When searching for daycare, the cost matters.

The entitlement from some in-home daycare providers will be your downfall.

Let’s actually talk facts.

First—if you have to remind people how important you are… those aren’t your clients.

I’ve done both.

7 years in-home.

24 years running centers.

Owned both.

So this isn’t opinion—it’s math. Homes should not be charging the same—or more—than centers. Business 101. Let’s break it down.

My center:

• $19,141/month lease
• 12,000 sq ft
• 17 classrooms
• 27 employees
• $65,000/month payroll 
• Payroll taxes
• Insurance
• Quarterly Taxes
• Van payments

That alone should end the conversation. But it doesn’t.

Add in :

• $13,000/month in food - 95 gallons of milk alone
• CPR/First Aid and ongoing training for 27 staff
• Required master teachers per 20 students
• $18/hour wages to meet staffing requirements

Now think about.....

• 7 computers + 17 teacher iPads for 17 classrooms
• IT support
• 42 cameras with audio
• 21 phones
• 10 A/C units
• 2 hot water tanks
• 17 toilets
• 21 sinks

Every one of those = a service call, a repair bill, or replacement cost.

Centers pay for:

• Lawn care
• Pest control (on a large scale—not a backyard)
• Plumbing
• HVAC
• Curriculum? $1,890/month for accreditation-based programming.

• Bookkeeping
• Communication with 177 students parents
• Payroll services
• Credit card processing fees
• Transportation - Vans, gas, maintenance, AND required training. You can write off your personal vehicle—we can’t.

Now let’s talk about homes.

• You write off a portion of your mortgage, utilities, and household expenses
• You use items your family already owns and write them off
• No commercial lease
• Minimal or no payroll
• No large-scale maintenance
• No facility overhead

Ratios?

Regulated. Same rules... but you make money starting at the first kid enrolled because you don't have payroll.

Centers runs: 1:7...  So no—“more one-on-one”! It's not accurate unless it’s literally one child/ one teacher.  And consistency? Centers stay open (based on my center) ~10 closure days a year.

No scrambling when someone is sick. Parents aren’t left hanging.

So again—Why are we charging the same rates? Do you really think parents can’t do the math? Because they do.

There is no justifiable reason for in-home daycares to charge as much—or more—than centers when the cost structure isn’t even close. I’ve managed both. I know the numbers. Parents know when they’re being overcharged. And they don’t stay where the math doesn’t make sense.

🎤 Drop.

Powerful and Important!

Men don't get nearly enough credit. That's not a slight against women—it's simply an observation that's worth making.

Take construction workers, for example. They scale skyscrapers dozens of stories high, connected to the building by little more than a rope and a helmet. Most of us wouldn't last five minutes up there, yet these men show up every day to build the cities we live in.

And it doesn't stop there. For centuries, men have gone to war, sacrificed their lives, and worked grueling jobs to provide for their families and communities. Many have single-handedly put kids through college, kept a roof over their family's heads, and done so without much recognition.

There's a tendency in modern culture to undermine traditionally masculine traits—strength, protectiveness, and a natural drive to provide. But these qualities aren't flaws. They're part of what makes men such a vital part of the family unit and society at large.

None of this diminishes the role of women. Raising children, nurturing a family, and contributing to the workforce are all extraordinary things. But it takes both. Men and women each bring something unique and essential to the table, and it's only when we work together as equal partners that things truly function well.

Perhaps it's an old-fashioned view, but dismissing the value of masculinity doesn't serve anyone. Men are the backbone of many families and communities—and it's time we acknowledged that more openly.

My allergies are bad right now.

Me: when I get up and start moving around I get a headache!

Dennis: THAT’S when I get a headache!!  When you get up and start moving around! 😳

🕷️