It’s been quite some time since my last post. I apologize for my absence! Many changes have happened since I last published.
My maternity leave came to an end as my youngest son turned one (how?? How is he one already??) and it came time for me to decide what direction I’d like to go. I quit my job (with a bit of hesitation because I LOVED my job as a marketing coordinator). I desperately want to be home with my children. I want to be the one to raise them, not someone else. The only way to do this was to open a home daycare!
My husband and I have been renovating our basement for months now (which needed to be done desperately), and we have transitioned it to be a dedicated play space for the daycare. We removed the old, dingy carpet and lay down beautiful new laminate. We extended our laundry room so that we would have a bit more storage space available, installed new doors to the laundry room, bathroom and we turned the basement den into a man-cave for my husband. We are incredibly proud of the transformation.
This is a starting point for us. I will be constantly adding new toys, reorganising the space to create designated sections for reading, physical play, pretend play, etc. And yes, that black wall at the end is a full chalkboard wall! This was my pride and joy, my brilliant plan. Every daycare has an art section but who doesn’t love being able to draw on walls? There will be tables added here with additional arts and crafts supplies later on as well.
Starting a home daycare is a lot more involved than I would have thought. It all seems like common sense when you get going, but everything takes careful thought and a lot of work to produce. You need to think about safety first-and-foremost, creating schedules, healthy meal plans, learning opportunities and ensuring there’s also plenty of time for independent play.
My mission for this daycare is to provide the same level of care that I would expect my children to receive in a centre. I want to ensure that daycare is not only fun and comfortable and safe space for these kids, but I want to make sure that they are learning and growing as cute, tiny little humans.
At this point in time, I am unlicensed, though I am going through the process to become licensed. This #1 is more comforting to parents to know that there are strict regulations in play, it provides me with a lot of guidance as a provider, and I can take a couple more children in as a licensed provider. I will be implementing every single “best practice” as outlined in the manual because the bare minimum is simply not acceptable to me.
I am currently providing care to two children on top of my own: an almost 3-year-old boy and a 14-month-old boy. They are wonderful, beautiful children. They are the same ages as my own so it’s fabulous that mine each have a friend in the same developmental stage.
This is going to be an incredible journey. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be home with my boys, and I am so excited to see how the daycare grows and develops.
And of course, I will be integrating my bullet journal into my business! Stay tuned.
Life As a Rye 