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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>What Ages Do You Take?
LeslieG 01:12 PM 02-08-2016
I'm getting back into daycare after a 9 month break. We've since moved to a new state so I'll be starting my business from scratch. As I'm planning, I'm thinking about what ages I'll take.

I'm really not wanting to take school-age kids, but am worried that will turn families off (I'm also not taking babies under 1 year). I'd like to keep my group between the ages of 1 year up until Kindergarten... or maybe I'd take Kindergarteners.. I don't know.

What ages do you take? If you don't take school-age and/or infants, does it affect your enrollment numbers?

Thanks!
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AmyKidsCo 01:16 PM 02-08-2016
I'm licensed for 2 weeks to 12 years but prefer 3 mos to 5 years. I'll take as young as 6 weeks if I have to, but would rather have them be a little older.
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Blackcat31 01:46 PM 02-08-2016
Licensed to take ages 6 weeks to 10 years but I only accept kids under age 1 from current families and I do NOT take school aged children.

NONE of my parents have ever had issues with it since they make more than one trip dropping off already since one kid is in school and one in care.

My community has plenty of school aged programs designed specifically for school aged kids.

I make a point of letting families know that "daycare" really isn't meant for kids in school as their needs, interests and behaviors are beyond the ages I have in care all day.
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NillaWafers 01:47 PM 02-08-2016
Right now I will only take 24m+ because I have my own infant to take care of and two babies sounds like no fun. I have a 2.5 year old, a 4 year old, and my own kids currently (3 and 5).

After my baby is mobile 12m+, I would be ok accepting another infant.
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Ariana 01:50 PM 02-08-2016
I try to only take kids 18 months and up. I am taking an infant next month though just because it's a sibling.
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Controlled Chaos 03:19 PM 02-08-2016
Ideally I would take 18m to 4yo. I have a 6m right now and I can't wait for her to be 1y and not take infants anymore. Days I don't have the infant my next youngest is 14m old and its soooo much easier.

I think my new policy with accepting new children will be no children under 18m unless they are a sibling. And no school aged which is already my policy.

I think not accepting infants would make if harder to stay full IF you aren't good at selling/advertising/marketing the preschool side of your program.
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jenboo 03:23 PM 02-08-2016
Under 2.
Huge mega need for it in my area
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lovemydaycare0912 04:20 PM 02-08-2016
I have in my handbook 0-6 but I prefer 6weeks to age 2. I have 13 months to 2.5 right now. I will enroll age 2 and under before I enroll age 3 and up. My current kids are fine as they grow older though. I don't mind that.
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kendallina 06:39 PM 02-08-2016
I take just preschool age kiddos, ages 3-5. I haven't had any problems with families who have siblings that need to be at another daycare because of my restrictions. But, I am fairly small (only 6 kids) and there is a lot of market for what I do in my town.
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renodeb 09:25 AM 02-09-2016
I take ages 6 weeks - 3 years old with an occasional child staying longer than that. I don't take school ages kids either and it really hasn't effected my numbers.
Deb
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TXhomedaycare 11:43 AM 02-09-2016
I take 18 months to 4 years old. No infants or SA kids.
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DaveA 11:52 AM 02-09-2016
Licensed for 6weeks to 12 years. I won't enroll a new school ager unless it is the sibling of a younger child I'm caring for. I prefer to take infants after 12 weeks but will take after 6 if DCF have to go back to work.
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LysesKids 12:32 PM 02-09-2016
Another under 24 months only provider... I find offering Drop-in services when a spot is waiting to get contracted can relieve some of the $ worries because typically you are allowed only so many ratio wise (here it's 4 regardless if I am licensed or license exempt)
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Unregistered 02:57 AM 02-10-2016
I've switched to one year and up. I'm licensed for 8 wks to age 10.

I will consider an infant that is 9 months. I'm just not a baby person. I do take SA before and after school with no problems. In my state I can take five SA before and after school along with six preschoolers without extra help. They have others their age to play with and that helps. I have a huge yard for them to run and play in on a quiet dead-end street that borders a wooded area. That is nice for SA too.

I also have a two separate dedicated child care rooms. Having enough space for SA helps too.

Since there is all day 4k here in one close school district and three day 4K in another close school district it is harder to fill than in the old days! I've had to adjust to lots of 1's, 2's and 3's.
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Claraskids 05:34 AM 02-10-2016
I am licensed for infant through age ten. However, I advertise infant through age four. I do not take school ages and really prefer the under age three. If all my new ones started with me as babies, I would be thrilled.
My area has a lot of preschool programs and the public school runs a before/after school program. I personally have never had any of my own children in them, but feel no guilt for not providing for that age.
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permanentvacation 07:18 AM 02-10-2016
If you offer a very good program, even though you are limiting your age group, you should be able to get the clients you need. Set your place up nicely, find out what others in your area offer and try to offer a little more than they do. Get your name out everywhere you can in your area. Advertise in local papers, put business cards in local stores, restaurants, etc. Put flyers out everywhere. See if there's a local parents' resource number that parents can call to find daycare providers. If there is, get your daycare information on their list to give to parents. Make a point to go out in your area shopping, at restaurants, to any public place that you can specifically to let your new neighbors know about you having a new daycare in the area.

I take ages 6 weeks - 5 years old (as long as the 5 year olds aren't in school yet). I do not take school kids. I also don't take kids who go somewhere else for a couple of hours of preschool. I provide a preschool program here so the children that I watch get their preschool education while here for a full day of childcare.

I have had a good bit of people that I had to turn down because I don't take school children. It will limit your ability to take certain families. But, if you are able to take a little time to build your group up, you should get enough families. Not everyone has a child in school. Plus, many families who have only younger children would rather that you don't have the older children mixed in with the younger ones. And if they don't have school kids, many families don't want to have their child put in your car every day to drive someone else's child to school and don't want their child to have to stand in the rain/snow at a bus stop for someone else's child that has to get on a bus.

I would suggest that you offer a good preschool educational program to entice more parents to choose your program over the others in the area. Plus, if you feel comfortable doing so, I would suggest that you call around and/or go visit local daycares to see what your competition is doing with/for the age group you would like to watch. If no one else offers to provide meals, you could provide meals to entice parents to hire you rather than them. If others have mainly plastic shelves as their 'furniture', you could invest in some nicer shelves.

By limiting an age group, you are already limiting your chances of getting a full group quickly. So, it might help if you can 'one-up' your competition with what you offer/how your home/set up looks vs. other daycare providers in your area. Doing that could either help or hurt you with making friends with the local daycare providers. Some or all of the providers might get mad that you are trying to be 'better than they are' or that you are starting problems for them because no daycare in the area offers to provide diapers, and since you learned that, you DO provide diapers, so now parents are asking all the daycare ladies to provide diapers. Or other providers might think it's nice that you offer a nicer program. You could either make friends or enemies of the other daycare ladies. So, just keep that in mind.

Another thing you can do to try to get clients quickly is to offer some time frame of a free childcare (one free week) or the first two-four weeks at half price or something like that.
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