Closing

[livinglife]

I'm closing my childcare business after this year and will start searching for a job working in a preschool or a center that pays well (by childcare standards anyway lol). It's bittersweet leaving my own business. I'll miss it but I'm also looking forward to this new chapter. In the long run, I do think this will be a better pay off for me and for my family. I really want to be able to contribute more to my household financially.

I certainly won't miss having to worry about enrollment because regardless of how good my program is, most of the parents that have shown interest don't want to pay, even though once you do the math, I, like many other providers, am basically charging no more than $5.00/hr per child, for a 40 hour or more work week and will still have business expenses to cover.

[SandBox]

Congrats and good luck!!!

Just curious, what are the working hours for centers? Do you work 8 hours with a lunch break and alternate shifts of opening and closing? Or is it longer than 8 hour days?

[livinglife]

Thank you so much!

As far as I know, most of the centers where I live are 8 hours with a lunch break and that's the schedule as long as you are employed. That was my schedule before I started doing family childcare.

All the places I've worked before I opened my own daycare, there was usually one person who opened and that was a separate position unto itself b/c this person usually came in to catch the children being dropped off very early (which usually usually wasn't a boatload) and then watches them until the about 8:30 or 9:00 am. They then transition to their classrooms with their respective teacher. That was the case at both a center and a preschool I worked at.

No alternate shifts of closing. We usually left when our last kid left or until close of 6:00 pm.

[SandBox]

livinglife

Thanks! That doesn’t sound too bad.

[flying_babyb]

Congrats and good luck!!!

Just curious, what are the working hours for centers? Do you work 8 hours with a lunch break and alternate shifts of opening and closing? Or is it longer than 8 hour days?

Former center teacher! Most are open 530-630 Am to 530-630 Pm. Many have a 10 hour a day limit for the children, Teachers most of the time work 8 hrs with a hour break BUT some smaller centers, your break may be naptime and cut short if the kids wake up. If a center is understaffed, most states allow teachers to work up to 10 hours.

[mamadaycare]

Congrats!! I am also closing my daycare! But I am leaving childcare all together. 14 years in the industry is long enough for me . I hope that you find exactly what you're looking for! I definitely don't think parents realize that hourly they pay us under minimum wage, but I also think most of them don't care. Good luck!

[livinglife]

I was trying to reply to you directly but the site won't let me right now but thank you so much @mamdaycare! And congrats to you as well. I wish you well on your next chapter!