I liked the idea of a punch card too. I wonder how it would go over in a small community like ours. Do you know what she charges for each card?
ForTheSon: Can you do afteschool care, from 2:15 to about 6p? If you have a van or SUV you can pick up the kids from school. I did that for awhile for one family with an autistic child. His special bus dropped him off at my house after school and his mom picked him up around 6. Worked pretty good for a while.
I would do that, but my DH gets home from work at 4 and want to avoid childcare at that point if I can. Mainly my idea is to offer it to moms that need to run errands or have free time during the day. This last year has been stressful and DH is just starting to feel peaceful. Our homelife needs to be just about family for a while. My hopes are that I will be able to make just a little money this way. By spring I want to start my own business decorating for wedding receptions. I have about 15 under my belt right now. I have a few sets of decorations, at low prices. The market I aim for are brides that can't afford the high priced competitors. Cloth tablecloths, flower centerpieces, yards of tulle, topiaries, card catchers, etc..... A beautiful, romantic look, yet economical. This part time child care is something to get us through the winter. I want to thank you all for the ideas though. It tells me there might be a market here for it. And it reminded me how to cover myself while doing it. You all are awesome!
I know how you feel. My hubby use to feel the same way. He just wanted to come home and relax with HIS family after work. Not 8 others every night. lol For awhile it was ok, but it eventually took a toll, esp. on him.
I live in Mexico…you’d want to charge more than what she does! However, our community situation (small) is alike…you should know the cards particularly work well here, avoiding the “We know each other so can I pay you next week?” excuses. (I mentioned 40 hour cards in the first post, but that is incorrect; the largest card the she sells is for 20 hours. I have a tendency to misplace things, so I asked her to keep mine. Others noticed, and now her peg board completely covered!) This is a quick-and-dirty on her set-up: Her target age is 2 – 6 years, and she does various activities with the kids: everyone taking hold of a blanket to toss stuffed animals in the air, easy crafts, dress up/face painting, etc. I appreciate that there will be kids my daughters’ ages there and that she takes the time to do set activities with them, rather than letting them get bored or watch vids. She has a dedicated room with a patio for the kids with a few “romper room” type things (rocking horse, a tunnel, etc.) and a small shelf of traditional toys (dolls, puzzles, etc. but nothing needing batteries), and another room with a crib and couple little floor mats in case someone needs a nap. She doesn’t have a lot of “stuff”, nor does she spend a lot on supplies, but what she has is clean and in good shape. I suppose it is like a good day care without the numbers/letters focus. She always has at least six to 15 kids (usually the upward range), and she frequently employs an assistant. Her hours are MWF 4 – 7, but child doesn’t have to stay the entire session. On the few days she has had to shorten the hours, attendance drops; the three hour window is key. If you were planning something like this, charging about ¾ of a babysitter rate could make it very attractive to parents. You may or may not choose to reduce the price for a sibling. Good luck! Donna
Thank you Donna, that helped a lot. I think something like that would work here. Especially now with the holidays approaching. I know when the kiddos were younger it would have been great to have a place for them to go when I had to do my shopping.
