Need input about babysitting in my home?

Question

I am thinking of doing some babysitting in my home. What are some things that I need to have set up for this? What would be good hours to set and how do I keep from being burnt by people who may not pay? What's a good rate to ask for? Should I base it on the child's age? Should I charge by the hour or by the day? Any help from anyone who has experience with this would be greatly appreciated!!!

Answer 1

I have a day care in my home and one thing I feel very strongly about is contracts. Have a contract for the parents and you to sign together. I also have "policies" that I have the parents sign that go into a little more detail than just the contract. I have a health policy, an attendance policy, and payment policy. If you have everything in writing and signed then if the need should arise for you to take someone to court, hasn't happened once in the 2 1/2 years of me doing this, it's pretty hard for them to argue with. Also, set penalties for late payment and do not allow the child to attend until parents have paid. I have the parents pay every Monday, no exceptions, but I have a friend who requires parents to pay a week in advance. And when I say no exceptions, if I do not have the check in my hand by 5:30 pm, that's when I close, they are to automatically include the late fee in the check or the child cannot come the next day.

I would charge a weekly fee, whether or not you charge differently for different ages is really up to you. I do not. I feel like if it's an infant I'm caring for I spend a good amount of one on one time with that infant and even though the parents are providing food, it's my time they are paying for. If it's an older child, over 1 year, I'm providing food for the child and the fees are needed for that purpose, so either way the fees are the same regardless of age.

I really enjoy what I do, I get to stay home with my child and help out other families at the same time. There is a lot that needs to be done to prepare for it, if would be a good idea to check with your state requirements to make sure you are operating legally. Most likely if you have a small number of children you will not need a license but Department of Human Services can answer that for you. Where I live you can have up to five people of any age in your home during the day and operate legally without a license. But that is something that only you can decide if it's worth doing.

If you would like to contact me through Yahoo Answers I would love to help more. Take care.

Answer 2

Hi My name is Lisa, I lost my job in august 2014 at a grocergy store and then my car went down and now after 1 1/2 year of being out of work I am back working at a school district only part-time cafeteria worker serving lunch and this job only pay 7.50 an hour for 3 hours a day and it's hard to get to work when u have two people working and one car and I am thinking of starting out babysitting in my home. I have 2 sons that are in school all day and sometimes I watch the neighbors little girl who is 4 yrs old. I always wanted a job working with children like opening a daycare or babysitting to bring in some extra money, I also have 2 dogs and 3 cats in my house and I tried writing up a little thing on paper and trying to get to watch other children but no one ever called me, how do u get people to call, I am probably only starting out with 6 kids since I have 2 of my own which are 5 and 7 years old. I have all my child clearances, should I try making up another babysitting paper and I am thinking being open 6am to 6pm Monday thru Friday and Saturday's will be optical if I am needed and how much should Icharge I was thinking of $10.00 dollars a day ($50.00 a week) that would cover food and care is that to much and on Saturday maybe just $10.00 for the whole day if I am needed. My email is [e-mail]. Thank You for helping me out with my babysitting problems..

Answer 3

Babysitting At Home

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Need input about babysitting in my home?
I am thinking of doing some babysitting in my home. What are some things that I need to have set up for this? What would be good hours to set and how do I keep from being burnt by people who may not pay? What's a good rate to ask for? Should I base it on the child's age? Should I charge by...

Answer 5

In Home Babysitting

Answer 6

I have been a child care provider in my home for 20 years. In some states, it is illegal to care for unrelated children on a regular basis without a state license. I strongly suggest looking into this with your county's Human Services office. Being a licensed child care provider gives you numerous benefits including building your social security funding and giving you the ability to take things you purchase for your daycare as deductions on your taxes. Additionally, if you run into problems with non-paying families or behavior problems in children, the staff with the licensing bureau are available for assistance. The hours you set are up to you. My current hours of operation are 6:30 AM until 5:30 PM. I have done 6 AM - 6 PM before, but I am easing off a bit due to family responsibilites. Unfortunately there is no real way to prevent from getting burnt from non-paying families. One way is to request payment ahead of time for the upcoming week, but not everyone likes this arragement. It also only works if you are charging a flat per week fee. I charge by the hour since most of my families have been part-time, by my choice. It is not uncommon to charge more for infants, but I do not. Many areas have a childcare network agency. The staff assist families searching for licensed child care and also help licensed providers fill any openings they may have. Another benefit to being licensed is if you have a family who qualifies for public assistance, you can not receive payment from the government unless you are a licensed home. Caring for other people's children in your home is not a job for everyone. The days can be long and there is a lot of wear and tear on your home and furnishings. I have gotten great enjoyment from my job as a child care provider. It is a job that I wake up every morning still looking forward to. The day I wake up less than enthused to see those little faces at my door will be the day I need to stop.

Answer 7

i know people who do daycare at home here are some suggestions...charge by the age, have a contract signed,charge a registration fee(this is in case they try to get a free week out of you),offer snacks but tell the parent they must also pack a snack for the child,charge a pick up late fee,show them your background check,and check with your local social service office they should be able to tell you more so far as state guidelines and such....good luck!

Answer 8

I just started to watch my cousin's daughter who is nine weeks. I have two kids of my own, so I didn't need to get a license(I checked it out) I charge her $120 week for four days($30 a day) from 8am-4pm. She told me I'm cheap and she is so glad I am helping her out. She knows that I am going to treat her well, and she has no worries about leaving her with me.