How to Start an In-Home Daycare

Running an in-home daycare is a great career—providers are able to work from home, and if they have children, they can be available for them and their schedules. In-home daycares are also an asset to their community, providing parents with affordable and personalized child care that benefits families.

The process for starting an in-home daycare varies by state but the overall steps are similar nationwide. All in-home daycares must follow certain steps to become licensed to legally care for children on a regular basis out of their homes.

Here are some of the basic steps in starting your own in-home daycare:

Understand the local requirements

Before officially beginning the process of starting an in-home daycare, check your state’s licensing requirements to get a sense of what is required as far as training, safety updates, insurance, and new supplies. 

In addition, potential caretakers need to prepare for the licensing process to take some time. The licensing process often takes around six months so it’s best to get this started long before you are hoping to open. 

Submit an application

To get licensed, you must submit an application. Each state’s process is different, but be prepared to include letters of recommendation, background checks, and medical information. In addition, some states charge a fee to process the application.

After the application, you may need to get your home inspected to ensure that it is safe for children. Also, applicants may have to undergo training, depending on state standards. Some states require that in-home daycare providers prove their knowledge of health and wellness, age-appropriate activities, appropriate disciplinary actions, and other child development topics.

Meet the requirements

Potential providers need to check specific items off their to-do lists in order to meet state standards and qualify as a licensed in-home daycare. Some of these items include:

• Purchasing additional insurance
• Passing background checks (The main caretaker must pass a background test, along with the older children and adults who live at the residence.)
• Completing specific training requirements, including CPR and First-Aid certifications

Set-up your home 

An important step in opening an in-home daycare is distinguishing which parts of your home will be part of the daycare and which areas will be off-limits. The parts of your home that will be used by the children need to be safe, and any off-limits areas need to be secured with gates. 

In addition to making sure your space is safe and will pass any safety inspections required for licensing, you will need to purchase supplies and kid-friendly furniture. 

When planning your daycare space, you will likely need:

• Child-sized furniture: tables and chairs for children to eat at and draw or do art projects. If you are caring for infants,  you will also need high chairs, changing tables, etc. 
• Nap-time needs: You will need cribs or pack-and-plays for infants and cots for older toddlers and preschoolers. Parents usually provide blankets for their children (if they are old enough for a blanket) but it doesn't hurt to keep an extra stash handy. 
• Entryway: It's a good idea to have cubbies or hooks, where the children can store their jackets and backpacks. You may also wish to have parents sign in and out in the entryway, so a table or shelf nearby is key. It's also a good idea to post any important notices or licenses in this area, so they are easily accessible to parents. 
• First-aid and health and safety items: It's important to have a first aid kit, along with other things that could be useful in an emergency such as flashlights. You will also need smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and any other safety-related items your state requires for licensing. You will also likely need a lead inspection and will need to secure any cabinets that contain cleaning sprays or other chemicals. 
• Bathroom and changing station: Your bathroom should be equipped with stepstools for children who are out of diapers or potty training. You should also have a dedicated changing table and a place for each family to store their child's diapers. 

Plan your business and visualize how you want it to run

Any successful business needs to have a firm grasp on how it’s structured and what it’s offering. With a home daycare, that’s doubly as important— you’re dealing with children and parents, two groups that can have trouble understanding the word “no”. 

Providers should think about the hours they want to operate, what age kids they want to take, schedule/rhythm of the day, curriculum, everything that’s going to make up the skeleton of their business.

To get started, ask yourself the following questions:

• Will you take infants?
• Will you provide food?
• Is potty training required?
• Does everyone need to enroll full-time or are part-time/drop-in spaces ok?
• What is the day-to-day schedule and what variables (activities, specific snack days) will be built into that?
• What supplies will you need, both recurring and one-time purchases? 

Fill your open spaces

Before you open, you need to market your childcare business so parents to enroll their children. The sooner you start building your list of interested parents, the better! Make sure you have a Winnie listing describing your program and what makes it unique. 

Don’t be afraid to ask for reviews or recommendations from customers. This can help grow your client pool as well as connect you to a larger community of parents and providers.