Daycare providers: The social aspects of running a family child care business

There are so many good reasons to open up a child care business ranging from being able to stay home with your own children to being your own boss. As a daycare owner you get to be more creative in a job that can be extremely fulfilling and rewarding. I haven’t even mentioned the occasional bursts of joy that working with children tends to bring.

However, working from home with only children as company can be taxing as well. You, and the children, could experience isolation and cabin fever regularly. This type of environment can have many negative impacts such as lack of motivation, high levels of stress and frustration, emotional outbursts, feeling out of touch, boredom, poor child care practices, and eventual burn out and decisions to quit.

Here are some practical tips to help ease the isolation, boredom, and lack of social interaction that comes with running your own daycare.

Get Out

The most obvious solution is to make certain that you get out regularly when the daycare is closed. If being social is tricky for you, do something on a regular basis that you enjoy. This could include joining a bowling league, scrapbooking crops, going to the gym, joining a book club, volunteering or any other hobby you enjoy. Try to do these activities kid free, even if means hiring an affordable babysitting to watch your own children.

Network

Join some professional child care organizations and get to know some other local providers. Perhaps you could make arrangements with another provider to do some joint activities or go on a trip together. Just visiting another child care for awhile can allow you some adult interaction while the children get to make new friends.

Tackle Boredom
Doing the same thing every single day can get old for both you and the children. If taking field trips is not for you, consider many of the companies willing to bring classes to your daycare. Here in Denver there are multiple companies that offer traveling classes including gymnastics, music, gardening, painting pottery, art, technology and science. Even hiring an entertainer like a clown, face painter, storyteller or balloon artist can give a lift to a familiar routine.

Have a Party

You don’t have to wait for someone’s birthday to have a party! Organize different events like backyard camping, ice cream socials, a teddy bear picnic, a daytime slumber party, build a fort or put together your own show. Just because you are stuck in place does not mean you can’t be creative and have fun.

The important thing is that you make certain to schedule time for yourself. Take a class, join a club, participate in professional organizations, register for online communities and forums, get out with some friends, plan events for the parents of your daycare kids, or even consider getting a part time job. Every bit of contact with the outside world will do you a world of good.