[September 12, 2011] Diving into day care Tweet Sep 12, 2011 (The Buffalo News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- In four months, Jennielynn Smith went from a dead-end food service position to running her own business. She's quadrupled her earning potential and has more time with her children. Just two months ago, Shannon Zarbo was feeling unfulfilled as an administrator. Now she's an entrepreneur, enjoying newfound financial freedom and the joys of being a stay-at-home mom. The secret to their career makeovers? Home-based child care. In Erie County, training and state registration costs $260, but add in required expenses, like CPR classes and background clearances, and anticipated costs to get your home fit for child care and insurance, and start-up costs can easily top $1,000. But with training fees, rebates and other grants, Smith and Zarbo found their job switches to be affordable. "I feel free and happy doing what I do now," said Smith, who started Jennie's Brighter Future Daycare in March. "It's so ideal. I'm doing work I love, and I can take care of my kids without sending them somewhere else." The profession is not just a good match for parents wishing to raise their children full time. With its relatively quick training and registration process, laid-off workers and those in between jobs can stay economically afloat by becoming child care providers. As registered family child care providers, Smith and Zarbo are essentially at the helm of microenterprises. Operating at legal full capacity of eight children, they can earn at least $1,200 a week, with at least one shift, according to Erie County fair market rates. Rates range from $150 for a child age 6 to 12 to$170 for a child younger than 18 months. "It's a tremendous employment opportunity that's honorable in so many ways," said Susan E. Block, executive director of the Child Care Resource Network in Buffalo. "And with all the resources available, being a child care provider doesn't only make good social sense but good business sense." Block said the career provides an avalanche of benefits, starting with economic empowerment for providers whose service allows other families to hold their jobs. And as a home-based business, it can also yield tax write-offs. A popular belief is you can only run a day care out of a home you own. Not so, said Amanda Kelkenberg, director of child care registration at the resource network. Apartment renters can also start child care businesses with support of their landlords, she said. Individuals who are nurturing and patient are better suited for the profession. The vast majority of childcare providers tend to be women because men aren't socialized to fill those roles, Block said. While you can become a childcare provider in three to six months, the application process is involved. You have to be at least 18 years old and undergo a health exam. Fingerprinting and background searches are required for yourself and anyone 18 or older who resides in your home. Home inspection by the state Office of Children and Family Services and a fire safety inspection must be done. A mandatory health and safety training course is required, as well as first aid and infant/child CPR instruction. State regulations mandate 30 hours of training for all child care providers over a two-year period, covering nine areas that include nutrition and health needs; safety and security procedures; identification and prevention of shaken-baby syndrome; and business records maintenance. The first 15 hours of training is required during the first six months of registration, and the health and safety training can be applied toward those hours. For new providers, registration expires after their second year, but every four years after that. There are four home inspections, announced and unannounced, during the year. The state Office of Children and Family Services oversees the registration and licensing and operates regional offices, called Child Care Resource and Referrals, that are child care hubs, offering parents referrals and aiding individuals pursuing a child-care career by providing information on starting a business, technical and financial assistance, training and step-by-step guidance through the application process. The Child Care Resource Network on Hertel Avenue in Buffalo and the Community Child Care Clearinghouse of Niagara in Niagara Falls are two of the area's agencies that assist prospective and current child care providers in obtaining and maintaining licenses and registrations. In addition to their ongoing training workshops that cover the nine required training areas, they also offer guidance through the home-inspection process and, if necessary, assist providers in ensuring that their homes are in compliance. Zarbo and Smith were registered, got the required health and safety training and received $235 rebates for the $260 workshop with help from the Child Care Resource Network. "They have been absolutely wonderful," said Zarbo, who started Little Earthlings in Buffalo in May. "Any question I had about anything, somebody there could help me." At $150 for the health and safety workshop, Niagara County's training costs are among the lowest in the state. For income-eligible applicants --and the majority are eligible--the $150 is covered upfront by a grant. "Nothing comes out of pocket as long as they are eligible," said Angela Burns, director of the clearinghouse. "We pay for it for them." Most prospective providers with higher incomes also dodge the fee by being willing to either serve low-income children, infants or offer non-traditional hours, she said. Residents from other counties, who aren't eligible for rebates, can take advantage of Niagara County's $150 fee. There are different types of providers-- day care centers, family care, group family care and school-age care. But like Smith and Zarbo, most people begin their foray into the profession as registered family or group family care providers. Family care providers can take up to eight children, including their own, in a mix of infants and toddlers during the day, and elementary school-age children after school. The resource network pegs the start-up costs of opening a family child care program at $675, including anticipated expenses, like home repairs, materials/equipment and CPR classes. But Zarbo, who had to make repairs for her home to be compliant, said "it cost me nothing. I had to make minor changes for the home inspection but I got a grant to pay for that. And I got grant money to buy mats for the kids, smoke detectors and changing tables." However, Smith did pay $800 out-of- pocket to widen a window. But grants are available to income- eligible providers, and most tend to qualify for the assistance, to purchase state-mandated supplies and items to run their day care centers. Carbon-monoxide detectors, safety outlets, strollers, paint and cribs are among the essentials. While the state doesn't require insurance for family care providers, Smith bought a policy for $500, just to be on the safe side. In-home child care insurance policies cover providers, staff and children for medical expenses and accidental death, and can include coverage for legal defense child abuse claims. "Without insurance, they have no protection," Kelkenberg said. "If something happens, they could lose their house. Any good business owner would want to protect against the worst case scenario." Market research is advised to determine which areas are overly saturated with providers and which are underserved, said Kelkenberg. Currently the lower West Side lacks enough providers for its burgeoning immigrant community. And since there are few 24-hour day care centers, there's a fertile market for providers willing to offer non-traditional hours for parents who work weekends and third shifts, she added. Rates aren't regulated, but Kelkenberg advises sticking with your county's fair market rate to be competitive. Family care programs go under when providers don't adhere to the regulations, like keeping proper documentation and records and administering fire drills. To be successful, Kelkenberg said providers should view and treat their program like the business it is. "They sometimes forget it's a business, especially when it comes to marketing and building enrollment," she said. Smith has six youngsters and Zarbo has four kids enrolled, including their own children. "Everybody thinks it's easy; you get registered and you automatically have kids," Smith said. "It's not that easy." But the women have turned to Craigslist to boost their numbers with good results. They'll double their enrollment by fall. [email protected] ___ (c)2011 The Buffalo News (Buffalo, N.Y.) Visit The Buffalo News (Buffalo, N.Y.) at www.buffalonews.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]