Be a day care provider in your own home! - post

Do you want to start a new career as a day care provider in your own home? Earn your certification at ChildCareEd!

 If you have small children of your own and want the opportunity to be home with them, consider establishing a licensed family child care home. ChildCareEd offers a targeted pre-service pathway and credentialing supports to prepare you for safe, developmentally appropriate care: enroll in our 24 Hour Family Child Care Pre-Service Training (MD) Buy Now $299.00 to meet initial registration outcomes, or pursue deeper coursework with the CDA Family Child Care Credential Buy Now $500.00$400.00 to build professional practice. The sections below answer the practical questions providers ask when launching and running a home-based program.

Ask yourself: Am I ready to start a family child care business?

Below are core readiness questions to evaluate whether running care in your home is the right fit for you and your family:

1. Do I enjoy working with children and commit to ongoing professional learning?
2. Am I competent in child development principles or willing to complete approved coursework such as the 45 Hour Child Growth and Development Buy Now $399.00 course?
3. Can I set boundaries around work hours and child supervision while balancing my own family needs?
4. Am I prepared to manage the business elements (licensing, recordkeeping, contracts, insurance) of a competitive home program?
5. If currently employed, can I absorb initial income fluctuation while enrollment builds?

What training and certifications must I complete before I open?

State licensing typically requires a set of pre-service trainings and certifications. Minimum commonly required elements include:

• Approved pre-service clock hours (e.g., 24 clock hours for family child care registration in many jurisdictions). See our 24-hour pre-service Buy Now $299.00 for Maryland providers.
• Skills-based CPR and Pediatric First Aid certification appropriate to the ages in your program.
• SIDS/safe-sleep training for anyone caring for infants under 2 years.
• Medication administration training where providers administer medication; ChildCareEd offers a 6 Hour Medication Administration Training (MAT) Buy Now $89.00.
• Background checks, fingerprinting, and immunization or TB-clearance requirements as set by your licensing agency.

These items are described in more detail in the state licensing guidance for your jurisdiction (for Maryland: the MSDE family child care page linked later in the article). Always confirm approval with your regional licensing office before enrolling in a course so the training satisfies registration requirements.

How do I prepare my home to meet safety and regulatory standards?

Practical, actionable steps to align your home with licensing expectations:

• Create a dedicated, child-accessible learning space and a separate sleep/rest area that meets safe-sleep and supervision rules.
• Install and maintain functioning smoke and carbon monoxide detectors; develop and post an emergency evacuation plan.
• Maintain accurate child records (enrollment forms, emergency contacts, immunizations, medication logs, incident records) and retain them per licensing timelines.
• Ensure appropriate child: adult ratios by age and post your daily attendance; plan for substitute care and sick-child policies.
• Procure liability insurance and review coverage for home-based care; consult small-business and tax advisors about recordkeeping and deductions.

For state-specific steps, review guidance such as In-Home Daycare Requirements in Maryland and articles about opening in other states (see links below).

How do I design curriculum, routines, and assessment for children of different ages?

A high-quality family child care program uses intentional routines and developmentally appropriate experiences. Key practices include: For detailed, age-specific curriculum strategies that promote holistic development and engage young learners through play, see Tiny Tots, Big Learning: crafting curriculums for the littlest learners.

• Use a predictable daily schedule with blocks for arrival and small-group exploration, outdoor gross-motor time, nutrition and diapering/toileting routines, and rest for infants/toddlers.
• Plan age-differentiated learning experiences: sensory and attachment-focused activities for infants, language-rich play and guided social routines for toddlers, and emergent literacy/play-based curriculum for preschoolers. Consider the 45 Hour Preschool Methods and Materials Buy Now $399.00 course for curriculum design.
• Embed inclusive strategies and accommodations for children with special needs and culturally responsive practices for dual language learners.
• Use informal observational assessment and portfolio artifacts (photos, work samples, notes) to communicate child progress to families.

How should I run the business side: enrollment, policies, and family partnerships?

Concrete administrative steps that protect your program and build enrollment:

• Write a simple business plan and set competitive fees. Include hours, late pickup fees, holidays, and vacation policies in your parent contract.
• Create a clear enrollment packet with emergency authorization, release forms, and consent for medication when needed.
• Develop family communication routines (daily sheets, weekly newsletters, parent-teacher meetings) and an intake process that welcomes transitions and shares your program philosophy.
• Advertise locally and online; ask for parent referrals, create clear signage at pickup/drop-off, and maintain a professional presence on listing sites.

Summary: What steps should I take this month to move forward?

1) Verify your state or local licensing requirements. 2) Enroll in required pre-service training and obtain CPR/First Aid. 3) Draft basic policies and an emergency plan. 4) Prepare your space and materials aligned with developmental stages. 5) Launch a simple marketing plan. If you want an organized training pathway, consider ChildCareEd's 24-hour pre-service and CDA options mentioned above, or the 45-hour growth-and-development course to deepen your practice.

Next reading and resources (ChildCareEd articles): In-Home Daycare Requirements in Maryland; How to Open a Home Daycare in Texas; How to Get an ECE Certificate in Virginia; In-Home Daycare Requirements in Wisconsin; What do I need to know to provide child care in New York?; What are training bundles in Pennsylvania and how do they help child care providers?

For licensing approval links and state guidance, see the Maryland MSDE page referenced below. For questions about course selection, contact ChildCareEd at 1(833)283-2241.

#familychildcare #CDA #preservice #CPR #childdevelopment

1. Do I enjoy working with children?
2. Am I knowledgeable about child development or willing to take classes about child development?
3. Would I like to be able to set my own hours and/or wages?
4. Am I interested in running a competitive business in my own home?
5. (If you are currently employed) Can I afford to lose income and/or benefits while my business grows?

If you answered "yes" to all of these questions, then you may be a good candidate for a career in family child care. 

Complete Pre-Service Training
You will need to complete a minimum of 24 clock hours of approved training in a topic or combination of topics related to child development (i.e., the "ages and stages' of children's developmental needs), program curriculum (i.e., planning and conducting program activities), child health and safety (i.e., childhood illnesses, child nutrition, fire safety, etc.), the care of children with disabilities, or provider professionalism (i.e., running a child care business, provider-parent relations, etc.). In addition, you must obtain skills-based CPR and First Aid Certification suitable for the child age-ranges that you wish to provide care for. If you plan to provide care to children younger than 2 years old, you will also have to complete SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) training. To be acceptable for family child care registration purposes, pre-service training courses must first be approved by OCC. So before you sign up for a course, check with the regional licensing office to make sure the course has been approved.   

ChildCareEd provides the 24 clock hours and all required trainings needed to pursue your dream. To learn more about what it takes to become a day care provider in your home, go to: https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/child-care-providers/family-child-care-providers.

For any questions, please call the office at 1(833)283-2241.