Being a Family Day Carer... the good, the bad and the ugly...
Can I get some people who are or have been family day carers to come on and give it to me straight...
Shel and I considering doing Family Day Care... at the moment its those great dreams of working together at home, Jazz being here, and its all happy families.
So i need some people to burst my bubble. I know it isn't all giggles and roses... so...
The good, the bad, and the ugly about being a family day carer?
Before you even start the house has to be inspected. You need to have safety gates, locks on doors etc you also need age appropriate toys & games. I think you need to have a first aid certificate too.
Yeah luckily all we'd need is to stock up on the toys, the houes is well and truly baby-proofed, and I've got my First Aid Course next month.
But yeah I'm looking for more like the things they don't tell you on the website. Theres lots of fantastic stories about mums who absolutely love their jobs as FDCarers, but nothing about the hours, or after hours, or even how many hours you need to put into it...?
I can only tell you from the perspective of someone who uses FDC and talking a bit to my carer. (I should point out here that I would not cope very well with being a day carer, so I am just going to point out all the bits I can see that would be really hard- but maybe just hard to me, not to you iykwim):
- The house is always FULL of toys. Not just the usual kid clutter, but toys EVERYWHERE. LOTS of them.
- There is no division between home and work. Your home always has people coming in and out of it, and kids all over it and through it. Not much is private.
- Its always really loud. If you have a headache or need a nap or something, it just can't happen.
- My FDC provider complains about all of the regulation and paperwork, which she says is overwhelming. Many, many weekends she is off doing the necessary courses etc and you have to re-do them every couple of years. She has to keep all sorts of records and paperwork (eg- everyday that Peter is there, she is supposed to write a little paragraph about his day and things he did).
- You can't put on TV or play the radio when the kids are there, its "against the rules", unless you are playing children's music (but no TV at all).
- its always chaotic and messy
So those are all the things that would drive me crazy!!! But my carer loves having that kind of open house full of people and kids, so she thinks its great. Guess it depends on what you guys are like.
I would add one general word on working with your partner- I work with my hubby and while its generally great, there are certainly lots of possibilities for increased conflict. My best advice is to make it really clear from the outset who's role is what and what you expect one another to do. Helps heaps!
I use FDC and have done since Jazz was 3 months old. I think the rules in SA are different. There's no "no tv" rule. Both our old carer and our current carer always have the TV on with kids shows (the old carer would watch days of our lives and the news and things like that on Thursdays when she only had Jazz and her grandson).
Our old carer had all the toys in the family room but the kids were able to go almost anywhere in the house under supervision.
The new carer converted her double garage into the daycare room and all the toys are there. It's a really big space with its own entrance so you don't go into the actual house. The big room has play areas and an area for tv - but it's all open. There's even a desk for the school age kids to do homework.
I think the hours are set by you in negotiation with the parents. Some carers (like my old carer) have their own set hours or days (like our old FDC only worked Mon-Thurs, no public holidays, no weekends and no evenings). Our new carer will do 7 days a week by negotiation, and will go late into the evening by negotiation. She also does public holidays if required. She does charge double her hourly rate for weekends and public holidays though.
I don't know if I would have the patience to be a FDC person, but I admire those who are. My experience is that they are wonderful people and love kids. I think it's great that they open up their homes to kids like that.
If you decide to do it then I wish you all the best, I'm sure it's a hard but rewarding job. As a parent though, I love the home environment for my daughter's care.
Riley's FDC lady has the TV on in the morning (kids shows) She also has all the kids have sleeps in the afternoon so some time to herself.
She is becoming increasingly frustrated with the bureaucracy though, she has been an FDC carer for 15 yrs and she said its getting out of hand (I agree with her)
She has her lounge/dining room and kitchen gated off from the kids so that they stay tidy etc and are there for her kids who are all teenagers or older.
I agree with Danni though, I LOVE FDC cause I wanted a home environment for Riley not a centre.
Another FDC user, not a carer... But I have considered doing it, fleetingly, so here are my thoughts...
1 - There is not a lot of money in it. Here in NSW the carer can have up to 5 kids at any time, including their own. And they get around $55 odd per day to them (plus we pay a fee to the FDC organisation), and that is working on a 9 hour day.
2 - Hours are set by the carer, in negotation with the parents, I have 8-6 booked, and usually arrive 7.45, and pick up anywhere between 4-6, but I expect she is available till 6 for me. My carer only works 4 days per week.
3. - Kids rang from 6m - 5 so there is a diverse rang to kids to entertain.
4 - You can do outings, like visit the park, but you have to be able to transport the kids, and have parental permission.
5 - I think as a carer you can choose not to take children, in the same way parents can choose their carer, and I know my FDC really supports the good carers...
I have others, but my point one put me off... I cant afford to live on that money, considering that I would only get money in from 3 kids, as I would have two of my own. But, for you and Shel it might be different... I love using FDC, and totally support it... So, if you are interested, I say find out more... xoxo
I did FDC for years babe!!!!
But the rules are different , state to state.
Nsw, 5 kids under school age, Qld, only 4 kids under school age, including your own. So while Jazz is home, only 3 more kids allowed. (unless that is different up there?) There was talk of when your partner is home, your child doesn't count, they are under your partners care, not sure if it has come in yet though.
I loved it. Some will hate it. I had a big back room, and it was for FDC only. I didn't work in the "house", it was separate, and it saved my sanity!!
You can charge around $5 per hour per child, so down here, around $25 per hour, not bad! Hours are 8-6, Mon-Fri, with all other hours being at a higher "out of hours rate".
House inspections are tough now. Hot water regulators, safety glass, door knob things on everything etc, all elec appliances must be tagged, fire safety gear, etc.....
Paper work is A LOT, but I did it each day at nap time, and its easy to stay on top of it.
Little H needs mummy, so I'll be back. Ask any questions and Ill try to answer them babe.......
the paperwork side of things would be alot if you arent used to it. but coming from child care where you have to do paperwork for the often 25-50 kids that come through your room per week, paperwork for 5 kids sounds like heaven! LOL
i'm sure there are some bad things about it, there are bad things about everything really. but it is worth it if you enjoy it. i would recommend calling a place like Lady Gowrie or C&K and get some further information from them. i think if you do it through those type of places they take a cut of your income (not much though) but you get support, experience and they will set you up with the paperwork and help you with it.
you will also most likely have to have a qualification in childrens services or be studying it, and you will need a blue card for working with chn as well as first aid. every adult who lives or comes through the house will also need a blue card.
also, it is a matter of more than just baby proofing your house (as you would do with your own kids) but there are generally a lot of indepth rules and regulations to do with fencing, hot water systems etc.
Leash I have a friend who did it down here a few years back. She went through a fair bit to get approved, and set up (as you should!), started doing it........and hated it. She kept on for a bit over a year, but never enjoyed it. The kids were great, they were never the problem, it was all the other stuff involved, paperwork etc. And she had some parents that were quite tricky. But possibly that's just about how you handle things .
As for couples working together.......well it's not something I'd recommend but people do make it work. Be sure that you're really and truly happy to spend 24 hours a day together, in your house, most days.
Of course, there are many people who love being FDCers! If you think it's what you guys really want, and would enjoy, then good luck!!
oh i forgot to mention if you are both technically working you can have more kids per day than if just one of you were working and so make more money. but you should go into it in the mind set of providing a happy, safe learning environment FOR kids than a money making adventure.
and in regards to above.. yep parents can be a pain sometimes LOL (i know i can, just cause we want the best for our kids) and yeah it would have to do with how you go about building relationships with them and such. i would say it would be easier in FDC to do this than in day care.
LOL Hollo, all parents are probably a PITA! Only cos we care . I think my friend had one mum who tried to take liberties ALOT, and that caused alot of strain. But I don't know the ins and outs of the situation too well.
given there will be two carers, you could have more kids BUT you'd have to have the facilities for it (more than one loo for instance).
mum did FDC for most of my child hood and even up until i left for uni. when she started, it really was a family environment - the kids just fit in with us - they went everywhere mum went, and were treated like part of the family. they stayed overnight if parents worked nightshift, were there on weekends - and we still keep in contact with many of them now - one became a mum a couple of years ago!
after a while, it got to be a lot more difficult to keep a family environment. it became more centre-like. there were house inspections monthly, had to be a designated room for kids to sleep in. child safety was taken to the extreme (field officer was taller than me - so six foot plus - and because SHE seen things on a shelf as being lower than eye level for her, they were too low etc - the other field worker said it was a load, but the tall one was the "boss" and so things were constantly having to be moved).
keep in mind that there are restrictions on who you can have visit while you have FDC kids in care as well. some parents are fine with you going about your every day life - others will ask that anyone that comes into the house while their child is there has been police checked (i think they call it blue card or something - safe to be with kids or something like that)
the dream of working together at home is one i'm sure we all aspire to - but the reality is very different. if you have a child in your care that is difficult and puts strain on you both, it can make life very difficult. can also be hard if you don't have someone that is "removed" from the situation to debrief to.
the money isn't terrible - but it's not fantastic given the fact that your home becomes your workspace and you have to maintain it all. some things may not be possible for you to achieve to the standards that the local FDC require if you are renting as well kwim?
Having chatted to a local mum this morning (who is on top of her email enquiries BTW lol!) who runs something like Lady Gowrie in our area I don't think it is for us. I'd love it to be but in the end I think it really just came down to her huge empahsis on the fact that is virtually impossible to remove yourself from work. Even once its done, theres a constant reminder that this is your workspace.
the idea of a seperate work area is fantastic - we have a friend who still does FDC even though her kids are all moved out of home - she has a garage/grannyflat that is the work area - so the kids don't go inside at all - no parents go inside their home - its' her office outside - just that her office has a hell of a lot of toys and things about lol
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Being a Family Day Carer... the good, the bad and the ugly...
Thanks Jessica, definitely some things to consider!
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but people do make it work. Be sure that you're really and truly happy to spend 24 hours a day together, in your house, most days.
. I think my friend had one mum who tried to take liberties ALOT, and that caused alot of strain. But I don't know the ins and outs of the situation too well.
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