Own a Daycare Blog » what http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog Just another WordPress weblog Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:32:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Daycare Director Duties – What You Must Know http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/daycare-director-duties-what-you-must-know http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/daycare-director-duties-what-you-must-know#comments Mon, 10 Aug 2009 01:35:51 +0000 Mary http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/?p=785 Related posts:]]> Day care centers have indeed made its mark in the lives of many people. You should be very much aware that the increase in the number of day care centers is cause by the increase in the demand for people to share in the job of parents when it comes to ensuring that their children are well taken care of despite their responsibility of having to work in offices just to make sure that they are financially stable when it comes to everyday living. This is quite a hard situation to be in especially if you are the parent. Knowing this, you might have made this your top reason why you had to open a day care.

It is quite a big and hard job to be a day care director. You may be taking so much pride from this jobs which leaves you with the highest level of confidence as you deal with your day care duties everyday. Do you know that you have legal duties as the operator of a day care business? This may seem such a harmless job, but you should be aware that you have certain duties that must be fulfilled as you run your day care business, service to care for children. There are basically three duties that you are entitled to perform- Fiduciary duties, Duties of skill, Statutory Duties.

The first duty, Fiduciary duties basically is concerned about the conflict of interests that a director may have in the day care. They might be tempted to work according to their benefit and not as the company’s benefit. You should always make each and every decision based on the what you know will be best for the day care to be a success. With this very objective decision, you must always provide and explanation proofs to show why your decisions were made solely to benefit the day care business. This must be presented to the members and the staff of the day care center to let everyone know of such decisions made for them. In relation with this, you should never place yourself in a situation where you know you might be faced with a choice that may involve your interests. Always try to play it safe and think thinks before making the move to jeopardize your job as the director.

Power is absolutely one thing that director may be tempted to use and abuse. There is really nothing wrong with letting people know that you are the one who has the power to decide such but never misuse them just for the sake. You might get into situations that you have made wrong decisions leading you to depleting your cash on hand, then you should always make sure that you only use business assets and properties for the benefit of the business and not to serve you personal needs. Although you may be in power, you still have no right to use funds based on what you think is right and not because they are right.

As the director, you are expected to possess the right skills and qualities that will make you a good director. You should always possess enough knowledge in the proper way that children are taken care of the most effective way. These will guide you in creating more efficient policies for your day care so that the children will learn and develop at a maximum level for them. True enough, when a director is very much sensitive to the needs of the children, they will know who to hire as well as how to run and provide programs that can benefit the general welfare of the day care center. You can also get to reach out to your day care children when they see that you are one of the most sensitive that they can ever meet even if you are the director of the day care. This is truly one surpassed duty that directors have and should always be followed since working in a day care is really one tough responsibility of the day care director.

The third and final duty that a day care director has is the statutory duty. This is a civil breach that tells that the director is liable for such profit even losses that the company has incurred due to some criminal case that he has been involved in.

Each time that a director has to do any transaction with people they are responsible to share necessary information about loans or agreements. The company has to know all the details that they need from state to state as well as country to country information. This will prevent the company to have any problems when its comes to such transactions in their business.

What comes with this is that the directors are the ones who need to take care of accounts in the day care. They need to ensure that each and everyone knows that the accounts of the business are managed responsibly by you. Transactions should be explained properly to avoid any confusion for the company.

The director is truly the one and only person who is in charged to ensuring the safety of the people in the day care. They do safely check out the staff members as well as they do volunteer information for the company can enjoy. There is a reason why people get to stay loyal in a day care center. This is because they are guaranteed to be managed well by a director.

You should never forget the responsibilities which are endowed to you as the director. Never forget these responsibilities thrown to you as the day care director. You need to ensure that all of your clients are made to be very happy as their children are well taken care of one of the best directors. Avoid criminal charges and follow these duties well. These are the basic things which you have to know even if you are running a day care and not a multi-million company.

See: How to start a daycare business

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]]> http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/daycare-director-duties-what-you-must-know/feed 0 What the Parents should look for in a Day Care Center http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/what-the-parents-should-look-for-in-a-day-care-center http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/what-the-parents-should-look-for-in-a-day-care-center#comments Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:08:06 +0000 Mary http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/?p=778 Related posts:]]> When you finally decided to put your child in a day care center, the next step is to choose what day care center it would be. With this matter, there are a lot of factors to consider in evaluating your options. There are a lot of things you should inquire the day care center you are considering.

1. Ensure that their operating hours coincide with your working hours. Know if they allow late pick-ups or if they charge extra amount for such delays.

2. Inquire about who are just allowed to pick up the child and what identifications do they require. This will make sure that they will not entrust your child to just anyone.

3. Also know if they operate during holidays and if ever how much they charge for such days.

4. Evaluate the teachers available in the center. Are they bubbly and fun to be with? Do they communicate with children well? If ever a teacher will be on leave or suddenly can’t go to work will they have a substitute teacher?

5. Also let them discuss to you about their policy on discipline. Ask about what they do about the child’s misbehavior and if they advise the parents when such things happen.

6. They must also have ready medicines in the center, just in case a child might need them. But inquire about prescription medicines and if they would need any authorization before they can give them to your child.

7. Inspect the day care center and if they have the necessary facilities such as fire extinguisher, fire exits, fire alarms, smoke detectors and other amenities. Also ensure that the equipments and the place itself are safe for children. Make sure that the harmful chemicals such as cleaning substances are out of reach of children. Also the outdoor play area must be fenced. Children must stay within the premises and in watch of the caregivers at all times.

8. Will they have a service for fetching the kids? If ever, what type of vehicle will they be using?

9. They must have a plan and schedule of activities. Are there any out of the center activities such as field trips? If ever there are, are additional costs to pay for?

10. Also observe the children enrolled in the center if they are having fun. Are they well taken cared of?

11. They also must be appreciative of the children’s work. This makes the kids prod of themselves and help build self-confidence. Do they have a corner for displaying the kids’ artwork?

12. Do they have nap time for the children? What do they do to those who would not want to sleep? And where do they let the children sleep?

Corporate Daycare

Companies are now engaging into putting up an on-site day care centers for their customers. This is already being done in places like Britain. In a supermarket in Britain, they have a day care center where parents can leave their kids while shopping. They have been practicing this for years and they realized that customers enjoy shopping more without distractions. They will then spend more time in shopping and the market will consequently profit more.

Make a Parade Float
Why not try joining in a local parade during special occasions. Have a float for your day care center. Decorate the float with artworks made by the kids. You can also have a banner designed by the kids together with the teachers. The kids can even have their handprints on it.

Volunteer in Community Works
It’s always nice to give back to the community which has helped you a lot. And engaging in volunteer works is a way of doing it. Though you have a full-time job and a busy life, you may devote some time in helping out others. You can bake home made goodies and have them dropped off together with your child to the day acre center. Also, for the centers operating from public funds, you can give donations in terms of goods and amenities such as good cleaning products. Cooperate with other parents and discuss about how you can help. Even just spending a little of your time may mean so much to those that you may be helping. So if you can spare just some of your hours, do so. And do it in good cause.

See: How to start a daycare center

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]]> http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/what-the-parents-should-look-for-in-a-day-care-center/feed 0 What You Need to Consider for your Home Day Care http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/what-you-need-to-consider-for-your-home-day-care http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/what-you-need-to-consider-for-your-home-day-care#comments Tue, 04 Aug 2009 00:07:33 +0000 Mary http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/?p=770 Related posts:]]> One of the seemingly easy ways to gain additional income is by opening your own home day care center. With home day care, you only need your own house as the center for kids and some tools needed for caring toddlers and kids. Though it appears so easy, home day care business can be difficult or easy depending on how you set it up. To guide you in establishing this kind of business, here are some of the things you need to consider:

Competitive advantage – Nowadays, a number of childcare services are closing in the first year of their operation due to rules and regulations they did not followed. That is why if you’re planning to start up this kind of business, make sure that you understand all the rules and regulations set for proper and safe child care. Also, find ways how to have an edge and advantage over your competitors to be on the top of the game. Think of nice publicity stunts and catchy advertisements in promoting your business and make sure you have all the knowledge you need to run your business.

The number of children you will take care of. Even if more number of children in your home care center would mean bigger income for you, you still have to consider the available space you have in your home to occupy a specific number of children. Usually, there are laws set on the number of children you can take care of in you home day care. Make sure that you follow all of those rules to ensure the safety and welfare of the children you’re taking care of, and to avoid future legal complications.

The materials you will need in your home day care. In creating a home day care business, you must decide what type of toys, books, and learning materials you will need to keep the children busy. To know this, you need first to decide what range of age of children you would want to take care. Since the toys and materials you will need are based on the age of the children you will be taking care of, the learning activities and plays and games you will provide for the children should also complement their age.

Additional help. If you see that the number of children you’re taking care of is increasing but still following the limit set by the law, you might decide to get an extra help. Since children need much attention during their playtime and outdoor activities, you may consider hiring additional employee to help you watching out the children. By this way, you will not only assure that all the kids under your care are safe, you will also be eased of the load of taking care of a number of children in your home day care.

See: How to start a home daycare

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]]> http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/what-you-need-to-consider-for-your-home-day-care/feed 0 What should You Look For In A Childcare Staff? http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/what-should-you-look-for-in-a-childcare-staff http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/what-should-you-look-for-in-a-childcare-staff#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:45:34 +0000 Mary http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/?p=678 Related posts:]]> A childcare center’s top priority is the welfare of the children. They need to make sure that a child gains physical, mental, psychological, social and emotional development when they are enrolled in a childcare center. This goal is fulfilled by childcare centers through various programs and activities which they have made in order for the children progress. Although this may be seem to be the sole basis for child development, you need to remember that a childcare center works like system, with different components working all together in harmony.

In every childcare business, the staff is considered to be a big part of their daily operations. Without the staff, the business cannot operate. This is why different day care centers have employed qualified child care staff members to ensure that the day care runs smoothly. Each childcare center has their own hiring system which allows them to carefully scan each and every applicant.

It is given that with any hiring procedure, a resume and an interview is mandatory. It is so much easier to act on instinct in deciding whether to hire them or not but this often results to hiring the wrong people. Usually people only do their work during the first few months and begin to slack-off after some time. Especially if the person has charisma, it may seem so hard to reject them for the job. They may instantly create an impression on you leading you to immediately hire them. The problem with this method is that you only hire a person based on what is written on their resumes. You will have no idea on how they will perform on a certain job.

This is the reason why you must not hire based on instinct alone. A person who may have the best credentials may not know a thing or two when it comes to childcare. This won’t help at all when it comes to childcare. We are all aware that childcare requires practical knowledge. Staff members must know what to do in case of emergencies and other non-ideal situations. You must look at their attitudes and how they will be able to handle these situations. They should be able to deal with them properly because children can really be careless and cause a lot of undesirable accidents that the staff must be able to deal with.

A childcare center must ensure their clients that they are hiring qualified and effective employees. It can really be a complicated procedure when it comes to hiring staff members for a childcare center because you look in all aspects when hiring someone. You should have an organized system when it comes to accepting applicants to ensure that you have the best staff there is. Remember that hiring does not only rely on the impression that you will get from the applicants, but also on the working attitude that they have. You need to make sure of your staff members posses these, so the next time that you hire someone, you can now have an easier time in choosing who to hire or not.

See: How to start a childcare business

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]]> http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/what-should-you-look-for-in-a-childcare-staff/feed 0 What Kids Learn in Day Care http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/what-kids-learn-in-day-care http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/what-kids-learn-in-day-care#comments Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:38:27 +0000 Mary http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/?p=668 Related posts:]]> For very busy urban areas and cities, day care is one very popular set- up. With the busy and tough schedules of most families residing in urban cities, setting up of day care centres is really called for. The drawbacks of having busy schedules in urban areas are matched alongside the convenience of setting up a day care.

What exactly is daycare?
As it name implies, daycare refers to the service provided when taking care of a child by someone beside the parents of the child throughout the day. Right now, the popularity of day care is really rising in the United States. Painting like Picasso is not something taught in day care centers. What they will make your children do there is to participate in learning activities which can stimulate the development of your children.

What is the difference between day care and babysitting?

Babysitting is the temporary care given to a child only on occasions when the parents are not at home. Unlike babysitting, daycare provides regular care to the child. Child day care is done regularly while the parents are away for work. In contrast babysitting is done only on particular circumstances.

Before, child care used to be seen negatively. But nowadays, daycare service’s popularity is at the fore. This is probably because of the formality in the structure provided by the day care in extending child development, discipline and education. Some even provide pre- school services. Oftentimes, day care services can be extended within some specialized facility or even within your own home.

Accessories and Equipment Provided in the Day Care
For day care centres, first aid kits and medicine kits are really a must- have. As children play a lot, they are very prone to having small bruises and minor scratches. They can fall then scratch their knees. As these kinds of accident often happen to children as they run and play around, first aid kits are very handy.

If you have a day care, make sure that you keep a picture of each child’s parents or of the guardian’s child who should pick him or her up. This is an effective preventive measure to make sure that the children trusted in your child day care are safe from child molesters or any kind of abduction.

Children in your day care must each have sleeping mats. Usually, they take naps in daytime so your day care must have a napping room different from a playing room. Schedules and rules regarding napping time must be made so that children can take their naps. Toddlers and infants require special attention. This is why sleeping mats and other safe equipment must be provided to the children.

Since they like playing, you must give the children educational toys such as blocks as well as other toys safe for children. These toys must not have small parts which children can swallow causing chokes or worse, death. Make sure that playing toys or equipment outdoors are safe for them. Your house should be fenced and any kind of chemicals should be safely kept. They also like coloring books and drawings. Educational activities which children will enjoy are reading and drawing. Children easily get bored so you must also have educational programs and cartoon which you can make them watch sometimes. For outdoor activities such as swimming, make sure that you have an assistant who has a license and a certificate in performing CPR.

Ask the parents to bring their children food since they are the ones who know what the children love eating. The other equipment needed in day care centres for toddlers as well as infants are cribs, strollers, walkers and water dispenser for the child’s milk. For children aged four to six years old, they love playing with building blocks, coloring books, drawings, story books and toys. If you are interested in opening a day care center, make sure that you have all the necessary accessories and equipment needed.

See: How to start a daycare Center

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]]> http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/what-kids-learn-in-day-care/feed 0 What Goes On In Daycare Center? http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/what-goes-on-in-daycare-center http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/what-goes-on-in-daycare-center#comments Thu, 21 May 2009 00:11:47 +0000 Mary http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/?p=543 Related posts:]]> When it comes to house rules, you have to be very clear and firm with your child. When you are being compared on how you against someone else completes a task or allows a certain behaviour, make sure that house rules are rules that needs to be followed and rules in other places are for those places only.

For instance, you may let your child know that the things her teacher does are needed to be done in school , but home rules are still the same and nothing has changed. If you are frequently being compared, you may want to drop by and talk with your daycare provider to compare notes. They may be getting the same comparisons in reverse.

Handling this issue in the right manner is very important. The daycare provider’s authority should not be undermined nor any of you should be upset at the comparisons as this can lead to the child’s seeing a venue for taking advantage.

Do not be angry but you need to be firm as the children need to learn different rules applying for different situations they find themselves in, and being firm in these circumstances leads to the confidence to handle new ways of doing things correctly.

Keep in mind that this is not sign of a personal failure but a mere part of each child’s personal growth.

* Kids starts listening at home and there are a lot of ways to teach them to listen.
* Keep stories interesting and discuss them after they’re finished reading.
* Play Simon says as well as other things that require attentive listening.
* Play telephone and other rhyming words. Young children may be thought to use real telephone on calls meaning for them such as chats with friends or their grandparents. Children aged 7 years old or older maybe thought to take telephone messages.

Kid’s Nutritional health

One of the most important factors to consider in a good daycare is the nutrition that they give to each child. You must make sure that your daycare provides well balanced nutritious meals based on USDA guidelines. To do this, you can ask for a sample of their menu from time to time, to make sure that they are changed periodically.

Of course, that’s only in paper, but you can also ask your child at the end of the day what they were served for lunch or snacks. You can also check the times meals are served as well as provisions made for special diets and food allergies by doing a spot check or surprise visit to the daycare center during meal time.

This is very important since daycare centers are made to follow strict rules about food and food service to each child. Since each child age group has special needs that need to be followed.

For example, they must avoid serving choking hazard food to toddlers. Very young children must not be given hotdogs, raisins, raw carrots, whole grapes and other hard fruits and vegetables.

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]]> http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/what-goes-on-in-daycare-center/feed 0 What You Need To Do To Start A Daycare http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/what-you-need-to-do-to-start-a-daycare http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/what-you-need-to-do-to-start-a-daycare#comments Wed, 04 Mar 2009 01:29:23 +0000 Mary http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/?p=312 Related posts:]]> Do you plan to open up a daycare? Before you start your own daycare, you have to make sure first that you know all the things needed for this kind of business. It may not be hard to start your own daycare, but bear in mind that it still need preparations. You do not have to start the business after illustrating the checklist of the things needed for your business, you have to start as soon as you completed in checking all the things on your list.

Here are the things that you should accomplish in order to successfully start and operate your own daycare, read on…

Before starting a daycare, you have to get a permit. Each state and county has its own set of permits in opening a daycare, so you have to know all the requirements in applying for a business permit. Make sure you’ll have a business permit.

It is a good idea to start your business with some sort of business insurance. Don’t be worried about premium; if your daycare is small, definitely, your premium is low. As soon as you can expand your daycare center and make it much bigger it simply means your business is running well so you can afford higher premium.

Having a daycare, you need to keep the children under your care occupied, so you have to have toys, children’s books, sleeping mats. You do not have to spend too much with lots and lots of toys, but having few toys is a must in your daycare center. Having children’s books are beneficial, since you can let them have an afternoon nap, so you will have a little break that you need. You need to have sleeping mats in order for the children to sleep.

You must have all the forms needed such as application and registration forms in your daycare, so when parents bring their children in your facility, you can let them sign up their children without any delays.

Being the owner of this facility, make sure to have first aid kits, these are needed to be around so in case a child gets hurt, you have the kits for it. Do not be scared, since it is usual that kids run around and can get hurt.

If you have passion for children, putting up your own daycare center can be with lots of fun and it will be profitable and rewarding. Having the idea of the things needed in starting a daycare can help you out and can make it easy for you to start up.

See: How to start a daycare center

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