We talked to random providers at the NAFCC conference about running daycare out of their own homes

<p>Leave us a voicemail at 651-300-2277. Your question could help thousands of providers.</p><p><br></p><p>We brought a microphone to the NAFCC National Annual Conference in Chicago and sat down with family child care providers from seven states. Ratios, curriculum, burnout, staffing, selling a program, and what they would tell someone opening their doors tomorrow.</p><p><br></p><p>Heads up on the audio. We recorded these on an iPhone in a busy conference hall.</p><p><br></p><p>IN THIS EPISODE</p><p><br></p><p>Providers from North Carolina, Michigan, New York, California, Ohio, Oregon, and Illinois talk about how differently this job looks depending on where you live, and how much of it is exactly the same everywhere.</p><p><br></p><p>CHAPTERS</p><p><br></p><p>00:00:00 Why this one is late and why the audio is rough</p><p>00:01:00 Maureen Brown, Charlotte NC, 32 years in</p><p>00:04:00 Switching to Experience Early Learning</p><p>00:06:30 Licensed for 12 to 17, but capping at 10 on purpose</p><p>00:09:00 Supportive husbands and gardening with the kids</p><p>00:12:30 Amy, Michigan, 25 years in a small in-home space</p><p>00:15:30 What her own three kids thought about growing up in daycare</p><p>00:19:30 Advice for new providers: policies first, and give yourself grace</p><p>00:22:00 Ari Hawkins, Syracuse NY, activity director</p><p>00:26:00 Second shift, no junk food, and staying in your lane with parents</p><p>00:30:00 The creek story</p><p>00:33:00 Yvonne, California, running family child care 24 hours a day</p><p>00:37:00 Selling the daycare without losing the legacy</p><p>00:40:00 Unionized child care in California and what it actually changed</p><p>00:45:00 Delegating and letting your staff run their own age group</p><p>00:48:00 Taniyah Holmes, Cincinnati OH, licensed for 14 with 19 enrolled</p><p>00:50:30 Preventing burnout and staying gold rated</p><p>00:52:30 Brooke McDonald, Oregon, running a program with her mother in law</p><p>00:55:30 Monique, Illinois, field trips with eight kids under five</p><p>00:59:00 Manners, Broadway, and finding a local provider group</p><p>01:03:00 Closing thoughts</p><p><br></p><p>KEY TAKEAWAYS</p><p><br></p><p>Your license number is not your capacity number. Several providers run below their limit on purpose to avoid staffing they cannot sustain.</p><p><br></p><p>Policies belong in writing before you open, not after your first hard parent.</p><p><br></p><p>Nobody warns you about wear and tear on your own house. Door handles, floors, walls.</p><p><br></p><p>Burnout prevention is not a mindset. It is a ten minute break, a second adult, or a hard stop at the end of your shift.</p><p><br></p><p>Selling a family child care program takes years, not months, if you care what happens to it after you leave.</p><p><br></p><p>Isolation is the through line. Almost every provider said the same thing: they did not know anyone else doing this until they found a group.</p><p><br></p><p>GUESTS IN THIS EPISODE</p><p><br></p><p>Maureen Brown, Charlotte, North Carolina</p><p>Amy, Amy&#39;s Daycare, Michigan</p><p>Ari Hawkins, Syracuse, New York</p><p>Yvonne, formerly of California, now consulting from Kansas</p><p>Taniyah Holmes, Cincinnati, Ohio</p><p>Brooke McDonald, Oregon</p><p>Monique, Illinois</p><p><br></p><p>FOLLOW OUR GUESTS</p><p><br></p><p>NEEDED: confirmed business names and social handles before this block goes live. Do not publish placeholder handles.</p><p><br></p><p>RESOURCES MENTIONED</p><p><br></p><p>National Association for Family Child Care: https://nafcc.org</p><p>Experience Early Learning, formerly Mother Goose Time: https://www.mothergoosetime.com</p><p>Experience Curriculum inside brightwheel: https://mybrightwheel.com/experience-curriculum</p><p><br></p><p>CONNECT</p><p><br></p><p>Website: https://www.TheDaycareSisters.com</p><p>Email: info@thedaycaresisters.com</p><p>Voicemail: 651-300-2277</p><p><br></p><p>#daycareprovider #daycarelife #homedaycare #momlife #childcareproviders</p>