This time of year, many parents struggle to find appropriate before and after-school care. Why not provide it for them and start your own home-based business? If you only do before and after care, you could have most of your day free to pursue other business opportunities, go back to school yourself or just hang out with your younger children.

How much money could you make?

You could make decent money providing this care in your home for just a few children and still have most of your day free. If you had five children at fifty dollars each per week, that’s $250 a week, or $1,000 a month. Not bad for part-time work.

Do check going rates in your area. I’m pretty sure my estimate is pretty low for most areas. Just call up some of the commercial daycare centers and ask their prices for before and after-school care. While you are at it, ask what is included in that price. Some include transportation to and from school, snacks, homework help, or other activities. And, ask their price for all day care when school is out for teacher conferences or school holidays. If you add all-day care for days when school is out, you could probably increase your income by another couple of hundred dollars a month.

Activities

You already know most kids do not get enough physical activity these days. So, planned physical activities are a great idea. Just running around in your yard for thirty minutes a day would be a big benefit. Games like tag, hide and seek, kickball or red rover are good free fun! Plus, physical activity after school helps them burn off excess energy, so even if it is rainy and you have to stay indoors, play Simon Says and include some jumping around.

Indoor activities could include board games or if you have the space, arts and crafts activities. If you have a hobby, teach it to the children. There is much information on kids’ activities online or in your local bookstore if your creativity needs a boost.

And, add some time for working on homework.

Snacks You probably would want to include a snack as kids are usually hungry after school. A word to the wise: make your snacks as low in sugar as possible! Easy ideas include baby carrots, string cheese, lowfat milk with peanut butter on crackers, or some fruit. Do let parents know what you plan to serve as some children have allergies and are on special diets. For those children, ask parents to bring their snacks.

Legalities Make sure to make a call to your local government before you open your after school care program. The legalities will vary depending on where you live. You can find a list of national, state and local associations at Day Care Associations. And, for a list of requirements and resources for each state, just find your state and click it on this map. In some cases, if you care for just a few children, there are few or no legal requirements.


Insurance You might already have enough insurance, but do ask your agent. You may need additional liability insurance or you might want to lower your deductible.


For more in-depth information on starting this business, Click Here to Discover How to Become a Daycare Owner.

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