Working at home is one of today’s hottest trends. For stay-at-home moms opening a daycare can be a great source of extra income. Of course, there are a few things that need to be done before the big bucks start rolling in. As an elementary education teacher and a feature daycare owner I can help ensure you are ready to get your daycare up and running.

Investigate state laws and regulations

This is important because each state has specific laws and regulations regarding at-home daycare. To research these you can contact the Department of Family or Social Services for your state or look them up online. If you are checking things out online you will inevitably have to sift through all of the legal terms to find what you are looking for. The bottom line is that it depending on the type of daycare facility you are offering which laws and regulations will apply to you. Most states have two basic categories, home-based or center-based.

Decide on an age group

So, you have finished the legal work. One thing that you noticed is that you need to decide on the age of the children you want to keep. If you are offering daycare services only the children’s age will matter only for following state law, and maybe your sanity. If you are offering daycare as well as an educational environment deciding on an age group is very important. For educational purposes the children you keep should be about the same age. This will help when establishing schedules, activities, and play areas. It will also prove to make the children happier and your life a little easier.