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the working mothers guide to:

INYOUR

HOME!

by Susan Tatsui-DArcy

Director and Educational Consultantat Merit Educational Consultants, LLC

FRE

ECH

ILD

CARE


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Need Help? Visit www.meritworld.com


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The Working Mothers Guide to

by

Susan Tatsui-DArcy

Director and Educational Consultant

at Merit Educational Consultants, LLC

FREE CHILD CARE

in your Home!


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Published by Merit Educational Consultants LLCP.O. Box 2988, Santa Cruz, California 95063

First published in the United States of America by Merit Educational Consultants LLC and Lulu.

Copyright ** Merit Educational Consultants LLC, 2006All rights reserved

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Tatsui-DArcy, Susan, 20061. Parenting. 2. Childcare. 3. Day Care. 4. Tatsui-DArcy, Susan.

ISBN: 978-0-6151-3753-7

Printed in the United States of America

Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not,by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, copied, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without thepublishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is publishedand without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent pur-chaser.


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Table of ContentsTable of ContentsTable of ContentsTable of ContentsTable of ContentsIntroduction.................................................................................................... 7My Story ......................................................................................................... 9Assessing In-Home Child Care ...................................................................... 11Sketching Your Programs Structure ............................................................. 13

Determining Your Needs .............................................................................. 13

Budget ...................................................................................................... 13Hours........................................................................................................ 14Age Group ................................................................................................. 14Developmental Level ................................................................................... 14Type of Program ......................................................................................... 15Transportation ............................................................................................ 15Location and Safety .................................................................................... 15Home Safety Checklist ................................................................................. 17Home Safety Checklist (part 2) ..................................................................... 18

Designing Your Programs Curriculum .......................................................... 19Setting Your Curriculum............................................................................... 19Philosophy on Education .............................................................................. 19Selecting a Name for Your Program ............................................................... 20Listing Activity Categories ............................................................................ 20Activity Plans and Sample Schedule Forms ..................................................... 21

Infant Program ...................................................................................... 21Sample Curriculum Framework: Infant ...................................................... 23Toddler Program..................................................................................... 25Sample Curriculum Framework: Toddler .................................................... 27Preschool Program.................................................................................. 29Sample Curriculum Framework: Preschool ................................................. 31

Trial Run.................................................................................................... 33Lesson Plans .............................................................................................. 33

Special Activities......................................................................................... 34Sample Calendar ........................................................................................ 35

Selecting the Right Caregiver ....................................................................... 37Types of Caregivers..................................................................................... 38

Nannies ................................................................................................ 38Teachers ............................................................................................... 38Students ............................................................................................... 38Au Pairs ................................................................................................ 39

Qualities of Caregivers................................................................................. 39English Fluency ...................................................................................... 39Attitude ................................................................................................ 39Educational Background .......................................................................... 40Wages .................................................................................................. 40

Advertising for your Caregiver ...................................................................... 40Newspaper Advertisement ....................................................................... 40Internet Advertisement ........................................................................... 41Advertising at Local Campuses ................................................................. 41Phone Interview ..................................................................................... 42Sample Questions .................................................................................. 43Job Application....................................................................................... 43Personal Interview .................................................................................. 43


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Checking References............................................................................... 44Caregiver Application Form ...................................................................... 45Criminal Records .................................................................................... 47Citizenship Verification ............................................................................ 48Driving Records...................................................................................... 48Medical Records ..................................................................................... 48Drug Screening ...................................................................................... 49

Working with a Caregiver ............................................................................. 51Trial Period ............................................................................................ 51Work Agreements ................................................................................... 52Orientation Period .................................................................................. 52Sample Work Agreement ......................................................................... 53Post-hire Checkups................................................................................. 55Training ................................................................................................ 56Emergency Information........................................................................... 56Communication System........................................................................... 56Emergency Telephone Guide .................................................................... 59Pay Period and Method ............................................................................ 61Benefits ................................................................................................ 61

Additional Perks ..................................................................................... 61Motivating Your Caregiver........................................................................ 61Terminating an Employee ........................................................................ 62Mileage Record for Caregiver ................................................................... 63Time Sheet for Caregivers ....................................................................... 65A Note on Jealous Parents ....................................................................... 67

Establishing Your Program ........................................................................... 69Becoming a Licensed Service ................................................................... 69Accreditation ......................................................................................... 70Funding ................................................................................................ 70Insurance.............................................................................................. 70

Finding the Right Students ........................................................................... 77Establishing a Student Profile ....................................................................... 77Setting Age Ranges ................................................................................ 77Gender Balance...................................................................................... 78Maximum Number of Students ................................................................. 78Students Family Dynamics ...................................................................... 78

Setting Your Tuition ..................................................................................... 79Enrollment Fees ..................................................................................... 80

Advertising for and Enrolling Students ........................................................... 80Types of Advertisement ........................................................................... 80Newspaper Advertisement ....................................................................... 80Program Budget Work Sheet .................................................................... 81

Sample Newspaper Advertisements .......................................................... 83Internet Advertisement ........................................................................... 83Community Advertising ........................................................................... 83

Interviewing Students and their Parents......................................................... 84Telephone Interview ............................................................................... 84Sample Flier .......................................................................................... 85In-Person Interviews .............................................................................. 87Enrollment Agreement and Application Form .............................................. 88Sample Policy Manual ............................................................................. 89


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Problems............................................................................................... 89Lost and Found ...................................................................................... 89Illnesses ............................................................................................... 89Snacks and Lunches ............................................................................... 89Parent Volunteers ................................................................................... 89Birthdays .............................................................................................. 89Tuition Schedule..................................................................................... 89

Field Trips ............................................................................................. 89Hours: .................................................................................................. 89Student Application Form ........................................................................ 91Emergency Form for Children ................................................................... 93Emergency Form (cont.).......................................................................... 94Health History Form................................................................................ 95PERSONAL INFORMATION........................................................................ 95Health History Form (cont.) ..................................................................... 96Consent and Contact Form ...................................................................... 97Parent's Medicine Consent Form ............................................................... 99Parent's External Preparations Consent Form.............................................101

Daily Operations ......................................................................................... 103

Hours of Operation.....................................................................................103Student Illness ..........................................................................................103Teacher Illnesses .......................................................................................104Attendance Record .....................................................................................105Child Care Pickup Record ............................................................................107Symptom Checklist ....................................................................................109Notification of Infectious Disease .................................................................111

Record Keeping........................................................................................... 113Emergency and Health Forms ......................................................................113Caregiver's Medicine Checklist .....................................................................115Medicine Record ........................................................................................117

Injury Reports ...........................................................................................119Meals .......................................................................................................119Injury Report Form ....................................................................................121Injury Log.................................................................................................123

Financial Planning....................................................................................... 125Financial Records .......................................................................................125Income ....................................................................................................126Expenses ..................................................................................................126Tax Preparation .........................................................................................127Employees Income Tax ..............................................................................128

Index of Forms ........................................................................................... 131Index .......................................................................................................... 133


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For Nicole and Jaclyn


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IntroductionIntroductionIntroductionIntroductionIntroduction

Finding child care is a challenging issue. Programs that care for our childrenface the problems of both providing quality and also satisfying the ever-increasingneeds of more families. Parents seek quality childcare, but most are unhappywith the available options, so they settle for a program they believe to be convenientor economical, though most often it ends up being rather inconvenient andexpensive. The problem at hand is twofold. First, working parents are overburdenedwith domestic pressures ranging from long working hours, unfinished householdchores, dealing with multiple children, and eventually just simple fatigue. Second,parents cant find quality providers of day care.

Parents might have to make trade-offs. The best preschools and after-school programs have waiting lists that may be as long as two years. And onceyou get in, the tuition is so high that youre handing over half your paycheck!Cheaper programs may not meet your expectations. After all, your children willspend a good part of their day in the care of the center. Some parents want theirchildren to be in a stimulating academic environment while others seek programsthat emphasize developmental activities, and the program you want may notexist in your area.

Sending your child to day care also means that your child has to wake upunusually early. If youre working full-time and need to be up at 6:00 AM and

have the kids packed, dressed, and fed by 7:00 AM, you know how difficult it is onboth you and the children every morning. Most children would rather sleep intheir warm beds until their internal clocks tell them to wake up. They wouldrather go into the kitchen in their pajamas and bathrobes to eat a hot breakfastleisurely.

Day care should be much more than mere babysittingit needs to centeron fostering positive growth within the child. It should provide children with notonly care, but also intellectual, psychological, physical, and social development.These needs, however, are not solely met by feeding information to the children.


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It is becoming increasingly apparent that positive childhood development dependson a stable and comfortable home that gives children the emotional and moralsupport that is the foundation of intellectual growth. Parents need to managetheir time so that they can give their children this support in addition to aneducational program.

And that is the intent of this bookto assist parents in organizing and

managing their homes in the best interests of their children. Within this book youwill find information and planning guides on how to establish a day care programin your home, create an academic curriculum, hire a teacher, advertise for students,and get help with your household tasks. This book will not only show you how todo this, but it will show you how to do this at no cost! By including a few childrento join your day care program, their tuition will pay your expenses. Its thatsimple.

Introduction


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Chapter IChapter IChapter IChapter IChapter I

My StoryMy StoryMy StoryMy StoryMy Story

I was in the same place as many other American families, when I realizedthat there had to be a better way. I was 28 years old and worked 4050 hours perweek running a small business. My husband, 29 years old at the time, ran aninternational computer marketing firm. Why were my husband and I working sohard and running around like we were crazed? We worked hard at the office andcame home only to work even harder. Our daughter Nicole spent the day at a daycare center that we werent crazy about, but it was located near the office and thetuition was reasonable. Nicole was catching colds and picking up bad languagefrom the other children. We came home at 6:00 PM to cook dinner, throw thelaundry in, bathe Nicole, read her a story, and put her to bed. She had to go tobed at 7:00 PM in order to get enough sleep before we woke her at 6:00 AM to goto day care. We werent spending our evenings relaxing and enjoying our timewith Nicole. We were struggling to catchup on the household chores.

Like most people, I thought that the nannies and full-time housekeeperswere only for the rich and famous. It was outrageous to even think about paying$1,200$2,000 a month out of our very middle-class salaries. Why pay a third ofour wages for child care? It would practically mean wed have to go out and getnight jobs! In the middle of one of my restless nights, I sat down with my pen andpaper and drew up a plan where I could have a nanny and housekeeper all in oneand not pay one penny for it!

I laid out a schedule of hours that I needed childcare. Then I figured in naptimes and other scheduled activities like breakfast and lunch. Next, I jotted downideas for the perfect curriculum I wanted for my daughter, designating differentblocks of time for different periods during the day. I laid out all of the non-childcare tasks I needed to do in the order of my least favorite down to the tasksI didnt mind doing myself. I scheduled in cleaning different rooms in the housewhile Nicole was napping, I scheduled cooking dinner while she ate lunch, and Ischeduled doing laundry throughout the day. It seemed like everything was coming


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together. Nicole could even sleep in mornings and have a leisurely breakfast withher nanny.

After laying out the ideal program for me, I enhanced the program so Icould open it up to other children as well. I decided that I would like to havechildren the same age as Nicole so that she would have good playmates. I set thetimes, and laid out an advertisement in the local newspaper. After calling around

to see what day care centers charge, I set my tuition rates and then called aroundto set the pay rate for the nanny/teacher. Then with some simple accounting, Ifigured out how many children I would need to have in my program to breakeven.

I hired Madeline, who was taking a break from the university in town. Afteradvertising in the local newspaper, Daniel, Brittany, Quaid enrolled and the programstarted right up. Nicole loved the change! She got to sleep in during the morningand have breakfast in her jammies. Madeline got her dressed and started theprogram with Nicole and her three friends. It was ideal. With the low student-teacher ratio, they received lots of attention. The other parents were happy thatthey found such a wonderful program with kids all the same age. Nicole wasgetting a program tailored just for her. I also came home to a clean house, dinneron the table, clean clothes in our dressers, and best of all, Nicoles big, welcomesmile. We all sat down to dinner and talked about our day. After dinner, we spentthe night playing and reading together. Nicole could stay up until 9:00 PM sinceshe didnt need to wake up so early anymore. Whats better is that we no longerhad to spend weekends cleaning the house anymore. We relaxed and went onoutings with other families.

This, of course, is only my story. But, this kind of program can be adaptedto fit your life-style. This book will guide you through each step of the way, fromdetermining your needs, designing a curriculum, hiring a teacher/nanny, advertising

for students, providing benefits, setting policies, and organizing your program.

My Story


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Chapter IIChapter IIChapter IIChapter IIChapter II

Assessing In-Home Child CareAssessing In-Home Child CareAssessing In-Home Child CareAssessing In-Home Child CareAssessing In-Home Child Care

The need for quality child care has been increasing and day care centershave been becoming overburdened, so many parents began to look for alternativemeans of child care. In-home child care is often considered a luxury reserved forthe upper-class: a high-priced European matron coddles every moment of thechilds existence. Some parents took on the challenge of child care in a communalway by forming co-ops for families to share the work of child care. Many foundthis a much better way of providing child care because it could be directed towardsthe needs of their children. However co-ops require that all families participate.One of the problems with co-ops is that not all families come to the group offering

equal contributions. While one family may teach a music class every day andsupply instruments, another may only be available one day per week. With manypeople contributing to the curriculum, policies, and teaching, the stability andlongevity of such programs are not always reliable.

There are many advantages of in-home child care. One of the most attractiveis the ability to control and direct the child care program in the interests of yourown child. Your children will also form a secure emotional bond with a caregiverthat you have personally selected.

In their formative years, without parents around for a large portion of theday, it is critical that your child receive stable, individualized attention from another

caregiver. Unfortunately, this is generally impossible in traditional day care centers,where caregivers have to attend to and mediate conflicts between a large numberof children, and where the turnover rate of caregivers tends to be very high.

Some worry about whether your child will be properly socialized if theydont interact with groups of children outside the home. This is where the oldprejudice against in-home care comes out. Some parents are apprehensive ofhaving their child grow up isolated from their peers, under the charge of a singlecaregiver because they worry they will be left socially inept by the start ofkindergarten. But using the framework that I lay out, you can avoid the drawbacks


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of in-home care: not only will you be able to provide in-home care on limitedfinancial resources, you will also give your child the benefit of having a group ofchildren with which to socialize and learn interpersonal skills.

The advantage to such a system is that your child is able to feel securewithin a stable and stimulating child care program. Particularly within the firsttwo to three years of life, it is extremely important for children to have a secure

emotional bond with the people around them. These relations will in many wayshelp shape the ways children learn how relationships work and how to deal withtheir emotions.

With in-home child care, you will personally be able to lay down thesefoundations for your child by directing the nature of their academic curriculum,handpicking their secondary caregivers, enrolling as students their earliest friendsand playmates, and making sure that your home will continue to provide themwith a healthful, safe, and comfortable environment.

Of course, youll need to decide whether or not setting up this type of programis right for you and your family. Parents who are organized and good planners willbenefit from this program most. Although you wont need to renovate your home,the children will need one large room for the classroom during the day, and theyllneed access to the kitchen and bathroom, and an enclosed play area. I convertedour recreation room into a classroom. During the day, Nicole played with herfriends in the classroom, and at night, we enjoyed the privacy of our living room.By having a special classroom for our program, Nicole could differentiate betweengoing to the program with her friends and being at home with her family. Ourenclosed backyard made an ideal playground after we locked our hot tub andchild-proofed the area.

While all these advantages may seem appealing, actually making them work

will take quite a bit of planning. Dont feel overwhelmed with the thought ofstarting your own child care program. You already know your child, your workschedule, and your financial situation. What comes next is simply determiningyour needs.

Assessing In-Home Child Care

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