[mammal_mama]

Hi! Now that my baby is 4 and it doesn't look like I'll be having any more, I've been feeling that I'd really love to start caring for some babies in my home -- giving them the same AP-care I give my own (minus the breastfeeding, of course!). Plus we could really use an extra income, and some backup in case dh ends up being out of work.

I'd like to start out offering to care for children between 6 weeks and 2 years -- but of course I'd be open to continuing to care for a child who we'd formed a bond with, for as long as the family wanted to keep using us.

I'm feeling that starting younger makes a nice age-gap between them and my girls who are now 4 and almost 9, which means that my girls and the babies I'd be caring for, would have different needs and not competing needs, if that makes sense. And of course as these babies grew, my girls would be growing, too, plus there'd be a wonderful bond between them and any babies who stayed with us as they grew.

Anyhow, here in Missouri I can care for up to 4 non-related children without a license -- and while I've heard that being licensed is helpful in a lot of ways, I've also heard it's difficult and expensive, and that in order to meet all their requirements and still make a profit, you really end up having to take more kids. And I don't honestly think I'd want to take more than 4.

The good thing about getting licensed would be that I'd be on a list of licensed providers, so parents would know about me, and they'd probably also feel more assured with a licensed provider.

But for the time-being, I am planning on putting up a few flyers in our neighborhood and just seeing how it goes without a license. I'm wondering what the going rates are for licensed providers -- and thought I could charge a little less.

Any input is welcome.

 

[soxthecatrules]

I left the KC area about 4 years ago so I'm not sure how much help I'll be.

But, the last I knew the going rate for daycare in the KC metro area was $200per week per infant. The infant rate was charged until the child was potty trained. Then it dropped to $150 per week. I also lived in Johnson Cty so that may have made a difference in the rates.

I now live in central KS and our rates here in the "larger" cities run $100 to $110 a week.

Wish you the best!

 

[mammal_mama]

Thank you!

By the way, were/are you licensed? If so, how hard or expensive was it to meet their requirements?

Oh -- I see you've always been in KS, so maybe you don't know about licensing for MO?

 

[mammal_mama]

I haven't been able to find much about going rates for childcare in my area (Kansas City, MO). However, my husband did find something about the amount that MO Social Services will pay for childcare in Clay County -- we're in Jackson, but I suppose it would be similar.

For a full day of care for an infant, they'll pay a licensed home daycare $17.02 (which would be $85.10 a week), and a registered home daycare 15.00 (which would be $75 a week). I suppose "registered" means you go through some sort of child abuse screening? I'm not sure how much that would cost for me to do.

I'm thinking that until I get licensed and/or registered, it would probably be reasonable for me to charge slightly less than the $75 a week -- maybe $70 or $65.

The main hurdle to the licensing right now is I'd have to attend a 3-hour informational-meeting (they do them once a month) without being able to bring my daughters with me. My 4yo is not comfortable being apart from me, except for sometimes doing one-on-one stuff with her dad, and he can't take anytime off from work til around August.