Family Daycare Books

Very informative. Really needed the sample forms.

I ran a daycare myself for several years and thought I had everything I needed to be a great daycare provider. After reading this book,I realized I had a lot more to learn. Cyndi Beauchemin covers absolutely everything from soup to nuts. After searching for good daycare information, I don't need to look any further.Anyone who cares a great deal for children, and wants to provide the best for them ,needs this book. From Child Abuse Hotlines to Daycare Forms, it's all here. You will use this daily to provide the best daycare you can AND YOU WILL BE SUCCESSFUL.

This workbook is an outstanding resource for anyone thinking of starting a Home Day Care! It would also be a valuable book to have if you are already doing Home Day Care. The book asks dozens of questions you may not have even thought of needing to be answered. It contains sample forms, contracts and schedules. It will answer so many questions and help you avoid so many pitfalls that I can't imagine starting or running a Home Day Care without this workbook. I highly recommend it! Cyndi knows of what she speaks and it shows.

This book has every piece of paper you could imagine would be necessary for running a day care.

As an author myself ("I Killed A Bunch of Folks"--a fine book but a slightly different genre) I can appreciate the amazing attention to detail Ms. Beauchemin has put into her work. She's thought through it all, and has really made my wife look like a professional in her day care business.

This book is absolutely excellent!
I think if you were to choose a reference to start your business, this is the one to choose. It has every aspect of childcare that you could hope to have to start your business.
Take a look at the info you get in this book for yourself. I don't think you will regret it.

As a professional in the childcare industry, it was quite refreshing for me to see such a valuable resource being made available to childcare providers. I have researched all of the various recordkeeping products that are available on the market , and I found that the The Home Daycare Complete Recordkeeping System is hands down the best resource currently available! The author of this book has obviously taken alot of time to explain practices and procedures in a manor that is professional as well as educational.

In my professional opinion, The Home Daycare Complete Recordkeeping System is a must have reference book for all childcare providers!

When you're in business, you don't have time to think about high level concepts -- you just want to know how to get things done. Thompson does an excellent job of giving you the information you need in a format that's easy to follow. I'd recommend this book to anyone who owns a daycare business -- Thompson is thorough in her examples and showed me several areas where I was missing potential deductions. This is a great book for daycare business owners!

This is a must have for anyone in the Home Daycare business. It is easy to follow and has saved me thousands of dollars over the past three tax years.

The Home Daycare Complete Recordkeeping System is chocked full of detailed information (w/examples!) and is a reference tool I continue to use. Every business needs a recordkeeping system and if you are in the DAYCARE business-this book is a must-have for your reference library.

I love this book. It's very detailed and doesn't let you forget a thing about the business of childcare. Keep every dime you earn!! I don't think you will regret the investment.
Try it!

Really great ideas in this book for fun creative play. Some of the supplies mentioned are a little dated, but just reading it helps spark new ideas for things to do! I like that it helps me find ways to recycle things around the house--constant supply of new and interesting free toys!

We purchased this book to get ideas for fun and educational things to do with our 2 year old twins. In addition to finding a number of activities to engage our children, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the first few chapters of the book covered developmental and behavioral issues. The book is well organized into categories of play that reflect the natural interests of a toddler. The author is educated in child development and seems to have deep experience with the ins and outs of toddler play. Great book.

I wish I could give this book six stars instead of five! I have a 22-month-old daughter and wanted to find new, creative ways to interact with her while also teaching her important skills. I discovered this book while browsing on Amazon one day and was thrilled at the various, numerous ideas it offers! Best of all, you don't have to buy special materials to do most of these activities; they require simple objects you probably already have in your home. For instance, Miller provides recipes for homemade fingerpaint, shares instructions on how to make shape-matching games, and tells how to create a picture file to expand a child's understanding of categories. This book is a must-read for parents who want to stimulate their toddler's mind!

If you are one of those parents (like me) who is tired of buying expensive plastic toys that require batteries and teach a single "skill", this book is for you. The author has a lot of excellent ideas of how to promote creativity and learning in your toddler with activities that employ simple, household items (like paper towel rolls) and inexpensive, basic toys (like balls and sand pails). Studies have shown that children learn better from these types of activities (where they are active) than the flashing, beeping toys (where they mostly watch and press buttons) and I love the idea of using simple items that are not bad for the environment as toys. We have had a lot of fun trying these out with our toddler, although, of course, not all of the activities are appropriate for all ages. On that note-- my only warning is that some of the activities use small pieces or items dangerous to a very young toddler, so parents will have to use common sense.

I found this gem at the library, now I'm going to buy a copy for myself! There are so many great ideas in here! I've read other books on the subject but haven't been very impressed. These ideas are practical, inexpensive, and clever. It includes recipes for things like playdough, and instructions for making your own affordable alternatives. Karen Miller had spent over twenty years in the business when this was written and it really shows in this wonderful, thoughtful book.

I highly reccomend reading the Granny Nanny, for grandparents taking care of children, individuals who use their parents for taking care of their children, anyone who has children that are cared for by others, and anyone who cares for young children. This down-to-earth, easy to read book is full of tips and pointers for anyone caring for children. It is well-researched and full of great advice that can make child care a safer, easier task for all involved.

The Granny-Nanny: A Guide For Parents & Grandparents Who Share Child Care by Lee Edwards Benning (himself a real life granny-nanny) is a wonderfully informative, thoroughly "user friendly", 223-page manual specifically written for parents and grandparents who share child care responsibilities. This is a parenting phenomena which has become more common in the past 15 years, according to documentation by the Cleveland Clinic Press, as at least 79% of today's grandparents will engage in the tribulations and satisfaction of daily child care due to the children's parents having to both work outside of the home. Individual chapters deal with a variety of germane issues such as child safety, communication, controversy (including discipline), abuse, the generation gap, whose home is to be used, and even a quiz which is both humorous and descriptive. There is an especially valuable chapter offering suggestions about dealing with common issues and problems called 'Making the Best of It' which covers divorce, special needs, and ending the relationship (which really is about deciding when child care needs to be provided by someone other than the granny), for a vast variety of reasons. Grandparents' rights are discussed, as are financial arrangements and pertinent legal questions. Finally, a series of very helpful appendices provide resource suggestions including activities, age-appropriate books and toys, child care accreditation services, and a granny-nanny refresher course. Filly a genuine and pressing need, The Granny-Nanny is a very highly recommended and practical guide for parents and grandparents who are about to embark upon a great co-parenting adventure together.

This book was a godsend for when my mother said she would watch my children while I worked. We were able to both read through the book and learn what we need to have available for her to watch, what issues to look out for and how to make a very smooth transition. I would urge anyone who is a Granny Nanny to read this book!

Excellent book. Very helpful because it covers all the bases. Also enjoyed the 'flow' of the book.

I looked everywhere for a book like this to send with my infant to daycare so I would know what his day was like. I am ready to purchase my second book now. I can also save it as a keepsake! It's a great buy!

Parents rely on daycare for their children for many reasons. Unfortunately, when children are in daycare, they are usually too young to share all the little things that happened throughout their day. Now there's a wonderful way for parents to feel more "connected" to the children they leave in their daycare's hands. There's no reason that parents should miss out on all the happenings of their child's day.

"A Day In The Life..." is a keepsake journal that allows daycare providers to record messages about a child's day, and gives parents those would-be "missed" memories and milestones that they would ordinarily not have. This soft-covered, easy-to-carry, spiral-bound journal lists five sections per day, where daycare providers can fill in notes for parents such as "Activities & Achievements," "Yummy for your Tummy," and "Notes & Reminders to Parents." It's 103 pages of memories that daycare children can now share with thei parents!

My ParenTime recommends the journal, "A Day In The Life..." by Shannon Hammond -- what a great idea! It helps parents keep informed about their child's daycare activities; and answers many questions parents have about their child's life while away from home.

I work in the nursery at my church and recently got a position with 18 mo. - 3 year olds. There are often situations that come up that are trying and this book really opened my eyes to a lot of things. It is a wonderfully written heart-warming book that gives hope to all who have struggled but are still passionate about caring for the little ones.

This is a phenomenal book! It is not a "how to" book per say but do you ever learn a lot about children and what makes them tick. I learned so much from these true stories that I know it will help me tremendously as a childcare provider and as a parent. I read a library copy but am going to purchase this book - more than a few times I wanted to highlight some things. Very good and highly reccommended.

Daycare & Diplomas featured brief essays by teen mothers who remained in school to pursue their education and secure their eventual graduation from high school. Each contributor speaks with candor on the issues the specifically pertain to being pregnant and in school, providing invaluable insight and authority to their explanations and commentaries of what they had to cope with and how they were able to succeed. Recommended reading for adolescent girls (and boys), Daycare & Diplomas is a very highly advocated addition to high school library and counseling center collections, and is also very informative reading for parents and friends of girls facing the challenges of child-bearing, school attendance, and educational achievement.

This book has it all! It shows the fascinating and touching interactions of preschoolers and teachers, the dilemmas and joys parents face as they watch their children grow, and the nitty-gritty details of what a child-care center needs to do to survive financially and provide high quality care. The characterization is strong, and I found that I really came to care about the particular children and teachers in the book. As a parent, I was entertained by some of the children's very familiar antics. When I was finished with the book, I passed it along to the director of my son's preschool, and she found it so interesting and informative that she's been having her staff read it. Enjoy!

As a home daycare provider myself, I could have been reading a diary of my own days. I applaud the author for having the guts to put into writing the things we all want to say. As a former "mom" who worked outside the home, I have to say, parents really do NOT understand what they are doing to their children and all that they are missing. I implore them to read this book and to understand this author is not an extremist and she is not exaggerating. She tells the truth and the parents of whom she speaks are the normal, nice people you work with. It is so easy to take on the prevailing mindset of society and get caught up in the game of pretending what you are doing is fine.

Being the typical anxious parent with worries about daycare upon my return to work, I found Ms. Ehrich's information about researching daycare centers to be an invaluable part of her book. It was really a stress reducer. There were many valuable insights in a well written, easy to understand book. Being a NJ resident, I saw an article about Ms. Ehrich in a local newspaper whereby it mentioned the anxiousparents.com website. It is well worth a viist there too. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to find stable, quality help with your daycare needs. It gave me the direction and confidence I needed, especially since I am a first time Mom.

If you need to start looking for childcare and you're not sure where to begin then you've come to the right place. The author of this book takes you step-by-step so that you'll feel confident that you are leaving your child in the best possible childcare.

You'll learn what kind of childcare best suits your family's needs and then you'll learn how to go about finding and keeping the best quality day care that you can afford.

The appendix boasts useful information such as interview questions, example contracts, and a safety evaluation checklist for out-of-home-care.

Feeling comfortable with your child's daycare provider is essential. If you feel like you need some guidance with this important decision, then be sure to read The Anxious Parents' Guide to Quality Childcare. The book will give you insight, information and peace of mind.

I have read the book and am just embarking on my own search for quality childcare. I was surprised to read the review of another from NJ who said the book was not helpful for daycare situations. I am seeking a daycare center environment for my child and found the book invaluable. As this is my first, I am the anxious parent as described. Ms. Ehrich's book gave me the confidence and direction to channel my search in a productive and time-efficient way. The guidelines for daycare interviewing and selection focused me and gave me many things to investigate and interview for. Thank you Ms. Ehrich for this most valuable resource.

As an obstetrical nurse and working mom, I have both a personal and professional interest in childcare issues. Over the past ten years, I have read literally dozens of childcare help books. This book is by far the best - the most common sense, encouraging, informative and easy to use. It has a permanent place on my bookshelf - and I am telling all my patients about it too. If you are buying only one book on finding childcare, it should definitely be this one!

Unfortunately I found the book to be too slanted towards family home care or nannys - these are not viable options for everyone. I found there was no fair balance given to daycare centers. While the checklists/questions were comprehensive the author's overall condescending tone put a damper on the information presented. For anyone whose main alternative is a daycare center, this is not the book for you - save your money.