Learning ins and outs of at-home day care
Running an at-home day care involves a lot more than welcoming children into a living room strewn with toys.
For one, anyone in Illinois who provides care for four or more children needs to be licensed by the Department of Children and Family Services.
And while obtaining a state license is not too complicated, running a sound business that offers professional day care requires training and expertise, said Grayslake resident Zoe Dones.
After briefly working for a preschool in the mid-1990s and deciding its administrative methods weren't for her, Dones ran a licensed at-home day care for seven years.
But it was only after she graduated in 2005 from the Protege program offered by the YWCA Lake County that Dones became confident she was properly caring for children and fostering their development.
"I learned how to run a business and keep accountability, how to deal with parents and especially I learned a lot about early childhood, which is the foundation," she said. "I learned so much."
The six-month program is offered twice a year, alternately in English and Spanish. The next English-language course starts with an orientation session Tuesday and space is still available, said YWCA Director of Training and Education Lila Jimenez.
The goal of the course is to teach participants how to provide high-quality childcare while fostering their business acumen.
"This helps the family and it helps the woman, especially her self-esteem," she said. "The women leave with great desire to continue developing."
The six-month program prepares participants to obtain a child development associate or CDA license, which allows them to care for up to 16 children with two assistants. Trainers are invited weekly to give presentations about early childhood development, parental involvement, child sexual abuse, nutrition and other topics.
Now armed with her CDA, Dones runs her day care out of her home's basement from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. five days a week.
"It can be a very stressful job, but if you learn how to do it, and how to cope with the different issues, it's fine," she said.
The Protégé program taught her to engage children in age-appropriate, sensory-stimulating activities, such as having infants pull scarves out of paper towel rolls, or letting toddlers mess around with apple sauce mixed with food coloring, Donis said. She also learned to set up her day care area so that art projects are done in one corner, and quiet reading in another.
Only two men, out of about 350 graduates, have taken the program in the last six years, Jimenez said. "We are definitely focused on empowering the woman, but men can come, too," she said. "There are more and more families where not only women are caregivers, but the husbands and children, too."
In addition to state license requirements, municipalities may have their own regulations regarding at-home day care, Jimenez said.
How to enroll
What: Protege program
When: Tuesday through May 31 in English, and June 10 through December in Spanish
Where: YWCA Lake County, 2133 Belvidere Road, Waukegan
Cost: Free
Info: (847) 662-4247 ext. 131