The Daycare Sisters

The Daycare Sisters
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Parenting
  • Updated Daily

Running a home daycare is isolating, exhausting, and a lot harder than anyone admits, especially when you can’t afford to quit. The Daycare Sisters Podcast, hosted by two sisters with 30+ years of real in-home daycare experience, says the things you think but never say out loud so you can stop beating yourself up and feel less alone in this job.

  1. 5d ago

    I Lost 5 Daycare Kids in One Week. Same 50 hours, half the pay.

    Leave us a voicemail at 651-300-2277. Your question could help thousands of providers. One of us lost five daycare kids in two weeks, four to kindergarten and one who only comes in summer, and almost half her income went with them. Same hours, longer days, smaller paycheck. This episode is what we actually do when that happens. If you run a home daycare or family child care program, this one is about planning for the next enrollment drop before it lands: saving while you are full, building a three-month emergency fund, cutting the food bill, and filling spots. CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro: lost five kids, and what to do when it happens to you 01:20 Housekeeping: yes, we talk over each other 02:22 This week: down to five kids, and why five is harder than six 07:21 It was planned. It still hits: almost half the income, same hours 11:39 Ratio math: no under-twos until October, no working alone until January 13:19 Planned vs unplanned: losing four kids at the end of COVID 14:26 Save while you are full: retirement, emergency money, $800 brakes 16:22 Parents, tell your provider early 16:51 Bonus weeks and provider networking for extra income 18:24 Pay housing before food 20:27 Grocery strategy: only what you need, bulk, buy ahead, teenagers 24:12 Garden, CSA pick-your-own, and a farm-to-table grant 28:59 Eat the freezer and cheap vegetarian meals 31:46 Homemade tortillas, pasta, and bread at nap time 34:22 Emergency fund: automated weekly savings, three months minimum, prepay summer 37:22 Budget from what you spend, not what you make 39:29 College apartment heat and rotating streaming subscriptions 44:26 You can make plans, but plans can change 46:05 Filling spots: Facebook groups, location, yard signs 47:53 No panic, just budget conscious (come on, chickens) 51:36 Fewer kids, same work: the food program math 54:44 Parent Aware and grants: not free money 57:38 You need less than you think: the toy purge 58:47 What parents don't see: expenses stay the same 1:01:55 Narrow margins: this is a business, and we deserve nice things too 1:04:41 The truck died, then the battery died 1:06:57 Cheap resources: library, food shelf, phone, internet 1:08:56 Call the voicemail: how are you filling spots? KEY TAKEAWAYS - Fewer kids does not mean less work. Hours, expenses, and food program paperwork stay the same. - Save while you are full. Automate a weekly transfer, cover at least three months of what you spend, prepay summer. - Pay housing first. Food help is easier to find than housing help. - Cut the food bill: buy only what you need, eat the freezer, cook from scratch at nap time, grow what you can. - Parents, give notice early. It lets your provider plan. - Network with nearby providers. Their summer kids can fill your open weeks. - Filling spots: local Facebook groups worked for a brand-new provider. Results depend on location. RESOURCES MENTIONED - Think Small provider grants, Minnesota (regional, start-up, emergency, Parent Aware): https://www.thinksmall.org/providers/ - Parent Aware, Minnesota's early childhood quality rating and improvement system: https://www.parentaware.org/programs/ - Farm-to-table food grant through Think Small: NEEDED grant name and link WATCH NEXT - Full Episodes playlist: NEEDED link - Related episode: NEEDED link ABOUT THE DAYCARE SISTERS Brandee and Erin are two sisters, business owners, and home daycare providers with over 30 years of experience between them, parenting nine kids of their own. Isolation is the dirty little secret of home daycare, and nobody should feel alone doing the work they love. Subscribe for home daycare real talk, provider business tips, and the stuff nobody tells you about running child care from your house. Website: https://www.TheDaycareSisters.com Email: info@thedaycaresisters.com #homedaycare #inhomedaycare #daycareprovider #daycarelife #dayhome #childminder #familydaycare #toddleractivities #toddlerlearning #toddlermom #momlife #momhumor #canadianmom #ukmums #aussiemum

  2. Aug 31

    After 30 Years In Home Daycare, The Comment That Finally Set Us Off

    Leave us a voicemail at 651-300-2277. Your question could help thousands of providers. Brandee and Erin posted a short clip asking parents to pick their kids up by closing time. The comments turned into an argument between providers and parents. In this episode they read through what people actually said and talk about what respect looks like at the end of a daycare day. If you run a home daycare or a family child care program, this one covers closing time boundaries, late pickup, communication with parents, and why "out the door" and "in the door" are not the same thing. CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 00:49 Subscribe and Channel Update 01:49 Kids Coming Back After Summer 03:42 Minnesota State Fair Traditions 08:28 The Pickup Time Reel Went Viral 09:24 Providers Choose Their Own Hours 11:10 Leaving While Parents Buckle Up 12:20 Getting Our Own Kids to Activities 14:20 Parents Who Chat at Closing Time 16:00 Parents Who Wait in the Car 18:26 Communication and Kids Who Wait 21:29 Bold Ways Providers Handle Late Pickups 23:46 Sports Nights and Carpool Juggling 27:07 Nudging Late Parents Out the Door 29:31 The Work After Closing Time 31:00 Early Pickups and Closing Time 34:29 When You Need Longer Daycare Hours 36:25 Grace for Parents Who Are Trying 37:42 Parents Work 8 Hours, Providers Work 10 40:33 You Agreed to These Hours 41:12 Providers and Parents Need Each Other 42:36 Should Daycare Be More Flexible 43:55 Does Rushing Mean You Don't Care 45:25 Contracts and Opening Times 47:52 A Single Mom Asks for Grace 50:54 When a Heads Up Would Have Helped 52:50 Late Fees and Pickup Policies 54:40 Appreciation Goes a Long Way 55:43 The Kid Who Is Always Last 57:44 What Providers Are Asking For 1:00:06 Providers Have Places to Be Too 1:01:50 Respect in Other Professions 1:02:45 Running Home Daycare Like a Business 1:03:55 Voicemail and Final Thoughts KEY TAKEAWAYS - Closing time should mean the family is out the door, not walking in the door - Home daycare providers are business owners, and the hours parents agreed to are in the contract they signed - A heads up about a late pickup changes what a provider can plan around - Sitting in the driveway before pickup disrupts nap time and unsettles the kids waiting inside - Providers still have cleanup, trash, and their own family obligations after the last pickup - If a provider's hours do not fit your schedule, centers and longer day programs exist CONNECT www.TheDaycareSisters.com info@thedaycaresisters.com Voicemail: 651-300-2277 #homedaycare #inhomedaycare #daycareprovider #daycarelife #dayhome #childminder #familydaycare #toddleractivities #toddlerlearning #toddlermom #momlife #momhumor #canadianmom #ukmums #aussiemum

  3. Aug 24

    Bored School Agers, No Naps, And The Slow Build Of Summer Burnout

    Leave us a voicemail at 651-300-2277. Your question could help thousands of providers. Summer is supposed to be the break that fixes everything. It is not. Brandee and Erin talk about late summer burnout in home daycare: the stretch where kids leave for kindergarten, the school calendar takes over, the licensor is coming, and the income drops right when the work feels heaviest. If you run a home daycare or family child care program, this one is for the season you are in right now. CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Intro: never alone but always lonely 00:02:30 Subscribe ask and how to use these chapters 00:04:30 Why we picked summer burnout this week 00:07:30 Kids leaving for kindergarten and the ones left behind 00:11:00 Minnesota school calendars and the pre Labor Day start 00:16:00 Stuck at home: camps, drop off windows, and your own kids 00:22:00 Bored school agers and the same toys for five years 00:28:00 Licensor visits and the stress of being watched 00:34:00 Self destructing emails and paperwork that will not open 00:38:30 Parents on vacation who still send their kids 00:42:00 Working right up to every holiday 00:46:00 Open houses at four, sports, and the fall pileup 00:50:30 Getting parents out the door on time 00:54:00 Packing the car for every season and reusing last year's notebooks 00:57:30 Why a week off does not fix burnout 01:00:30 Losing five kids and the income hit nobody sees 01:03:30 Recap: caretakers, take care of yourselves KEY TAKEAWAYS A summer break does not cure burnout. It postpones it. School age kids get bored fast when you cannot leave the house and cannot run a school age program alongside infants and toddlers. The stress of a licensing visit is mostly anticipation, not preparation. Losing several kids to kindergarten at once is a schedule change and an income change at the same time. Fall open houses, sports, and band schedules collide with daycare closing time. Tell parents early and repeat it. The mental load of planning, paperwork, and prep is real labor even when nobody sees it. ABOUT THE SHOW Two sisters, both home daycare owners, parenting nine kids between them with over 30 years of family child care experience. Honest conversation for providers who are never alone but often lonely. Put it on while you make lunch. CONNECT https://www.TheDaycareSisters.com info@thedaycaresisters.com Voicemail: 651-300-2277 #daycareprovider #daycarelife #homedaycare #momlife #childcareproviders

  4. Aug 21

    She Built A Duplex Daycare In Her Backyard And Filled Every Spot Opening Day

    Leave us a voicemail at 651-300-2277. Your question could help thousands of providers. Linda Hopkins has run a home daycare in Indiana for 26 years. She started on Halloween day, grew from one child to 32 across a licensed duplex she built off her back door, and in a few months she will be running the daycare alone for the first time since she opened. In this conversation she talks about the burnout that sent her to a counselor, the crying baby she should have been honest with a parent about, why she stopped giving out her personal phone number, and the regret she still carries about the time she gave away. CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro0:29 How She Got Started in Child Care2:50 Indiana Licensing and 32 Kids4:44 Building a Daycare Duplex6:25 Scaling Down After 20207:34 Getting Her GED and CDA12:06 Online vs In-Person Training13:37 Losing Privacy in a Home Daycare16:47 Staffing a Home Daycare19:33 Losing Staff and Working Alone21:34 Putting Yourself First as a Provider22:44 Burnout and a Crying Baby24:18 Terminating a Family and What Changed26:34 Preventing Burnout With Boundaries29:40 Parents Who Show Up Early32:39 The Lunch Problem Behind Body Bib34:42 Turning an Idea Into a Product37:35 Childcare Conferences and Travel39:05 The Food Program for Providers40:33 Relicensing and Running Two Businesses43:46 Daycare Contracts and Handbooks44:46 Daycare Taxes and Business Expenses48:19 Retirement Planning for Providers49:53 Selling a Home Daycare Business53:04 Loneliness in Home Daycare55:02 Provider Support on Social Media58:14 Treating Daycare Like a Business59:24 Parking Lot Safety and House Rules1:02:39 Advice for New Daycare Providers1:04:11 Getting a Separate Daycare Phone1:09:06 Her Biggest Regret as a Provider1:11:08 Parents Who Respect Your Time1:13:10 What Providers Carry Behind the Smile1:16:45 Balancing Family and Daycare1:18:28 Where to Find Linda Online KEY TAKEAWAYS - Enforce your contract from day one, before the heartstrings get pulled - Burnout is often coming from the thing you have not said out loud yet - A child who cries all day affects every other child in the room, and terminating is sometimes the right call - A separate daycare phone protects your evenings, weekends, and vacations - If you run a home daycare you are a business, licensed or not, and you have deductible expenses - Losing your only assistant changes how you handle appointments, conferences, and time off RESOURCES MENTIONED - BodyBib, the full body bib Linda invented: https://bodybib.com - Mileage tracking app she uses: MileIQ - Tom Copeland, family child care business author and trainer FOLLOW LINDA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daycareprovidersunlimitedlindahopkins Website: https://www.daycareprovidersunlimited.com BodyBib: https://bodybib.com CONNECT Website: www.TheDaycareSisters.com Email: info@thedaycaresisters.com #daycareprovider #daycarelife #homedaycare #momlife #childcareproviders

  5. Aug 17

    Chatting About The New Minnesota Laws Part 2 — No More Microwaving Plastic Bottles Or Containers

    For easier ways to listen: https://www.TheDaycareSisters.com Chatting About The New Minnesota Laws Part 2 — No More Microwaving Plastic Bottles Or Containers Leave us a voicemail at 651-300-2277. Your question could help thousands of providers. This episode starts with a heavy topic. We talk about the murder-suicide at a Hopkins, Minnesota home daycare that took the life of provider Kristen Brown and her young daughter, and we share domestic violence hotline numbers for the US, Australia, and Canada. Then we get back into part two of our breakdown of Minnesota's new family child care licensing rules, covering attendance, paperwork, firearm storage, sick child policy, well water and radon disclosure, food safety, and pets. If you run a home daycare or family child care program in Minnesota, or anywhere providers are watching new rules roll out, this episode will help you figure out what's actually changing and what's still unclear. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro1:10 Minnesota Daycare Tragedy2:52 Remembering Kristen and Eevee4:17 Domestic Violence Hotline Numbers6:24 New Minnesota Daycare Law6:57 New Attendance Requirements9:10 Late Pickup Story10:29 Updating the Policy Handbook10:52 Screen Time Policies14:36 Firearms and Social Media Rules16:57 New Fire and Storm Drill Rules18:47 Confusion Over Documenting Drill Times24:04 Required Parent Access Rules24:48 New Firearm Storage Law27:09 Care of Sick Children29:39 Reportable Disease Requirements32:03 Reporting to the Commissioner33:50 COVID Reporting Comparisons37:44 Compliance Timeline and Costs41:58 Well Water Testing Rules43:16 Radon Testing Rules44:52 Food and Plastic Container Rules48:32 Pet Rules During Mealtime51:52 Wrapping Up New Rules54:03 Health Update and Recovery57:29 Closing and Contact Info KEY TAKEAWAYS Everyone will be required to take daily attendance with check in and check out times, not just providers who take grant funding Firearm and ammunition storage rules changed, guns and ammo can be stored together but must be unloaded and in a locked area inaccessible to children Fire and storm drills now require logging the caregiver's name and how long evacuation took, which raised real questions the hosts couldn't fully answer Providers can no longer restrict when parents access the daycare during care hours Sick child exclusion is now tied to Minnesota's reportable disease rules and commissioner of health guidance, which the hosts found vague in places Plastic bottles, sippy cups, and food containers can no longer be warmed in the microwave Pets must be kept away from food prep, storage, and serving areas unless caged or kenneled RESOURCES MENTIONED Minnesota Day One Crisis Line: call 1-866-223-1111 or text 612-399-9995 National Domestic Violence Hotline: call 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788 1800RESPECT (Australia): call 1800 737 732 or text 0458 737 732, chat at https://www.1800respect.org.au Sheltersafe (Canada): https://www.sheltersafe.ca ABOUT DAYCARE SISTERS Brandee and Erin are sisters, home daycare business owners, and parents to nine kids between them, with over 30 years of home daycare experience. They talk through the real, unfiltered side of running a home daycare, for providers who want honest conversation instead of polished advice. Subscribe for daycare operator tips, home daycare conversations, and real talk about child care. CONNECT Website: https://www.TheDaycareSisters.comEmail: info@thedaycaresisters.com #daycareprovider #daycarelife #homedaycare #momlife #childcareproviders

  6. Aug 4

    The New Minnesota Laws Part 1: Inside The 56 Pages That Change Home Daycare Next July

    Leave us a voicemail at 651-300-2277. Your question could help thousands of providers. Minnesota's family child care licensing standards are being rewritten, and the new rules take effect July 1, 2027. Brandee and Erin read all 56 pages of Article 13 and pulled out the changes that will actually land on home daycare providers. This is part one. We get into capacity classes, training hours, outdoor play space and fencing, water hazards, supervision, and sleeping infant checks. Part two covers what needs to change in your policy handbook. We are providers, not lawyers. Some of this language is genuinely unclear and we say so when we are not sure. If you read it differently, leave a comment or call the voicemail line. 00:00 Intro00:56 The New Minnesota Daycare Law02:42 Our Interpretation, Not Legal Advice04:31 How the Bill Passed and Where to Find It07:00 Daycare Capacity Changes08:14 New License Categories C1 to C509:09 What the C5 License Requires12:32 Taking School Agers in Home Daycare13:20 Would the C5 Work for Us15:40 What Counts as Ground Level17:58 Indoor and Outdoor Space Requirements19:13 How Other States Handle Staff21:39 Using a Helper as a Second Adult22:48 Training Hours Drop to 1024:05 Required Annual Trainings25:06 New Fire Safety Training29:20 The Same Trainings Every Year31:17 Tracking Training Hours in Develop32:53 Licensing Year Changes to January35:00 Training Confusion Before July37:34 Car Seat Training Requirement43:05 Outdoor Play Space Rules44:18 Fences and Traffic Hazards46:26 Decks, Gates, and Playground Barriers51:45 Laws Written Without Provider Input55:17 Pools, Hot Tubs, and Water Hazards1:01:00 What These Changes Cost Providers1:03:30 New Supervision Rules1:04:47 What Immediately Means1:06:49 How Will These Rules Be Monitored1:09:22 Household Members and Your Own Kids1:10:24 Sleeping Baby Checks Now Encouraged1:13:39 Rules for Baby Monitors1:20:22 Advice for New Daycare Providers1:22:51 Part Two Preview and Final Thoughts KEY TAKEAWAYS - The new family child care licensing standards were enacted in 2026 as Chapter 127, Article 13, and the tentative effective date is July 1, 2027 - Capacity classes are restructured from A, B, C1 to C3, and D into A and C1 through C5, with more infants and toddlers allowed in the middle classes - The top class requires a second adult, added experience or credentials, and care on a single ground level, which limits basement and upper level use - A helper can substitute for a second adult caregiver only when there is no more than one infant, one newborn, or one toddler - Annual training drops from 16 hours to 10, with required annual trainings in child development, supervision, SUID, and abusive head trauma - Fire safety and fire marshal training is added on a five year cycle, along with health and safety training - Everyone moves to a January 1 through December 31 licensing year, which makes the 2027 transition year confusing - Outdoor play areas must be protected from traffic and hazards, and a continuous fence or natural barrier is required where hazards are present - Platforms 30 inches or higher need a continuous protective barrier, and openings between 3.5 and 9 inches are not allowed - Water hazards including pools, hot tubs, stationary wading pools, and fish ponds need a permanent barrier at least four feet high, and a locking hot tub cover no longer count RESOURCES MENTIONED Full session law, Laws of Minnesota 2026, Chapter 127. Scroll to Article 13 for family child care: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2026/0/Session+Law/Chapter/127/ DCYF family child care licensing hub: https://dcyf.mn.gov/family-child-care-licensing DCYF Child Care Regulation Modernization Project, including the legislative report and the summary of changes: https://dcyf.mn.gov/child-care-regulation-modernization-project CONNECT www.TheDaycareSisters.com info@thedaycaresisters.com #daycareprovider #daycarelife #homedaycare #momlife #childcareproviders

  7. Jul 31

    He Left Microsoft, She Left US Bank, Now They Run A Home Daycare Together (Oh, And He's In A Rock Band)

    Leave us a voicemail at 651-300-2277. Your question could help thousands of providers. For the first time on the podcast, Brandee and Erin sit down with a husband and wife team who run a licensed home daycare together in North Dakota. Twelve and a half years in, they have cut their hours twice, dropped curriculum entirely, and moved to a two day a week summer schedule that most providers assume families would never accept. They walk through how they split the day between them, how they told parents a full year before the schedule change, what they charge for summer care, why they price below everyone around them, and why they have never once had a payment problem. KEY TAKEAWAYS - A two day a week summer schedule can hold your families if you give them enough notice - Charging a percentage of the weekly rate keeps summer pricing fair when you cut days - Long hours are usually a boundary problem, not a demand problem - Play based care and everyday conversation teach more than worksheets for kids under five - Kindergarten teachers want manners, independence, and the ability to ask for help without crying - Referrals fill spots faster than advertising when families trust you - Two adults in one program only works if you talk all day and back each other up in front of parents FOLLOW OUR GUESTS Ditching Delmer on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DitchingDelmer Daycare page: NEEDED CONNECT Website: https://www.TheDaycareSisters.com Email: info@thedaycaresisters.com Voicemail: 651-300-2277 #daycareprovider #daycarelife #homedaycare #momlife #childcareproviders

  8. Jul 28

    Our First Daycare Parent Voicemail, And What She Noticed That Parents Never Say Out Loud

    Leave us a voicemail at 651-300-2277. Your question could help thousands of providers. Our first voicemail from a daycare parent, plus three provider questions we did not sugarcoat. A new provider two months in with a child who is cussing, breaking things, and throwing her cat. A provider with 10 kids whose parents keep saying they will come early and then do not. And a parent asking whether kids really did get sicker after COVID, or whether it was just her family. If you run a home daycare or family child care program, this one covers documentation, behavior plans, licensor conversations, playroom resets, contract trial periods, and how to stop opening your door early for free. KEY TAKEAWAYS - Document destructive behavior in a dedicated notebook with dates, times, and what happened. Have parents sign written notices and keep a copy. - Reset the physical space before you reset the child. Crayons up high, hard toys away, soft toys out, one activity at a time. - Ask your licensor for advice before you terminate. If the family reports you afterward, your licensor already knows the history. - Write a behavior plan with a set timeline, have both parents sign it, then follow it exactly so termination is documented, not emotional. - A trial period clause in your contract gives you an exit before you are stuck. - Provider Appreciation Day is the Friday before Mother's Day. A card or a kid drawn picture is enough. - Leave before close, not at close. A minute or two late every day adds up to real unpaid hours. - Set fixed hours and stop opening early for free. If a family wants an early drop off, charge for it and take payment before you set the alarm. - A doorbell camera and individual garage codes solve random arrivals during nap time. - Both sisters saw the same post COVID illness surge, and both say it has been tapering off since 2024 into 2025 and 2026. 00:00 Intro01:10 Family Reunion Week02:31 Minnesota Daycare Laws Coming Next Week03:55 Daycare Parents Reaching Out04:35 Provider and Parent Partnership05:22 Voicemail From a Daycare Parent08:31 Provider Appreciation Day09:18 Leave Before Closing Time10:00 Late Pickups and Provider Life12:32 Noise and Hearing Loss13:56 Voicemail About Daycare Illness16:33 Kids Getting Sicker After COVID17:29 A Sick Infant and Trusting Your Gut18:34 Running Daycare During COVID19:22 Cleaning and Toy Rotation22:48 Norovirus and Stomach Bugs26:07 Illnesses Getting Better Now28:38 Closing Daycare for the Flu30:58 Voicemail About a Destructive Child32:16 Terminating and Documenting36:06 Resetting Your Daycare Space40:43 Giving Kids a Physical Outlet43:20 Getting Parents on Board45:45 When a Child Needs an Evaluation49:36 Asking Your Licensor for Advice51:14 Making a Written Behavior Plan53:53 Trial Periods in Daycare Policies55:30 Burnout for New Providers56:47 Voicemail About Early Drop Offs59:19 Setting Your Daycare Hours01:01:00 How to Talk to Parents01:04:04 Doorbells and Door Codes01:08:29 Charging for Early Drop Offs01:13:14 Final Thoughts MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE - Provider Appreciation Day - the Friday before Mother's Day - A doorbell camera for driveway alerts - Individual garage entry codes per family - A small one person trampoline or rebounder for active kids - Washable window markers as a redirect - Next week: Minnesota's new daycare laws WATCH NEXT Full episodes playlist: NEEDED - playlist URL CONNECT Website: https://thedaycaresisters.com Email: info@thedaycaresisters.com Voicemail: 651-300-2277 ABOUT Brandee and Erin are sisters, business owners, and moms of nine with over 30 years of combined home daycare experience. Home daycare is a job where you are never alone but always lonely, and this is the conversation nobody else is having out loud. Subscribe for honest home daycare conversations, provider advice, and real talk about family child care. #daycareprovider #daycarelife #homedaycare #momlife #childcareproviders

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Running a home daycare is isolating, exhausting, and a lot harder than anyone admits, especially when you can’t afford to quit. The Daycare Sisters Podcast, hosted by two sisters with 30+ years of real in-home daycare experience, says the things you think but never say out loud so you can stop beating yourself up and feel less alone in this job.

Information

  • Creator
    The Daycare Sisters
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    57
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Daycare Sisters
  • Show Website
    The Daycare Sisters

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