Daycare With a Focus on Literacy

by amm

Jan 7, 2014

I'm a recently retired teacher who wants to remain active and fulfilled. I could also use the extra income. I considered substitute teaching but it's not for me. I thought about working as a teaching assistant but, again, I want to feel fulfilled and challenged - keep my brain and body working, so to speak! I have considered having a day care - not a certified pre-school- in my home. I would love this for a number of reasons HOWEVER I've heard so many horror stories where caregivers were accused of "touching", inappropriate behaviors, etc that I frankly am scared off. If I have someone working as my assistant I would be "covered" but I would lose any profit I would be making to support my retirement income. Help....any suggestions or advice?

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maureen On 1/07/14, amm wrote: > I'm a recently retired teacher who wants to remain active > and fulfilled. I could also use the extra income. I > considered substitute teaching but it's not for me. I > thought about working as a teaching assistant but, again, I > want to feel fulfilled and challenged - keep my brain and > body working, s...See MoreOn 1/07/14, amm wrote: > I'm a recently retired teacher who wants to remain active > and fulfilled. I could also use the extra income. I > considered substitute teaching but it's not for me. I > thought about working as a teaching assistant but, again, I > want to feel fulfilled and challenged - keep my brain and > body working, so to speak! I have considered having a day > care - not a certified pre-school- in my home. I would love > this for a number of reasons HOWEVER I've heard so many > horror stories where caregivers were accused of "touching", > inappropriate behaviors, etc that I frankly am scared off. > If I have someone working as my assistant I would > be "covered" but I would lose any profit I would be making > to support my retirement income. Help....any suggestions > or advice?

I did this with 10 children, including a grandchild, for about 3 years in my home. I did get licensed though as a "home provider" by the state to gain trust with new families. I was the lone teacher but my dh was usually in the home for back up if needed. He had to be cleared anyway by the state as an adult living in the home. That allowed me to have another adult present in the home, but I did it all. He was not involved in the actual classroom part. I only offered full time which meant 9AM to 3PM five days a week and I followed a typical school holiday schedule with breaks like winter and spring. In our state a second adult was not a must until one had more then 12 children present at one time.

Doing all the licensing stuff was a no brainer and kind of insulting but I can see the value of it when I met some other providers who were more of the babysitting type. I ran an actual preschool and also provided the snacks and lunches (another program I was in that helped with costs and allowed me to prepare food that really WAS healthy) The classes one had to keep taking for licensing each year were pretty hokey but necessary to continue to be licensed. When I got my occasional state visits for licensing I was always told that my program was exactly what they wished all programs were like. It was a perfect blend of a nurturing home environment with all the developmental needs for young children being addressed. My classroom library was amazing and since I taught pre school for 25 years before this, I knew exactly what I was doing and wanted for the children and their families.

At my current grandchild's preschool, the director actually has some kind of camera set up so parents can see the classroom at all times from their computers at work or at home. If your only concern is addressing this "what if touching" is your only one, I would look into getting that set up. The director said it is not as expensive as one might think and this could really be helpful for your situation.

It is nice to have that second adult though for obvious reasons and parents are reassured that that is the case. You have to have a plan in place should something happen to you. Let's face it, at our age that is always a possibility with falls, health issues, etc.

I don't know what age group you retired from teaching from, but I do hope that you realize that children under the age of 6 are at a totally different developmental stage then the older children. Also, if you would decide to go for ages younger then 2 or even 3, that is another developmental state and affects what types of activities you need to provide.

You might also consider an aftercare type program especially if you live close to an elementary school where you could walk them home with you. Then you could have them for only 2-3 hours a day and have school vacations free or have for more hours on those days off. There are a lot of working parents who would LOVE to have an option for those inclement weather days where schools start later in the morning, but they still have to go to work at the same time.

It can be a wonderful way to keep involved with children and keep your mind active. It is quite a commitment. I would still be doing it, but the classroom took up too much of our family space which we needed more then the income.

If you have any more questions, I am sure others could step in with their ideas or I will try if I can. Good luck!

Jan 7, 2014

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pktchr On 1/07/14, amm wrote: > I'm a recently retired teacher who wants to remain active > and fulfilled. I could also use the extra income. I > considered substitute teaching but it's not for me. I > thought about working as a teaching assistant but, again, I > want to feel fulfilled and challenged - keep my brain and > body working, s...See More

Jan 7, 2014

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childcaretchr On 1/07/14, pktchr wrote: > On 1/07/14, amm wrote: >> I'm a recently retired teacher who wants to remain active >> and fulfilled. I could also use the extra income. I >> considered substitute teaching but it's not for me. I >> thought about working as a teaching assistant but, again, I >> want to feel fulfilled and ...See More

Jan 21, 2014

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