militarymoms

 Finding good child care is hard.  Really hard.  When my daughter was a baby, I went through five daycare providers in one year.  Two quit - one for health reasons, the other to work at a higher-paying job - and I dumped two because they were, sadly, totally incompetent.  One left a toddler eating lunch alone in a high chair while she went upstairs to look after the other daycare kids (!).

After the toddler-in-high-chair incident (that was provider #3), I started looking for new child care.  That’s when I discovered the Navy’s Child Development Homes program.  (The Air Force and Army call it Family Child Care Homes.)  I was immediately impressed, because the CDH folks really tried to help me find child care quickly.  I loved my new provider, and she took great care of my baby.  Sadly, she became ill and had to quit, so back I went to the CDH office.  They connected me with another local CDH provider, and she ended up looking after my daughter until we moved a year later.

That’s when I became a CDH provider myself.  Now, Maryland has very strict child care licensing regulations, but once you’re licensed, they leave you alone.  I loved the Navy’s CDH program because I received training - even more than the state required, and all useful - equipment (cots, strollers, toys and more) and, most importantly, ongoing training and support.  Our director was wonderful and really helped when I ran into problem situations or didn’t know quite how to talk about my concerns with my daycare parents.

Yes, being a child care provider is hard work.  No, you don’t make tons of money.  For me, though, the benefits outweighed those drawbacks.  I was able to be home with my own children, and I was my own boss.  I earned enough to help our family, and I received valuable training (even tax training!) that has helped me be a better parent and home educator.

If you’re a parent looking for child care, consider a FCC or CDH home.  Your provider will be well-trained and her home will be inspected regularly.  And, if you’re thinking of staying home with your own children but also want to earn some money, consider starting your own home child care business.

To find out more, contact your local FCC or CDH office. (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard)

Photo © Malinda Welte

Trackback URI | Comments RSS