In 2006 I was working part-time for a trucking company. I had lost a full-time position at a well-to-do firm on the day my son was due to be born, because I spoke out against my supervisor. Trying to make ends meet I started working for a "party" company and got a part-time job doing the payroll for a small trucking company. With a newborn baby and three more children, two of which needed childcare, this was just not enough. I took the courses necessary to start a county certified childcare and in November of 2006 I quit the trucking company and openned my door to children.
I found out quickly that having your own children in a childcare business is not a money maker. I could have no more than three unrelated children in my care and unfortunately the ones I got were part-time. I was going to lose my house. Then the U.S. Postal Service notified me that after two years of waiting, they were ready to hire me (Saturdays only). Perfect!!! Right? Hmmm...
Well, I had my husband take over the daycare for a week while I went to Minneapolis for postal training. Then while there I found out that a second week of training is required in the Post Office I will be working in. Wow, this is inconvenient! But I need the extra income, oh, did I say my husband is only working part-time as a small town mechanic.
OK, training done, I am hired, back to the daycare.
My county certifier comes to inspect and hopefully approve me. I have been watching children unregulated up to this point so I can't apply for meal reimbursement from the food program or take any state subsidized children. He walks around looking at my house, tells me I need a fence as there is a creek visable from my house (wasn't counting on that expense, but we would find a way). He looks in my kids rooms (which are off limits to daycare) and tells me they are too messy (really, kids live in there, yes they are messy) he looks in my laundry room (he doesn't like the amount of dirty laundry and feels compelled to get his camera and take pictures because he is going to come back and make sure the laundry is getting done, is that legal?). He finally leaves giving me a probationary certification but I have 30 days to get a fence up and clean up the off-limits rooms. Well, we did it, while working two jobs (oh yeah, now I am also working nights and Sundays at the local gas station) running childcare, and trying to keep my family from falling apart. I was officially county certified so now I could get on the food program and accept state subsidized children. Things are coming together.
Well, after going through a difficult separation from my husband, quitting the gas station job, I have a lady who is calling me left and right begging me to become state licensed so she can bring her foster children to me. She is telling me horror stories of where she is currently taking the children but doesn't dare report the childcare because she has nowhere to take her children. Here I go...
My application for state licensing has been accepted and now they are coming to inspect me. Hey, they don't really care what is in the rooms that are off limits, my dirty laundry can be in the laundry room, just as long as the kids can't get in those rooms (slip knobs are great). All was good except I need to get my van inspected, I need to get a physical exam, I need to have a substitute on the ready, and I need to create a safe haven in the basement for the kids to go to in the case of a tornado (oh, and I have to have my fire extinguisher and smoke alarms inspected annually and conduct fire and tornado drills). Great, we are set.
Uh-oh. The state just made the Youngstar program official. Ok, now I have hurdles, jumps, and tunnels to go through in order to be able to care for children. The state of Wisconsin feels that state subsidized children have gotten the shaft on childcare. All state licensed childcares will need to be higher educated themselves and will be made to implement curriculums and assessments. Long story short, we are no longer childcares, we are now pre-schools.
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