When I was doing child care, I wore my hands out! Winter seemed the worst, with cracked fingers and thumbs that were painful. I tried many solutions, but only one helped at all--this one.
I came across a recipe that was used by nurses who wash their hands as much as child care providers do. The recipe calls for:
1 container baby lotion
1 container Vitamin E cream
1 container petroleum jelly
The ladies who posted the recipe said they get their ingredients at Family Dollar for around a dollar each (I think prices have gone up now).
Since I've moved, I don't have a Family Dollar store, I went to the discount store I do have available.
I wanted to make a double batch so it would last a long time, and it seemed the containers were not as big as I normally get, so I got double of the petroleum jelly and Vitamin E cream to go in the same proportion as the larger lotion container.
I've figured out over the years of making this recipe that it doesn't really matter what kind of lotion you use.
I put everything into my Kitchen Aid mixer.
I then cleaned out all of the containers so I would have something to put the lotion in.
I mixed it all up.
I then put the mixture back into the containers, plus a container I had.
This lotion is the only thing I've found to heal my cracked hands (and feet). If I use it daily during the winter I won't have cracked hands at all.
These are the guidelines I use when I post to my social networks or blogs. Everything you post, email, or share is archived somewhere forever.
It's pretty easy to assume only your Facebook "friends" will read your post or view your photos, but that is not actually true. Your Facebook friends control their settings over items they comment on or "Like" and that most likely includes sharing their comment and your post with their friends. This goes for other social networks like Twitter and G+. Also, anyone can search for your name and find photos and posts.
Before you post any photo or comment, you should run it through the "Grandma Test" first. Would she approve? If not, it's probably best not to post. Not only should Grandma approve, your spouse, kids, parents, clients, boss, and everyone should be able to read it.
"If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all." This quote from Bambi goes for all areas of our lives; no speaking bad things or posting bad things at any time (other than constructive criticism at an appropriate time). When you badmouth someone it isolates you. Yes, you may have strong feelings or have been wronged, but the internet is not the place to voice those opinions. Find other outlets for your feelings such as writing a letter or journaling.
Why is it so important to keep your internet postings so clean? Everyone and anyone will look you up online. They can find photos and postings you wrote, even years ago, when you were in college, while you were not working, etc. Think about "everyone": friends, family, colleagues, clients, employers, potential clients or employers, etc. It doesn't matter that you posted a photo of you drinking shots long before you put in an application for a job; all the potential employer will see is you drinking a shot and they may pass over you.
All this applies to the child care provider. If you are badmouthing another client on your Facebook posts, even if you leave out names, potential or current clients my read your posts and wonder if that is about them or will you do it to them, too? This can happen even if you set all your posts to "private." If you post a photo or comment about enjoying an adult beverage after hours, clients may wonder if those types of beverages are consumed during child care hours, too.
First impressions are important and often times your social media profiles are many people's first impressions. In these times where it can be hard to get a child care client, being mindful of your postings or photos could make a difference. Most likely parents will look up your name and find your social networks to check on your character.
Watching what you say online is a major element to managing your professional reputation. When your professional reputation is tarnished, your business will suffer.
Keep your business strong by being mindful of what you post online. Your friends and family will benefit from your positive postings, too, and you can feel good about your postings as well.
Many child care providers charge varied rates for different age groups. An example is:
0-12 months -- $150 per week
12 months until potty trained -- $125 per week
potty trained until school age -- $100 per week
Sibling Discount -- $10 per week
The problem with a home provider charging this way is that a home provider is limited in her business because the state determines how large a home child care business can be. In many states, a small home child care is limited to 4 to 6 children and states can also dictate how many infants, toddlers, and preschoolers a person can care for. This means, most providers can only take one or two infants at a time, one or two toddlers and the rest must be preschool age. There is no opportunity to "sell" more spots to grow your business, therefore a provider should get full price for all spots. Even if a provider expands to a group home, that provider will have an employee or two with taxes and insurance costs and still the state limits the amount of children that can be cared for.
Some child care providers point out that caring for an infant is more work than caring for a preschooler. I disagree with this. Every age has its own challenges. An infant is more physical work, but a preschooler requires more mental work with planning and executing activities, answering the constant stream of questions, refereeing arguments, discipline strategies, etc. Preschoolers cost more to care for; more food, activity supplies, field trips, etc.
I have always charged a flat fee for many reasons. The two major reasons are that I like that all parents are paying the same rate and I didn't want to argue with a parent over if their child is technically potty trained or not (or whatever the milestone was that would bring their child care price down).
Consider not offering discounts for siblings or milestones. How much is each spot in your child care worth? Charge that amount to all parents.
Home child care providers should have a handbook or written policies of some sort. Sometimes, getting clients to follow the rules becomes a problem. Here's how I found to best enforce policies.
KISS--Keep It Super Simple. When I first started daycare my handbook was eleven pages long. I'm not sure if parents even read the whole thing and I know of at least one or two potential clients that did not sign on with me because of all the paperwork handed to them. In later years, I condensed my handbook to two pages. It was not overwhelming to clients. I still have the other information included in the original handbook available to parents and use them when a situation comes up, but I kept my "core" policies to a minimum.
Enforce policies from the beginning. I used to give new parents a little leeway with the rules because they were new. The problem was I was not able to get the parents to completely follow my rules at all because they did not take me or my rules seriously because I was the one who didn't respect or enforce them from the beginning. When I enforced the rules with clients from the first day, those clients knew I was serious about my rules and followed them throughout our time together.
I took care to include only policies I was willing to enforce. For example, many child care providers charge $1 or $5 per minute a parent is late in picking up their child. It's not my personality to bicker with parents over how many minutes they are late. Instead, I charge a flat $20 fee for picking up late without making an arrangement with me first. I did follow-through and charge the late fee a few times.
It usually only takes one time to enforce your rules, then parents will follow them. As child care providers, we have big hearts. It's difficult for many child care providers to appear harsh. It took a while for me to realize it's not over the top harsh to enforce the rules that have already been spelled out for clients. Once I did stick to my rules and enforced them, I usually only had to do it one time.
Choosing to be a home child care provider is sometimes looked at outsiders as not a "real" career. Many people still refer to child care providers as "babysitters". To me, a babysitter is a teen or young adult looking to earn extra money, going to the family's house and looking after children for a few hours while the parents go out. A child care provider is someone who runs a business, it just happens to be a home-based business.
Home child care providers come in all kinds and styles. Some are very formal, while others are very casual. When I began child care I was a bit unorganized and very informal, which did not help my image. Thankfully, a few families gave me a chance to care for their children. As time went on I got better and better at being a professional.
At first I didn't care so much about my image (I mean business image, not so much my personal looks). But after thinking about it for a while, I realized it is important to come off as a professional business person, not just one who plays with children all day. Here is what I did:
Have written materials: Policies, contract, child information, holiday schedule, daily schedule, bite policy, common foods served, and more. Having things spelled out in print helps to prevent misunderstandings between provider and parents.
Have a clean, organized child care area. Make things organized and easy enough for the children to be able to clean up. If you make it too complicated or overcrowded with toys and things, it doesn't look good and it can cause the children to be confused and unfocused.
Give your child care business a name. Even a simple "Karen's Daycare" is better than no name. I chose "Pamm's House" because it is simple and even the little once can say it and grasp the meaning right away.
Dress professionally. If you answer the door in your robe each day, parents may wonder when you would have time to change your clothes or if you're serious about the day's work. If you wear sweats and a dirty t-shirt each day, it doesn't put off the best image. I chose to wear scrubs because they were comfortable and kept my regular clothes out of the daycare mess.
Have a cleaning schedule. Rotate and clean your toys and break other housework down into manageable tasks. Don't forget your curb-appeal! That's the first impression of your home to everyone.
Set up good communication with your clients: Google Calendar, Blog, phone & texting, email, etc.
Every now and then I get a little one who constantly throws toys, cups, and anything they can get their hands on. I'm sure it's part of a curiosity stage.
I've found that giving them something they CAN throw and redirecting their attention to that helps dramatically. I always have soft balls and socks that I ball up for children to throw.
When I catch a child throwing something they should not throw, I say, "don't throw that, go find a soft ball." Most children soon begin seeking out the soft balls and socks without my reminders.
There was a time in my child care that I had lost a peaceful nap time. Yes, the children were getting their nap, but it seemed I had no break in the day. I kept doing housework through nap time, forgot to eat lunch, and even had several parents coming to pick up their children during nap. I finally took a step back and decided to make sure I got a break as the children slept.
The first thing I did was make a strict rule that there are to be NO drop-offs or pick-ups during nap time. With this rule I know there will be no more door opening up, dogs barking, unsettled kids, etc. That already felt good. Parents understand and make sure they get their child to daycare before lunch and nap and picked up after nap time.
The next thing I did is to make sure I make myself a lunch as well as make myself sit down to eat it for at least 45 minutes to an hour--yes a whole hour of doing nothing but sitting. How can I afford that? Well, if I don't get that, I can barely make it through the rest of the day.
After the hour I sit, I try to do low-key activities like paperwork, check email, or even relax for the rest of the nap time.
I was snacking throughout the day and not eating a proper meal at lunch time. When I finally started making my lunches, I felt so much better; not like I was just trying to make it through a day, but like I have energy to get through it all. I have a web page with my Plan Ahead Lunches.
To get ready for nap, I darken the room and leave a TV on HGTV or music on. I learned never to keep it completely quiet for nap.
I insist all children stay on their beds throughout the entire nap time. Even if children wake earlier than the others, they know to stay on their beds and be quiet. Babies who have napped earlier in the day, entertain themselves with toys or in a swing or saucer. Nobody is neglected, just taught to entertain themselves for the duration of nap time.
Nap time is much more restful now for me as well as the children. I can get through each day because I've taken care of myself.
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