illinois CHILD CARE - CCRS

1 CHILD care illinoisa guide for family home providersIllinois Department of Human ServicesUSDA Rural Development IllinoisChild care Resource Service University of IllinoisIllinois Network of CHILD care Resource and Referral Agenciesan IDHS - INCCRRA projectAcknowledgmentsThis publication outlines the steps necessary for starting a CHILD carebusiness in your home, and includes a variety of agency and organiza-tional contacts who can provide assistance throughout this CHILD care : A family Home Provider Guide is part of theIllinois CHILD care series. It was funded by the illinois Department ofHuman Services and produced under the guidance of USDA RuralDevelopment- illinois and CHILD care Resource Service at the Univer-sity of illinois by Anna Barnes Communications.

2 Additional assis-tance was provided by the members of the illinois CHILD care TaskForce:Central illinois Economic Development CorporationIllinois Chamber of CommerceIllinois Department of Children and family ServicesIllinois Department of Commerce and Community AffairsIllinois Network of CHILD care Resource and Referral AgenciesIllinois Office of the State TreasurerIllinois Easter Seals SocietyInclusive Environments For Children, PartnersUniversity of illinois ExtensionSpecial thanks to Lesia Oesterreich and Iowa State UniversityExtension for permission to use CHILD care : Financial Basics(PM-1751) as a template for a portion of this publications in the illinois CHILD care series include: illinois CHILD care : Developing Center-Based ProgramsIllinois CHILD care : Developing Community ProgramsIllinois CHILD care : Options for EmployersTo obtain printed copies of these publications, callyour local CHILD care Resource and Referral page 20 to locate the agency nearest copies are available online at: illinois CHILD care .

3 A Guide for family Home ProvidersCopyright 2001 illinois Department of Human Services and illinois Network ofChild care Resource and Referral Agencies. This publication may be freelydistributed in its entirety for educational purposes only. Uses necessitatingexcerpting or adapting must be approved by the illinois Department of HumanServices at (312) 793-3610. Use of this publication or the material containedherein for sale, trade, or other commercial purpose is Needs YouBefore You BeginAre You the Right Person for the Job?Prepare for BusinessSteps to Opening a family Home CHILD care Business: A Time LineEvaluate Your Local CHILD care MarketObtain and Review Licensing and Other RegulationsPlan Your family CHILD care BusinessCreate a BudgetEstimate ExpensesEstimate IncomeAnalyze Your BudgetDo You Need to Adjust Your Budget?

4 Prepare Your Home for BusinessCreate Your ContractPlan Your Meal ProgramGet Licensed and InspectedInterview ParentsSet Up a Record Keeping SystemTake All Your Tax Deductions: Some TipsConclusionResource DirectoryChild care TermsChild care Resource and Referral Agency Directory for IllinoisIllinois Small Business Development Center DirectoryAdditional Technical AssistanceUSDA/Rural Development - illinois Offices DirectoryIllinois Department of Children and family Services Licensing DirectorySample BudgetCost WorksheetTime-Space Percentage WorksheetUniversity of illinois County Extension Office DirectoryReferences1 Contents14151516161617171118192023252830 32333435 illinois CHILD care .

5 A Guide for family Home Providers ii3445678111414391 illinois CHILD care : A Guide for family Home ProvidersIf you re thinking you d like to become a family home CHILD care provider, there s no doubt thatIllinois needs you. By 2005, there will be 858,000 children under the age of 4 in illinois , and children ages 5 to 17, according to United States Census projections. However, peopleproviding care for these children will be in short General Accounting Office (GAO) has estimated that by 2002, the known supply of childcare for Chicago will meet only 12 percent of the estimated demand for infant care , and less in thecity s poorest neighborhoods.

6 The GAO saw the availability of quality care , cost of care , avail-ability of nonstandard-hour care , and transportation as serious issues that needed to be , in a city of millions with one of the best mass transit systems in the rural parents, the situation is not much better. It isn t a matter of whether infant or eveningcare is nearby; it s a matter of whether these services exist at all, say United States Department ofAgriculture Rural Development coordinators. Rural parents also are finding it more difficult toafford quality CHILD care . According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, rural residentstypically earn over one third less than residents of urban areas.

7 Because most new jobs in ruralareas are in lower-paying service industries, the number of rural residents below the poverty lineis increasing. In order to attract higher-paying industries, communities will have to have amplesupplies of quality CHILD care or find themselves out of the a family CHILD care business in your home can be both exciting and intimidating. Thismanual can help you decide whether becoming a family home CHILD care provider is the rightchoice for you. It can provide you with basic information for planning and running a CHILD carebusiness, and tell you where to find additional help and information to get your business off to agood You BeginLicensed, license-exempt, infant care , school-age care , sick- CHILD care , full-time care , part-timecare what does it all mean?

8 The list of CHILD care terms on page 19 explains what s what. The Resource Directory, which begins on page 18 and is referenced throughout this publication,includes contact information for agencies, organizations, publications, and programs that canhelp you get your CHILD care business off to a good start and keep it running smoothly. Addi-tional Technical Assistance (page 25) also features professional training resources and scholar-ship information that can assist you in providing high quality CHILD You the Right Person for the Job?As anyone who s done it knows, planning and running a family home CHILD care business takes agreat deal of time and energy.

9 Because of this, it s important that you look at your motivations,personality, skills, and experience to determine whether CHILD care is the right job for you. Thefollowing surveys can help you do this. Be objective your future career happiness depends onthe honesty of your SurveyWhy do you want to become a family home CHILD care provider? What s driving your decision?Ask yourself the following questions, checking all the answers that Needs YouIllinois CHILD care : A Guide for family Home Providers 2 You want to stay home with your CHILD or childrenYou desire freedom from the 9 to 5 routineYou want to be your own bossYou want to improve your standard of livingYou are bored with your present jobYou can t find a job you likeThere is a demand for your serviceOwning your own business would fulfill your hopes and plansOwning your own business is something you ve always wanted todoMotivational SurveySome reasons are better than others; but, none are wrong.

10 Just remember that there are tradeoffs:You can escape a 9 to 5 routine, however you may replace it with a 6 to 7 extra hours can be well worth it if you also want to spend more time with your own Characteristics SurveyYou ll need certain personal characteristics (traits, skills, resources) to go into business. Thissurvey will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses. Write Y for yes and N for health is am a am a good problem get along well with can be happy without a high usually take initiative and can work without ability to handle emergencies is financial assets are sufficient for at least one have good organizational and record keeping am comfortable with other children around my family s have business am generally warm, affectionate, and enjoy working with children most of the time and have hadpositive experiences doing am able to guide and discipline children kindly and accept children as they are.