Licensed vs non

kelly422

After visiting both in home licensed facilities and several nonlicensed people, we decided to go with a highly recommended nonlicensed daycare provider. I plan on doing a background check on her and her husband and she will be getting CPR certified. Anything else I need to think about before we start?

st.augbride

I would ask why she opted to not be licensed. Is there any kind of oversight?

ljanette85

Regardless of who you leave LO with I would make a few unannounced visits while LO is there just to make sure things are the way that they should be.

Mustardseed2007

To me part of the value in the licensing is that they get visited periodically and are marked for deficiencies. Although I will say licensing inspections (IMO) sometimes end up not focusing enough on the most important stuff, but instead just the easiest stuff to check. 

Since no one else is checking on her, keep your eyes wide open when you're there. Also, you will want to redo background checks periodically, at least annually, but maybe every 6 months. And mark down when their training "expires" and check up that they get retrained per course recommendations. 

Unannounced visits are good. 

Also, I would agree on some understanding of how many future kids you can expect her to add to her care. Licensing has caregiver - child ratios. She should at least maintain that (though in my state these ratios are redic. high, esp. for in home) if not exceed that.

Katie829

st.augbride said:

I would ask why she opted to not be licensed. Is there any kind of oversight?

This completely.
I would want a cori/sori done on the entire house. In our daycare everyone who lives in the house has background checks.
Random unannounced visits, check her ratio, make sure she is paying taxes and can provide you with a tax id for your own tax purposes.

kelly422

st.augbride said:

I would ask why she opted to not be licensed. Is there any kind of oversight?

No, she's just a sweet lady who wants a grandchild fix since her own kids don't have children.

kelly422

Good tips, thanks everyone.