So I have been looking into becoming a stay at home mom. Nothing official yet, mostly because my current job has INCREDIBLE insurance benefits and pays pretty well for being in Louisiana with no college degree. But I am weighing the options of paying more for the insurance through Mike's company and then saving on the money for childcare. Plus I am really against having to put our child into full-time daycare before the age of two. I do want the social interactions, I plan on taking breaks to go out with hubby and do my own thing before then, but honestly if I can be at home for at most of the time for the first two years, I think it is best. Even if I worked part time.
So as most of you know, I used to teach at a Montessori preschool for 5 years before moving to Louisiana. I did after-school during my senior year in high school, then as soon as I graduated I took the Montessori training, and did a full time internship for the next two years. Then I had my own classroom for two years (well, a year and a half, actually- my room was still under construction for the first half of that year, my classroom opened I want to say February?) I absolutely loved teaching, especially the age group. I worked with a classroom of mixed ages 2.5-6. I don't know if I truly knew it was my calling until I stopped doing it. I have been thinking about it ever since. First I shied away from it because I didn't want another full time job, and was worried about taking a part time job as an assistant. Then my excuse was pay- I was making about $15/hr by the time I left WA. I would be lucky to make anything more than minimum wage in LA at any childcare facility. My lastest excuse (aside from pay and benefits) is that I am worried because it would be so different down here that what I am used to back home. I was in a high income, high class neighborhood where people paid approx. $800-$1200/mo for full time childcare, mom and dad worked for Microsoft kind of a thing. Not to mention the Montessori aspect is just plain different- in the South, there are a lot of public Montessori schools, for grades higher than preschool, and it just seems so very different. Honestly I was (and still am) intimidated by it, afraid I would get a job there and hate it.
So this brings me to what my "5 year plan" is.... I am hoping that I can figure out a way to stay at home with my baby, and maybe watch other peoples kids too as a source of income. Nothing huge- I know full time childcare down here tends to run about $4-500/mo, and I can't see myself charging that.
My concerns are few, but important. First, licensing. I called the Division of Early Childhood Development for Louisiana today- the info I have found online says they are in charge of licensing. I asked what do I do to get a license- they said for 6 kids or less in a home, no license is required. I was like, is that it? Yep. Ok then... that seems simple enough.... yet it feels like it complicates things. Nobody is going to make sure that I have a suitable home to watch children in it? I guess that's ok with me- I wasn't planning on advertising to watch strangers' kids, I was going to stick with friends and referrals.
Next question I have is insurance. Do I just get insurance through my homeowners? Are they even going to let me? We have an FHA loan, which is the kind of loan that allows to you put most of your loan into one- rather than say two loans, 20% and 80%, we have like a 97% loan or something like that. Because it is so much in one loan, they are very particular about what the home is being used for- they were very specific in letting us know that we had to live here for one- it's not a renter's policy, and they would drop us if we were to use it as one. So now I am nervous to find out about in home daycare as an add on. But I think it will be as simple as calling as asking... I am just not sure what to do if they say no way.
Last thing is money- Is it just as simple as setting aside a certain percentage towards taxes at the end of the year? Do I need some sort of a business license? How does that all work out?
These are just my ramblings as I prepare for the next chapter in life. Any thoughts or comments would be greatly appreciated.
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