It is very important to stay organized when you open an in home daycare. The best way to stay organized is to have a checklist. I would make a checklist of everything you have to have to open, things to eventually purchase to stay open, and things that you can hold off for a little bit before opening. This way you are not overwhelmed and spending a lot of money right off the bat. I will give you some examples of items that I bought to open and will eventually down the road get to run my in home daycare. Don’t get yourself into debt before you even start. You don’t have to have everything to start out. I over thought it and was buying things new left and right. Boy did I wish I had someone to tell me, “NO! Don’t do that!!!”

What Do I Need To Open My Home Daycare?

• Cots, Pack & Play/Crib, or Mat – If you plan to have kids at your home all day and they are in that age range that still need a nap, you will want to make sure you have something for them to sleep on. I found Facebook Marketplace to be a great place to shop for gently used items. This way you are not spending an arm and a leg on new items. If you want new items, then shop around. Search the internet and find the best deals. I found some awesome cots that came with a sheet for under $40 a piece. I will link the item here . If you are not wanting to spend money for this item, you can ask the parents to provide one. It just sets you apart from another provider.
• Liability Insurance – You will want to check with your current home or renters insurance company and see if they cover a daycare in your home. It is possible you will have to cancel your current policy and get a new one. I had to do this. The company I went through didn’t cover more than 3 children at one time. I had to call around and find a company that would work with me. Also get quotes. Don’t go with the first one that will cover you because there might be other ones out there that are cheaper or a better value.
• Trainings – You will have to have the basic trainings to start. They aren’t terribly expensive, but it is an expense you weren’t planning to spend. The ones I needed here in Ohio was: CPR & Child First Aid, Child Abuse, and Communicable Disease. They each were around $50-$60 each. I had some other trainings to do, but they were free on the county’s website. Check with your local state’s guidelines to find out what you will need.
• Toys/Books – Don’t think you have to have BRAND NEW of everything. Ask for donations on your local neighborhood Facebook group or friends that may want to clean their house out. It is also important that you keep receipts and an excel spreadsheet of what you buy. That way when you do taxes you can write the expenses off at the end of the year. Just get a few different things and containers (which you can get some of the dollar store) to store them in. I am constantly looking for deals when I am out and about. Clearance shopping is your friend!
• Child Safety – You will want BABY PROOF your house. Get cabinet locks for down low, outlet covers, cover any wires, door knobs, etc. It makes your life easier through out the day knowing that everything is child proof. I wasn’t required to buy a gate for my stairs, but I didn’t want a child to climb them and fall down. Any time you can prevent a liability from happening that is the best thing.

What You Should Buy Once You Are Up And Running

Once you have become established and you have kids enrolled, now you have a little bit of spending money to replenish some items or buy new. I set a budget of what I can spend monthly (or weekly if you choose). My activities are planned for the whole month so I know what things I may need to buy a head of time. I bought paint the month before and realized I didn’t have brown paint for our “muddy pig” activity this month. So, I need to go ahead and get a thing of brown paint. The nice thing about an item like this is you have control over how much is used so you may go a long time before you order it again. Here are some things that you should buy and continue to replenish:

• Paper (Construction paper, printer paper)
• Markers or crayons (kids are rough on these and lose caps or break the crayons)
• Replenish toys or buy more of an item (wear and tear is a real thing and happens a lot)
• Maybe do a fun activity that requires special material (example: Mother’s Day gift or Christmas gift)
• Outdoor Equipment (start off with balls, jump ropes, etc. Stuff that doesn’t cost a lot and then save up for an outdoor house or playset for them to have. Make sure to check licensing guidelines for these items).

There is probably some things I forget about or maybe that I don’t provide that you will want to. Just make a checklist of everything you find important or want to implement into your program. Star the ones that are most important to be able to open. Give yourself time to open. It isn’t going to happen next week. It may take you a month or two to get it where you are comfortable and ready to open.

If you have questions in regards budgeting, head over to my breakdown of how I budget here