Male daycare provider...

[Xero]

You make some excellent points, sir. I don't see any reason you shouldn't be allowed to do it, or anything like that. I think men have every right to be childcare providers. My only point was that I wouldn't choose one over a woman, hopefully with kids of her own already, and I think I'm probably part of the majority. You said you're focusing on a niche market though, so you already understand that.

And to be perfectly honest, men have always been allowed to be doctors, but I prefer to see a woman because I think she understands me better and I'm more comfortable with her.

 

[akmom]

I'm curious how many first world countries actually have those requirements. The U.S. and Canada are pretty big players in the world, and they do not. So what exactly is most?

 

[cybele]

Here's a graph

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=qwzCnQUEySoC&pg=PA43&lpg=PA41&ots=yMQnELW1he&dq=japan+child+care+staff+qualifications&output=html_text[/url]

In this graph only five countries do not require a percentage of staff to have minimum tertiary qualifications during some portion of a child's life America, Ireland, Estonia, Luxemburg and Turkey.
Canada does have minimum requirements for a prrcentage of staff.

 

[pwsowner]

In Canada, licensed daycare centers, require at least one trained professional, but private daycare centers don't require that, licensed or not. There is so much demand for daycare here that it's getting to be the norm for private unlicensed centers to open. Some of them are very low quality, and some, like mine will be, are high quality. I personally know one lady who has a private unlicensed daycare who does nothing more than keep the kids occupied while she does her own thing. Her service is nothing more than having an adult around in case they are needed. With me, from 7am to 5:30pm, my focus will be on the children, including helping them learn. From birth to death we learn and while kids are in my care, they will be having fun and learning at the same time.

I have no professional training yet, but have had more experience with children than many fathers, and I know I can take better care of them than a lot of parents do.

I'll have an idea next week how it will go. Once my site is good enough to launch, I'm going to advertise and contact people looking for care and see what kind of replies I get. I already know that most of those I contact will say no, or more likely not even reply back, but I'm only looking for 3 or 4 children, not 100, so I find that 1% that will be interested and I'm ready to go.

 

[Xero]

I believe it's different in each state as far as the US goes, but in PA I know that up to 6 non-related children can be watched on a regular basis without any kind of license being necessary. If a person wants to watch 7 or more children, they must be licensed.

 

[pwsowner]

Here in Ontario, private daycare limit is 5, licensed or unlicensed. To watch more than 5 non-related children, it has to be a licensed center with more than 1 care giver.

The age limit is 2 children under age 2, 3 under age 3, and 5 total. Those limits make it hard for a new mother to find care for her baby so she can go back to work.

 

[Xero]

I'm sure there are more details like that in regards to the children to caretakers ratio, there are probably age specifications like that too, but I don't know what any of them are unless I look it up.

 

[singledad]

I've been following this thread for a while and I must confess, I'm at a loss. I don't know what to say. The thing is, there is no way I'm hell I would leave my child in the care of a single (as opposed to multiple, not as opposed to married) adult, male or female, who isn't a very close friend or family member. Having multiple (unrelated) carers ensure that there will be some measure if accountability. One person on their own can do whatever they want and not get caught.

I would also require a qualification in early childhood development, a well as first aid. It's easy to say that all they need is to have their needs met but what are those needs? How should they be met?

Those things matter much more to me than the sex of the carer. After all, there is no guarantee that a child will be any more safe, our better cared for, with a woman than with a man...

 

[akmom]

The tertiary educational requirements for a license are irrelevant if you don't actually need the license to do childcare. It does vary by state here in the U.S. I know in California you have to have a license to legally look after any unrelated children, even if it's just brief. There was an outcry over one situation, in which a woman watched a group of kids for about ten minutes every morning, until they caught the school bus. She wasn't even paid; it was a favor she was doing for neighbors and she was ordered to stop or get a childcare license.

 

[akmom]

The thing is, there is no way I'm hell I would leave my child in the care of a single (as opposed to multiple, not as opposed to married) adult, male or female, who isn't a very close friend or family member.

So your preference is center-based daycare. Which is totally fine, but you make it sound like other arrangements (like nannies and home-based daycare) are unfathomable. They're actually really common. For parents who are new to an area, or simply aren't well acquainted with a lot of people in the childcare business, having a close friend or relative watch your children isn't an option. Daycare centers are common, but so are nannies and home-based daycare, and are perfectly appropriate. Licensure and reputation play a big role. I know several women who do home daycare, and advertise to strangers when they have an opening. I was approached by two families in the last few years with requests for home daycare (since I was a stay-at-home mom), and I barely knew them. They made their requests entirely based on word-of-mouth (I tutor at my daughter's school and used to assistant coach at the local high school), and they heard that I occasionally watched other children (basically babysat). So... that's not really unusual. It doesn't mean you're wrong to feel the way you do, but neither is it an outrageous concept.

ETA: Although I admit, it does seem unusual for a non-parent to initiate home daycare. Although a young person who just graduated in a childcare-related field might get a pass from me, as simply being too young to have children yet, but clearly having a passion for them.

 

[TabascoNatalie]

Maybe an academic degree isn't necessary, but taking on a full-time business without any minimal relevant training??? Even if it is legal, doesn't look reliable, sorry.

 

[singledad]

I know it's common, but to me, it feels unfathomable. Lots of things that are bad ideas are common. Or maybe I'm paranoid, I really don't know. The thing is, I'd rather be paranoid than have to cope with something horrible happening to my child

 

[akmom]

I wouldn't call it paranoid, so much as fixating on a singular risk. But if that singular risk is of great concern to you - whether it should be or not - you should avoid it, to preserve your peace of mind.

 

[singledad]

Maybe I'm just more aware of specific risks (and there really are several, not singular) than other parents. Maybe I'm less likely to trust strangers. Or maybe I just have a better understanding than most of what devastation a malicious, or even just incompetent daycare provider can cause. I know day-care centres also come with certain risks, but IMO it's the lesser of two evils. As I said, at least there is some measure of accountability - I'm not just dropping my child off at a stranger's house and hoping for the best....

 

[stjohnjulie]

"There is so much demand for daycare here that it's getting to be the norm for private unlicensed centers to open."

That statement scares the sh*t out of me. The demand for a service should in no way determine/reduce the qualifications for a service. In this case, I would be even more diligent in finding a highly qualified caregiver.

I am not trying to discourage you from pursuing your dream. Just trying to help you get things rock solid before you give it a go. Get as much training as you can first. Have current certification in any child related area as you can. Have your criminal background report readily available. Get as many references as possible. Have several letters of recommendation and people who are willing to communicate with the parents of potential children you care for.

There might be plenty of parents out there who won't require all of this, but if you make the assumption that they will ask for it, it sure as heck looks a lot better if you have all the bases covered and can immediately give them anything they ask for.

And a note about things you pick up at yard sales... make sure you spend time searching the recalls to make sure none of your used toys are on the list.

All of this might seem like over kill, but when you are dealing with other people's children, there is no such thing as over cautious. Our children are the most precious things in our world. If they are hurt in any way on your watch you will never be forgiven by the parents and probably not by yourself either.

 

[Xero]

I agree about picking things up at yard sales. Please be sure to check for recalls online, and expiration dates on car seats (although you should never buy used car seats anyway, because you can't guarantee that it's never been in an accident or treated improperly etc). And obviously sanitize things thoroughly.

You are not overly cautious, SD. Or well, if you are then I am too. I would never put my kids in an in-home daycare full time with one caregiver for all the same reasons you mentioned. In fact, if I had to use daycare (never have yet), the only option I would trust (and even then I'd be paranoid still haha) would be an actual government regulated daycare center with multiple staff and licensing etc.

 

[Andrew W.]

I'm not sure I think government regulation would have meant anything to me. I don't think that really screens for the kind of things that fill parental nightmares.

We never left our kids with anyone we didn't know well. Our pool of babysitters when ours were little, which included a couple of boys, was mostly high school kids my wife's family had watched grow up, several of whom my wife had sat for when they were little. Many of them had experience caring for younger siblings, as well.

When the kids were older we usually had close relationships with the families of their friends, so shipping them off, or taking the friends on, for a day or a weekend was pretty common. I doubt we ever went a full week with both of them at dinner every night and no extras the whole of elementary and middle school.

These days not a lot of high school kids babysit, and I'm not sure that I'd want a lot of my kids' friends as sitters for young children, either, even the ones I like, even mine. They have a lot more things in their lives than we did at their age, but seem less grounded or something. More knowledgable but less wise. They know all about all new technology and communication, but are less capable face to face. There is nothing about social media or cell phone technology that equips someone to take care of a two-year-old. And they are busy every single night!

 

[pwsowner]

The thing is, there is no way I'm hell I would leave my child in the care of a single (as opposed to multiple, not as opposed to married) adult, male or female, who isn't a very close friend or family member. Having multiple (unrelated) carers ensure that there will be some measure if accountability. One person on their own can do whatever they want and not get caught.

Honestly, I wouldn't either...

Maybe I'm just more aware of specific risks (and there really are several, not singular) than other parents. Maybe I'm less likely to trust strangers. Or maybe I just have a better understanding than most of what devastation a malicious, or even just incompetent daycare provider can cause.

I'm very aware of risks that probably some here don't even realise.

Child sexual abuse:
1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused by the time they are 18.

All parents need to teach their children about proper and improper touching, and good and bad secrets, just like other life basics like safely crossing the road.

It's also a fact that 90% of child sexual abuse is done by men. That's one of the things that will be covered in my Parents Handbook. Parents choose whether or not they want me to teach on that subject, age appropriately.

It's also a risk (both ways) of running any 1 person child care business, male or female. The parents are taking a risk and so is the care provider.

 

[pwsowner]

"There is so much demand for daycare here that it's getting to be the norm for private unlicensed centers to open."

That statement scares the sh*t out of me. The demand for a service should in no way determine/reduce the qualifications for a service. In this case, I would be even more diligent in finding a highly qualified caregiver.

True, but what's happening is, parents looking for care for the first time are finding out too late that they need to look at least 6 months before they are ready to start, so they end up being faced with a decision, accept what they can get, or forget about returning to work.

I am not trying to discourage you from pursuing your dream. Just trying to help you get things rock solid before you give it a go. Get as much training as you can first. Have current certification in any child related area as you can. Have your criminal background report readily available. Get as many references as possible. Have several letters of recommendation and people who are willing to communicate with the parents of potential children you care for.

I will be getting my CPIC (criminal background report) in a week or 2 and taking an infant/child CPR course in 2 or 3 weeks.

And a note about things you pick up at yard sales... make sure you spend time searching the recalls to make sure none of your used toys are on the list.

Done that, and anything safety related, like car seats, I would never buy used.

All of this might seem like over kill, but when you are dealing with other people's children, there is no such thing as over cautious. Our children are the most precious things in our world. If they are hurt in any way on your watch you will never be forgiven by the parents and probably not by yourself either.

Here's a part of the first paragraph on my site:

Leaving your child with someone else is one of the most important decisions in your life, so don't make that decision too quickly. Even buying a car or house is less important than who you leave your child with.

 

[singledad]

I'm not sure I think government regulation would have meant anything to me. I don't think that really screens for the kind of things that fill parental nightmares.

No, but in a registered (regulated) centre, you can know that
<LIST>

• 
  <LI>
• The environment is safe and clean</LI>
  <LI>
• The food that is served is reasonably healthy (eg. no energy drinks for preschoolers.)</LI>
  <LI>
• No unsafe toys</LI>
  <LI>
• The kids won’t be exposed to age-inappropriate things, like PG 13 or worse movies at a preschool, age-inappropriate religious indoctrination, etc.</LI>
  <LI>
• If my child gets sick or injured, there will be someone who would be capable of assessing the situation and taking appropriate action.</LI>
  <LI>
• No inappropriate methods used to instil discipline (eg. Corporal punishment)</LI>
  <LI>
• The carer will have training that will enable him/her to understand my child’s physical, emotional and psychological needs, and meet them.</LI>
  <LI>
• Etc. Etc. Etc.</LI>

</LIST>

I'm very aware of risks that probably some here don't even realise.

Child sexual abuse:
1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused by the time they are 18.

Yes, I am painfully aware of those stats, and they are one of the main reasons why, on top of government regulation and qualifications, I insist on having multiple, unrelated carers. It reduces the opportunities any one of them would have to molest my child. There is still a risk, but less so than if my child were to spend all day in the care of one adult whose activities and interactions with my child cannot be monitored in any way.

I am really glad that you are aware of this, and you are probably trustworthy, but if I was a potential client of yours, you would be just another stranger to me. And the sad truth is that sexual predators don’t have tentacles or tattoos on their foreheads saying “pedo”. On the contrary, they are usually “nice” people who are excellent at appearing caring and trustworthy. That is how they win the trust of parents and get children under their spell. One thing I know for sure is that it simply isn’t possible to pick a paedophile out of any crowd, so by default, unless you are a close, long-standing friend and I know you very, very well, I will NOT trust you with my child, regardless of whatever nice text you put on a website. Text on a website, unfortunately, doesn’t mean a thing.

But that is just me. Many other parents are either not aware of those stats, don’t believe that “such things” happen in their nice, civilised neighbourhood, or simply believes that it happens to “other people”, believe that their children would "never let it happen to them", or are safe because they are boys, or worst, doesn’t understand the devastation it causes and so don't consider it to be so absolutely vital, so they would take the chance to trust you. You’ll get business.

It sounds like you have your ducks in a row. I still wouldn't have placed my kids with you if we were in the same area, but because we're not, that doesn't really matter, does it?

Edited to add - according to my information up to 30% of sexual predators are female, not only 10%, which is part of why I don't consider the sex of the carer to be very significant. It is however, nearly impossible to get stats on this that even approaches accuracy, because the chances of a boy reporting abuse by a woman is close to nil, and even if he does, he is more likely to be considered "lucky" than to be take seriously...