Disability and Licensing

[ItsAllSonShineAndRainbows]

Has anyone been licensed for a home-daycare AND be on disability?
I run a preschool 4 days a week 4 hours a day (with option for kids to stay for nap)
I am not able to do this by myself anymore, and my roommate (and best friend) has quit her job to work for me. I do the lesson/business part but she does the physical parts :P Unfortunately, we can't live of just the income we are getting without her working outside the home as well. If she has to get another job, I will have to quit completely (which would CRUSH me!) but I'm not sure if you can have your license AND be on disability. I'm not worried about the amount of hours/income on the disability side, but more for if licensing will allow it. Not sure if it's the same everywhere, but we have to have physical/mental exams for licensing so that's where I'm not sure how it will go...

[e.j.]

I would imagine much depends on your specific limitations, the state you live in and the licensing authority there. In order to license/relicense here, we have to have had a physical within the past year and the doctor has to complete a form basically stating there are no health concerns that would prevent us from safely caring for the kids.

When I was first licensed, I attended a training workshop and met a licensed provider there who was totally blind. If I remember correctly, she didn't have an assistant working with her. I was very impressed by her but also completely shocked that she was able to become licensed and work without someone there who could actually see the kids and watch what they were doing. She also told me she had never had any incidents of a child getting injured or lost and no problems enrolling families. Apparently, she had an excellent reputation as a provider and had a waiting list of families wanting to sign up with her. If I were in your position, I'd contacting your licensing office and ask what their regulations are with regard to disabilities and how they would apply to your situation.

[Alwaysgreener]

So I was thinking about this. It may make more sense for your friend to have the daycare and for you to work for her as an admin. Or you both be named as co-owners?

[Cat Herder]

1. We have to sign a document stating that we, "in all respects, able to adequately perform the duties as described."

• "Under the American with Disabilities Act of 1991, this program is required to reasonably accommodate individuals with a disability. The reasonable accommodation requirement applies to the application process, any pre-employment testing, interviews and actual employment, but only if the program supervisor is made aware that an accommodation is required. If you are disabled and require accommodation, you may request it at any time during the interview process. You are obligated to inform the program director of your needs if it will impact your ability to perform the job for which you are applying. Having read the job description for the position for which you are applying, are you in all respects, able to adequately perform the duties as described?"

2. Then we have to sign another that states:

• "I certify that all information on this application is correct. I have not given any false statement concerning my qualification requirements."

3. That is followed up with to clarify that hiring out wont exempt anyone from fitness for duty rules:

• “License Holder" means the individual issued a License by the Department to operate a Home at a particular location who is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the Home and who primarily provides care in the Home in accordance with these rules."
• "Provider" means the License Holder or applicant of a Family Child Care Learning Home who has submitted a Records Check Application and has received a satisfactory Comprehensive Records Check Determination and who is also the person that primarily provides care in the Home

4. Then to hammer it home:

• "The Provider, Employees and Provisional Employees must be able to perform adequately the job duties of providing for the care and supervision of the children in the Home in accordance with these rules.
• "The Provider, Employees and Provisional Employees shall not have made any material false statements concerning qualifications requirements either to the Department or to the Provider."
• "The Provider, Employees and Provisional Employees must provide additional reasonable verification of the qualifications of the Provider, Employees and Provisional Employees upon request by the Department. Reasonable verification may include, but need not be limited to any or all of the following: statement(s) from an attending physician or other health care professional attesting to the mental and/or physical health of the Provider, Provisional Employee or Employee; letters of reference from designated persons in the community where the Provider, Provisional Employee and/or Employee intend to work or is working; certified copies of court orders; and additional records checks"

[ItsAllSonShineAndRainbows]

So I was thinking about this. It may make more sense for your friend to have the daycare and for you to work for her as an admin. Or you both be named as co-owners?

We are both listed on the license, mine is just first. We thought about just switching them if it mattered!