BABYSITTING BUSINESS by No Autor Name included - HTML preview

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Terms and Conditions

LEGAL NOTICE

The Publisher has strived to be as accurate and complete as possible in the creation of this report, notwithstanding the fact that he does not warrant or represent at any time that the contents within are accurate due to the rapidly changing nature of the Internet.

While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this publication, the Publisher assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein.

Any perceived slights of specific persons, peoples, or organizations are unintentional.

In practical advice books, like anything else in life, there are no guarantees of income made. Readers are cautioned to reply on their own judgment about their individual circumstances to act accordingly.

This book is not intended for use as a source of legal, business, accounting or financial advice. All readers are advised to seek services of competent professionals in legal, business, accounting and finance fields.

You are encouraged to print this book for easy reading.

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Table Of Contents

Foreword

Chapter 1:

Childcare Basics

Chapter 2:

Type Of Center

Chapter 3:

Training And Certification

Chapter 4:

Legal Requirements

Chapter 5:

Health And Safety Issues

Chapter 6:

Equipment

Chapter 7:

Insurance and Staffing

Chapter8:

Marketing

Wrapping Up

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Foreword

With most parents today opting to go back to work full time there is a need to find reliable and reputable childcare help. There are many establishments that offer such services but a discerning parent would wisely research the centre before actually making a commitment to send his or her child there. Places that offer childcare help which encompasses the essence of safely, health, promotions of physical, emotional and cognitive skill should be seriously considered as a requirement and a necessity and not just an advantage. Get all the info you need here.

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Babysitting Business

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Chapter 1:

Childcare Basics

Synopsis

The following are some of the factors that one should be aware when it comes to the topic of childcare basics.

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The Basics

Ideally childcare establishments should be able to facilitate suitable social development platforms. Having programs in place as part of the daily routines is something that should be included so create learning curves for the children.

Learning how to interact, be friendly and learning how to share are all elements that would be constantly reinforced within the boundaries of the childcare philosophy.

Intellectual skills should also be nurtured at such centers, as the child would spend the better part of their daily life at such a facility. The requirement for this style of nurturing should be given optimum focus with the relevant guidelines in place for all such facilities to follow.

Most childcare facilities are governed by a set number of rules in the area of providing suitable intellectual stimulation.

Elements of some form of regimented physical activity should also be incorporated into the daily schedule of a childcare centre. The physical activity planned should take into account the physical capabilities of the participants and all supporting tools should be available should there be an occurrence of mishaps.

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Physical activity is very important to ensure the suitable and healthy growth rate of a child thus the importance of its inclusion in the childcare’s system.

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Chapter 2:

Type Of Center

Synopsis

Providing for childcare does not simply mean finding a centre to dump a child in for a stipulated period of time. As in most cases this time frame a child is left at the childcare facility is rather significant there needs to be some serious thought and requirement studied in order to identify the type most suited to the needs of both the parents and the child in question.

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Where

There are three major categories of childcare types that cater to the various needs of the children and parents seeking such assistance.

The following is an overview of these categories: Childcare center – basically this facility will provide the basic structured program recommended by governing bodies within a licensed environment. It is popularly noted for its reasonable and often cheaper price.

The child will also be exposed to a variety of very diverse cultural and socioeconomic group of kids, which will eventually contribute to a child who is able to feel accepted and comfortable with such diversity.

The flexibility of the schedules provided is also another plus point to consider. The disadvantage here is usually centered on the exposure of the child to illnesses and bad habits from the other children at the centre. There is also the possibility of not having consistent and individualized attention.

Family childcare home – this type of facility usually cater to a smaller group of children where better ration of individualized attention is evident.

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There is also age factor that is usually varying in nature, thus teaching the children how to adopt to others of different ages, wants and needs.

Being within a home setting the environment is usually more comfortable and welcoming. The disadvantages would be the possibility of the prime care giver being unable to perform the duties due to illness or other emergencies. It may also sometimes be difficult to monitor the quality of the care given to the children.

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Chapter 3:

Training And Certification

Synopsis

If an individual is considering venturing into the childcare venture as a business entity there should be some training and certification points that should be considered. Without these elements, getting the supporting documentations that would help to legitimize the establishment would be difficult indeed.

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Training

The following are some tips on the training and certification platforms:

Part of the training would require the individual to be able to simulate the part of a teacher, mentor and caregiver all rolled into one.

The training will usually allow the individual to learn both about their own capabilities and how they react to situations as well as how to deal with varied ages of children and their corresponding responses and behavioral patterns.

Training modules are given on physical, mental and motor skills development and the exercises are both mentally challenging and physically so.

This is to equip the individual to be able to deal with all types of character children. Learning how to meet the physical, emotional, and intellectual needs of the children is usually explored through the training sessions.

The certification of such expertise would also be sought by potential parents who visit the centre to check its suitability for the children.

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Therefore getting the relevant training from reputable agencies that are government sanctioned would be wise. These certifications presented to the potential parents should also included licenses for the premises, licensed to actually run the particular type of business, licenses that show certified staff are being employed and any other supporting legalized documents that prove the legitimacy of the childcare centre.

If the centre is specialized in nature, where it caters to a specific niche, then here too the relevant certifications should be in place.

These may include the specialized training needed to cater to the niche and the specialized equipment needed to facilitate the comfortable accommodation of the child.

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Chapter 4:

Legal Requirements

Synopsis

As in every business entity there are always some legal issues that require consideration and adherence. Therefore in the effort to ensure the childcare establishment is legal on all fronts, there is a need to ensure the relevant aspects have been designed according to the laws set.

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The Laws

The following are some of the areas that are usually addressed for its legal requirements and adherence:

Child supervision – there are strict rules in place when it comes to the ratio provided for under the law for the child to adult safely issues.

Legally an individual that is 16 years or older can act as a care giver in a childcare environment, however the prime caregiver should be of a legal adult age which is 18 years.

As it clearly stipulates that no child is to be left alone at any given time, there is also a need to ensure the adequate amount of caregivers are available with the corresponding children at the centre.

Nutrition – there are also laws governing the foods that are required to be served at such establishments. The foods have to cover all nutritional groups and have to be hygienically prepared at all times.

Proper work areas for the food preparations have to be in place supported by the necessary equipment.

Child abuse – one of the most high priority concerns of the prospective parent is the element of child treatment that may constitute abuse.

The parents would be keen on finding out the various disciplinary actions that the centre uses to keep the children under control. If these measures are found to be within the guidelines provided for by

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law, then there would be no cause for concern related to the child abuse issue.

Safety concerns – here to there is always a set of laws that strictly govern this area. These laws would cover all aspects of the centre from the legitimacy of the childcare staff to the legitimacy of the building structure.

These are usually periodically inspected by the relevant governing bodies.

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Chapter 5:

Health And Safety Issues

Synopsis

For most parents looking for a suitable childcare centre, one of the main elements that they would consider is the health and safety measure in place. These measures taken would be the same ones extended to the children should there be an unfortunate occurrence of mishaps.

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Safety

The following are the areas usually focused upon in terms of health and safety issues:

The health and safety policies in place should clearly stipulate the specific responsibilities of each individual caregiver should a mishap occur.

This should also include the procedures each individual caregiver would be responsible for. Some establishments, in the quest to be as professional as possible actually conduct periodic drills to acusmotize both children and adults alike to simulate the actual mishaps.

In the event of an accident, the relevant procedures should also be clearly outlined and followed. These outlines may include the prevention and reporting stages, the facility of having a record book to document the accidents for the perusal of the parents, RIDDOR

and of course the very important first aid box.

Electronic safety measure – because children are naturally inquisitive there is a need to take extra care when it comes to the electronic equipment used around the centre.

Keeping all appliances out the reach of children is of course the most basic requirement, and failing to adhere to this would certainly invite trouble.

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Explaining to the children the dangers of playing or touching such electronic equipment is also something that should be actively done as often as needed.

Fire precautions – fire drill are something that should be explained and thoroughly understood by all the caregivers on duty. Conducting exercises with the children may be a nuisance but should be done to limit the chances of creating chaos and fright among the younger children.

It would also given all concerned a hand on approach of how to handle an actual fire situation.

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Chapter 6:

Equipment

Synopsis

There are a lot of different types of equipment needed is the childcare centre to going to be set up in a professional manner. There is also the age consideration of the outlined so that the corresponding equipment can be sourced.

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What You Need

Deciding the age group the childcare centre is going to cater to is an important start to make as the equipment acquired would have to be suitable for the intended age group.

Besides this, there is also a need to consider the curriculum that is going to be designed for the children attending the centre. This curriculum will have some bearing on the type of equipment the centre actually purchases. Being child friendly and age friendly are two criteria that should be complimenting to the children using the equipment.

Recently there have also been concerns about the materials that are used to make the equipment for the children. In the quest to ensure only approved materials are used, the owner of the childcare business should ensure all purchases are made from reputable stores which specifically cater to the various age groups.

Toys and tools should be carefully selected as this could be viewed as dangerous under certain circumstances.

Besides the danger element that should be given priority, the equipment chosen should also be interesting and enjoyable for the children attending the childcare centre.

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Boring equipment would equal bored children who would then become difficult to handle and pacify. Therefore some research should be done to ensure the suitable and interesting choices are made.

Other tools such as learning materials should also be colorful and interesting to ensure the teaching process is fun for both childcare giver and child.

Using material that is attention grabbing will always ensure the children’s participation and excitement. Periodically checking the equipment to ensure it does not pose any danger to the children is an exercise worth carrying out.

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Chapter 7:

Insurance and Staffing

Synopsis

Both these element for a lot of legal connotations tagged to them, thus in the quest to ensure all rules and regulations pertaining to these issues are followed carefully there should be some research done into its requirements.

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Good Points

Staffing laws for childcare centers require the establishment to take into account the child – staff ration practiced. The ideal ratios prescribed by the legal authorities are three children to one caregiver for those children under the age of two and five children to one for those between the ages of two to three.

Then for the age group that is between the ages of three to six the ideal ration would be eight children to one caregiver.

There is also the need to ensure the caregivers same some educational backgrounds that are fitting to the care giving activity.

Basic courses are offered by government bodies for those intending to venture into the care giving business.

Most parents intending to send their children to such facilities would definitely ask for some evidence of this training. Criminal background checks have also become a pre requisite for those intending to be a part of the child giving exercise.

Failing to ensure each employee has been checked for such backgrounds the establishment runs the risk of being fined and closed down.

Adequate insurance for childcare establishments is also another pre requites that should be looked into. Getting suitable coverage

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is important and also a legal necessity. There are different types of coverage available and getting a reputable agent to consult with would be a good idea.

These insurance policies would usually cover both the centre and the children and staff in attendance. This is important when the damages are extensive or when medical coverage is needed. The premiums would also be according to the needs of the individual childcare facility and this can normally be tailored to fit the budget and coverage needs.

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Chapter 8:

Marketing

Synopsis

Marketing for any business endeavor involves some form of strategy.

It is this strategy that will be the defining point for the development of the product and the business.

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Marketing

Being able to identify the target market is the first step that should be given due consideration as the primary concern of the business engine is to get the target customer base to yield the interest and thus commit to the purchase of the service, or said product.

For those seeking the services of a childcare facility, marketing tactics that portray the advantages and testimonial reports provided to back up such advantages will be well received by them.

Marketing campaigns should ideally be centered on the portrayal of happy children in equally happy and welcoming surroundings.

Having specifically designated days to be held as open to the public for walk in tours is also another effective marketing strategy as the interested parties will be able to get first hand information thus making their own informed decisions as to the merits of the establishment.

Having pictures of past activities and happy children put up all around the centre will also help to convince the visitors of the positive elements evident through the happy pictures.

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Wrapping Up

Quality control is also another important factor that both parents and government agencies will be concerned about.

The style in which the center adopts, the quality of food prepared and served, the general comfortable conditions provided for the children’s area are all items that will be given close scrutiny.

Ideally the centre should be able to depict similar qualities of a home environment if not better conditions, in order to entice the prospective parent to signing on the kids at the childcare centre.

Government endorsements will also only be given if the various standards laid out by law are adequately adopted and met.

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