and no one knows what's causing the fever...no sign of infection. So, anyway...at times during all this, I kept wondering what I would do if I had 3-5 kids coming to my house the next morning expecting to be cared for and taught...what would I do?! This is one of those times as a homeschooling mom that I would take a break for a day or two and just pick up when we're all better rested. I couldnt' do that if I had other kids too. I'd be back to living by someone else's schedule and lose the freedom that comes with homeschooling,....but on the other hand, if I work outside the home, I'd would still have to go to work and live by the bosses schedule...no option to take that break. Plus my kids are with someone else all day. I don't know what to do.

I do know that I have to figure out something quick. All the loan companies are getting stricter so our student loans applications are getting denied and they've stopped making payments directly to the student. It all goes to the school. We've been living off what we have after we pay the school and it is literally down to zero...I have to find work in or out of the house...dh has no option to work right now with his school schedule. I don't know what to do! DH is NOT a fan of my doing childcare in the home, but I think if it comes down to no other choices, he'd support it. I'd have to find a way to get the books we'd need though and find kids to teach.

I call on Jan 5th to find out if a local secular private school can offer us scholarships for the kids and a part time job for me. They seem eager to help, but I'm not sure about the school itself since its secular...they are academically up to par so they are better than the public schools at least.

Please be in prayer for our family. Times are hard for everyone, I know. But we have a home where NO ONE works and a town where no one is hiring. It's all in God's hands, but it still so scary!