a different kind of daycare - input needed

CTMamma · August 2014

Reaching out to fellow mamas and papas out there in the hopes that you can help me with some much needed input.

I am looking to open an at home "drop off" daycare services in my area in a couple of months. The idea of the drop-off services is for you to have a place to drop off your child(ren) for a few hours while you run errands, go to lunch with a friend, have a date night with your significant other or just take a break from parenthood (at least in theory) and relax. I will be setting up several "stations" that would serve children of all ages. Reservations can be made over the phone or via email and drop offs can be arranged for most hours of the day or evening.

Is this something that you would be interested in or find useful if it were available in your town? What is a reasonable amount per hour you would be willing to pay for such a service (assuming that a babysitter costs $15 an hour)? Do you have any suggestions on how to improve on the idea?

Many thanks for your thoughts

Helenahhandbasket · August 2014

I could maybe see this working for older children, but I am not sure how this would work for younger children/ toddlers/ babies.

My daughter is a very friendly outgoing little girl (not thanks to me really-- I credit her daycare) so even though she is young, she would probably be cool with me dropping her off at a strangers house to play with a bunch of kids she doesn't know. Other kids may not be so much OK with that, much less the parents of those children.

So in theory it sounds OK, but maybe practice, not so much.

[Deleted User] · August 2014

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74dragonfly · August 2014

I'd never use it. My older one would not like being dropped off at a strange house. There are some businesses that do this. I think they do well but they are set up as a play place. Google play care. I would never use an at home place. Honestly I would prefer tojustfind a bababysitter for these times vs dropping my kids off.

[Deleted User] · August 2014

K3am said:

They also offer Friday date nights once a month - $40 for 4 hours from 6-10. (We've never used it)

Obviously there's a need, or it wouldn't be offered.

We love ours. We have no outside sitter so that monthly Parents Night Out is our only chance for a date or awesome errands like car shopping, etc.

But it is at our center. I've seen other established child-centered businesses offer it as well.

[Deleted User] · August 2014

I would only use this if you were someone I knew and my child already knew. I wouldn't trust a stranger in a drop-off care scenario.

JGY · August 2014

I'm in the clear minority here, in that I would consider using this service. But I would have to spend a lot of time before dropping him off, getting to know the provider(s) and the physical space before I would feel comfortable. And there are some very specific situational things in our life that are behind my reasoning for being willing to go this route ...

1. My kid is really adaptable, does quite well with people he doesn't know (very) well, and is more focused on the new toys and activities available than anything else.

2. Our dog is really difficult and makes it almost impossible to have a babysitter come into the house to care for our kid.

3. We have NO family in the area to help if/when we need care for our kiddo.

All that being said, I would be way more comfortable utilizing this type of a service in a center, but wouldn't rule out a home-based scenario if licenses were in order and if, again, I was able to spend time getting myself comfortable with the space and the provider.

cedenton · August 2014

K3am said:

Our center has a drop in daycare - the rate is $100 a day. And the kids who use the drop in care? They hate it. Absolutely hate it. The DCP's aren't too fond of it either - whenever they have someone using the drop in services, the kid seems to cry all day long, disrupting naps or any other activity and making a miserable time for everyone.

That being said, DD's room is ~13-18 months, it may just be the age. It could probably work well for older kids.

They also offer Friday date nights once a month - $40 for 4 hours from 6-10. (We've never used it)

Obviously there's a need, or it wouldn't be offered. I could just see it being really difficult for you unless you started to develop a couple regulars that didn't freak out or you were lucky enough to get either older or just easier kids.

This has been my experience with drop-ins, too. When DS was really little we used a DC nearby for a drop-in a couple of times when the nanny called in sick, but he had attended that DC for a month before we switched. After the nanny left we switched back to DC and there were some kids who attended inconsistent days/hours. Those kids were miserable and it made everyone else miserable.

CTMamma · August 2014

Thanks for all of the feedback everyone! While its not what I hoped to hear, it's helpful nonetheless.

Not sure if this makes a difference in your opinions at all, but here is a bit more detail in what I was thinking. In our area, the only drop off available if full days at various daycare centers or at our local community center but you have to stay within the center (i.e. if you are using the pool or gym or something along those lines), so no other options really available.

I am imagining having something like 4-5 regular families that drop off their kids on "as-needed basis" so we would get to know each other and the kids would be comfortable coming over. I envision having someone drop off their child for 2-3 hours in order to go grocery shopping or do their hair/nails without having a toddler throwing tantrums and allowing them a little relaxation time. I don't necessarily foresee a house full of kids but rather have 2-3 kids during a few different time slots throughout the day (so for example, one parent drops off her 3 year old daughter from 12-2, another one may drop off a 2 year old from 1-3 pm, maybe someone else drops off their child for an hour in the middle of the day here and there, and someone may drop off their 5 year old at 6 pm for a movie and a dinner).

Depending on how many kids I feel comfortable handling on my own (say 3 kids max), I would have a few college students who live around me be available so that if I get too many reservations for a certain time slot, I would ask them to come in to help, or, if I cannot get help, I would tell the parent we are booked at that time slot and offer them an alternative.

It may be easier to try and distract a young child from the fact their parent is gone when its a short time and it does not really disrupt their schedule because it would be similar to a playdate scenario.

Hope this helps to clarify a little what I was thinking. Again, if you have any advice on what I can do in order for this to work for you, I would love to hear it.

Thank you

AngelSong76 · August 2014

My kid won't even stay in the nursery at church without freaking out. No way would this work. He has to be with Mommy. Daddy, or Nana (who keeps him while Hubs and I are at work.) We probably need to work on this a little bit.

zeptattoo · August 2014

Honestly, it sounds like a logistical nightmare. That alone would make me not want to use a service like this.

RayRay007 · August 2014

I wish my current in-home DC had this on weekends! But no, I don't think I would use this type of service offered by someone I didn't know well. Also, how does it work logistically? Like, how do you keep instructions straight for all the kids coming and going? One kid is going to have to eat XYZ at this time, and another kid something else at another time, and that will be while someone else is supposed to be napping. [ETA: Or are you just not going to do snacks/meals/naps?] At DC, all kids are on the same schedule (pretty much, with some extra naps for the little ones). With something like this it would be hard to coordinate, and I would think my kid wouldn't get the specific care I ask for.

caladpi02 · August 2014

do over

caladpi02 · August 2014

K3am said:

NellyBluth said:

K3am said:

Our center has a drop in daycare - the rate is $100 a day.

wtf? I hope that's a typo.

Sadly, not a typo. I live in a really HCOL area. One of the top in the nation. It's an award I wish we didn't win, but I love where we live, so we're stuck paying for it.

ChickenOnSunday said:

K3am said:

Our center has a drop in daycare - the rate is $100 a day. And the kids who use the drop in care? They hate it. Absolutely hate it.

How do they staff this? Is it used often? I would be worried they exceed allowable limits.

It actually doesn't seem to be used all that often - we see maybe one kid every couple of weeks at most using the drop in care. We're in a center, so there's always a lot of extra folks around to keep them in ratio.

Ok hit the quote button this time

our DC also offers $100 dollar a day drop in. Normal rate is 80 a day. We are also in a super HCOL.

As for this idea, I wouldn't do it because of 1. regulations about how many kids to caregivers; 2. lack of controls on illness and vaccines.

acesup · August 2014

I wouldn't use it. My kids go to daycare but it is an established center and I did extensive research before enrolling them. They also know their teachers and classmates. I would never be comfortable dropping my kids off at a strangers house. Other than daycare they have only been left with grandma, aunt, or a babysitter that I have known her entire life and who happens to be a pre-school teacher. I wouldn't leave my kids with anyone else.

Cheekers2010 · August 2014

I didn't read responses. We have a couple where I live and they are freaking amazing. They aren't in-home, though. They're an actual center set up like a an amazing fun kids club. My son has been going for a year and a half and he LOVES it. I use them when we can't find a babysitter in the early evening and when I have dr's appts or other appts during the day when it's nearly impossible to get a babysitter. He's still young enough that it doesn't work for later in the evening events because he needs to go to bed but otherwise I'm so grateful to have this option. I feel good about their safety procedures and the skill level of all the caregivers. Oh and it's $10/hr when you're a member which is comparable to what I'd pay a babysitter.

klondikebar · August 2014

There's a teacher in my area that does something similar to this in the summer, but it's more like scheduled babysitting. She started by word of mouth and parents of former students. She works with the same families and they can choose one of two days per week with a twice a month commitment. I think she requires a weeks notice so it's not drop-in, but parents can schedule appointments or plan an errand day. I don't know all of the specifics, but she doesn't take young LOs or babies (maybe 3 & up?). I don't know how a full on in home drop in would work. Maybe this route may be more feasible.

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