Start your own family day care

Start your own family day care

Setting up your own family daycare – Do you plan to choose a flexible and rewarding career?

Enjoy the freedom offered by family daycare to enhance your career and your unique opportunity to develop programs and learning environments to suit the best interest of children and at the same time set them up for a good start in life.

Are you ready to build long-lasting bonds with children?

Are you passionate about becoming a family day care educator?

Here is some advice we bring from our industry experts’ groups who have been running the family daycare service from 20 years & more.

Here is what they say!

Family daycare is still the best option of care provided in your local community, through family daycare you can run your own business from home, this allows you to work from home at the same time care for your own and your clients’ children.

Become an educator

Your First Step:

Do you have experience caring for children? Or do you currently work at a center and want a career change.

If you are ready to provide a warm, long-lasting secure, family-focused environment, and care to children from birth to 12 years of age, then you are at the right mindset to get started.

Before you choose to take on this full-time or part-time flexible business, you must note that you will hold or be ‘actively working towards’ at least an approved certificate III level education and care qualification.

If you live in South Australia, a family daycare educator must hold at least an approved certificate III level education and care qualification.

Inspire & Learn training organisation can assist you to start up this qualification, set up your resume and get job-ready to work in this field. Support is also available for setting up your own family daycare via Precious Stars Family Day Care in Point Cook, South West of Melbourne.

Second step:

Set up your home and your backyard, this can be started by planning which area of your home will be allocated for play space, sleep area, mealtime environment, and outdoor play.

Note: You do not have to sacrifice your own home to fully run a family daycare, but as long as sufficient space is provided of the play, sleep, meal, and outside play will be sufficient.

Requirements for Family Day Care Service

Your last step is to contact your local council and check which family daycare services are available in your area, book an appointment and get started from there.

You will need to meet the requirements of documentation:

- You will require your own ABN (Australian Business Number)

- Recent Police check

- Working with Children Check / Blue Card (For all 18 years and above living at your home)

- Must choose to register your family daycare in your place of residence

- Must hold a child protection training certificate (Compliance requirement)

- We recommend completing the Food Handling Certificate Course (usually one day course)

Step by step guide to start family day care:

1. Make a budget

2. Plan to purchase a few shelves – local Kmart will have cheaper and natural options available

3. Use small carpets to divide each area or use shelves to segregate the area

4. Plan the active and quiet areas

5. Borrow books from the local library & rotate these to interest the children

6. Borrow children’s toys from your local toy library

7. Purchase craft material and furniture (Child size table & chairs)

8. Other ideas include

• • • • Puzzles

      • Blocks

      • Dolls

      • Train tracks/ trucks/ cars

      • Dress ups

Remember to check with your accountant as you are building your own business of family daycare you should be able to also claim a % of this on your upcoming tax once you start working.

You may also be interested in learning about how to set up play spaces in your learning area. Read our next blog on Play Spaces