The Daycare Sisters

The Daycare Sisters
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Parenting
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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. 11h ago

    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

  2. 4d ago

    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

  3. 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

  4. Jul 24

    We talked to random providers at the NAFCC conference about running daycare out of their own homes

    Leave us a voicemail at 651-300-2277. Your question could help thousands of providers. We brought a microphone to the NAFCC National Annual Conference in Chicago and sat down with family child care providers from seven states. Ratios, curriculum, burnout, staffing, selling a program, and what they would tell someone opening their doors tomorrow. Heads up on the audio. We recorded these on an iPhone in a busy conference hall. IN THIS EPISODE Providers from North Carolina, Michigan, New York, California, Ohio, Oregon, and Illinois talk about how differently this job looks depending on where you live, and how much of it is exactly the same everywhere. CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Why this one is late and why the audio is rough 00:01:00 Maureen Brown, Charlotte NC, 32 years in 00:04:00 Switching to Experience Early Learning 00:06:30 Licensed for 12 to 17, but capping at 10 on purpose 00:09:00 Supportive husbands and gardening with the kids 00:12:30 Amy, Michigan, 25 years in a small in-home space 00:15:30 What her own three kids thought about growing up in daycare 00:19:30 Advice for new providers: policies first, and give yourself grace 00:22:00 Ari Hawkins, Syracuse NY, activity director 00:26:00 Second shift, no junk food, and staying in your lane with parents 00:30:00 The creek story 00:33:00 Yvonne, California, running family child care 24 hours a day 00:37:00 Selling the daycare without losing the legacy 00:40:00 Unionized child care in California and what it actually changed 00:45:00 Delegating and letting your staff run their own age group 00:48:00 Taniyah Holmes, Cincinnati OH, licensed for 14 with 19 enrolled 00:50:30 Preventing burnout and staying gold rated 00:52:30 Brooke McDonald, Oregon, running a program with her mother in law 00:55:30 Monique, Illinois, field trips with eight kids under five 00:59:00 Manners, Broadway, and finding a local provider group 01:03:00 Closing thoughts KEY TAKEAWAYS Your license number is not your capacity number. Several providers run below their limit on purpose to avoid staffing they cannot sustain. Policies belong in writing before you open, not after your first hard parent. Nobody warns you about wear and tear on your own house. Door handles, floors, walls. Burnout prevention is not a mindset. It is a ten minute break, a second adult, or a hard stop at the end of your shift. Selling a family child care program takes years, not months, if you care what happens to it after you leave. Isolation is the through line. Almost every provider said the same thing: they did not know anyone else doing this until they found a group. GUESTS IN THIS EPISODE Maureen Brown, Charlotte, North Carolina Amy, Amy's Daycare, Michigan Ari Hawkins, Syracuse, New York Yvonne, formerly of California, now consulting from Kansas Taniyah Holmes, Cincinnati, Ohio Brooke McDonald, Oregon Monique, Illinois FOLLOW OUR GUESTS NEEDED: confirmed business names and social handles before this block goes live. Do not publish placeholder handles. RESOURCES MENTIONED National Association for Family Child Care: https://nafcc.org Experience Early Learning, formerly Mother Goose Time: https://www.mothergoosetime.com Experience Curriculum inside brightwheel: https://mybrightwheel.com/experience-curriculum CONNECT Website: https://www.TheDaycareSisters.com Email: info@thedaycaresisters.com Voicemail: 651-300-2277 #daycareprovider #daycarelife #homedaycare #momlife #childcareproviders

  5. Jul 20

    Inside our first national home daycare conference after 30 years as providers

    Leave us a voicemail at 651-300-2277. Your question could help thousands of providers. We packed up the podcast and spent four days exhibiting at the NAFCC National Conference in Chicago, our first family child care conference ever. This is the full recap: the sweltering plane, one 30,000-step day of Chicago tourism, and what it was actually like to sit at a booth talking with providers, trainers, and advocates from all over the country. We get into how different licensing, ratios, pay, and benefits look from state to state, why so many providers can afford staff, the debate over whether anyone should say "daycare" anymore, and the stories we cannot stop thinking about, including the daycare families who renovated a provider's basement while she was at the conference. Plus our first pod swap, the best compliment this podcast has ever received, and our giveaway winner announcement. Coming soon: a finance and retirement episode for providers, and a walkthrough of Minnesota's new licensing rules. CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro: never alone, always lonely 00:51 We exhibited at the NAFCC conference in Chicago 01:45 Travel day: the sweltering plane 06:16 One big Chicago day: Skydeck, deep dish, fireworks 11:11 What exhibiting was actually like 12:03 Providers from all over the country 14:39 "You shouldn't call yourselves the Daycare Sisters" 16:55 Provider stories that stuck with us 18:06 Burnout, feeling inadequate, getting re-energized 22:02 Staff, subsidies, and benefits state by state 25:52 The conference app and the chatting chair 30:45 Wildfire smoke and the no-pool hotel 31:49 Meetups, badge scans, and exhibitor exhaustion 39:49 Our first pod swap and the SNL compliment 43:05 What we'd change next time 46:32 What's next on the podcast 47:28 Giveaway winner 48:16 Outro KEY TAKEAWAYS - Licensing, ratios, subsidies, and benefits for family child care vary enormously from state to state - Providers in states with stronger subsidies or benefit programs are far more likely to afford staff, including homes offering 24/7 care - Slower conference traffic meant longer, more meaningful conversations with providers, trainers, and advocacy leaders - The field is debating the word "daycare," with some preferring terms like family educator, but we are keeping our name - Getting back into the provider community can be a real antidote to burnout RESOURCES MENTIONED - NAFCC (National Association for Family Child Care): https://nafcc.org - Brightwheel and its curriculum, formerly Mother Goose Time: https://mybrightwheel.com - Parent Aware, Minnesota's quality rating system: https://www.parentaware.org - The Child Care Directors Chair Podcast with Erica Saccoccio: https://childcaredirectorschair.buzzsprout.com - TRAILS, West Virginia's traveling toy and book lending program for providers: http://www.wvdhhr.org/choices/for-providers/trails.html ABOUT THE DAYCARE SISTERS Brandee and Erin are two sisters, moms to nine kids between them, and home daycare owners with over 30 years of combined experience. This podcast is the adult conversation providers never get during the day. CONNECT Website: https://www.TheDaycareSisters.com Email: info@thedaycaresisters.com Voicemail: 651-300-2277 #daycareprovider #daycarelife #homedaycare #momlife #childcareproviders

  6. Jul 16

    How a social worker's phone call put a foster child in her home daycare

    Leave us a voicemail at 651-300-2277. Your question could help thousands of providers. A 15 year home daycare provider shares what she wishes new providers knew: how to write and actually enforce a contract, handle rough drop offs, and protect your own home and family. If you run a home daycare or family child care program, this conversation covers burnout, difficult parents, boundaries, play based curriculum, and caring for foster families through the county. CHAPTERS 0:00 Welcome and meet Megan 0:16 Inside her farm based play daycare 2:23 Her own kids and her home setup 4:44 Ages she takes and dropping school age 10:18 Burnout after 15 years 11:50 Closures, sick days, and Grandma Anna 16:43 Why every provider needs an ironclad contract 18:07 The divorce clause she added to her contract 20:44 Rough drop offs and the two week adjustment 25:00 Play based vs a paid curriculum 26:45 Winters, heat waves, and indoor days 28:40 Caring for foster families through the county 31:54 The loneliness of home daycare 34:54 Funny things the kids have said 39:39 What keeps her going on the hard weeks 41:59 Difficult parents and setting boundaries 43:57 Red flags to watch for in interviews 46:27 How social media changed home daycare 48:08 Where to find Megan KEY TAKEAWAYS - An ironclad contract is the thing most new providers skip, and learning to enforce it takes time and a bit of backbone - Rough drop offs are normal; most kids are fine within minutes, and a quick video can reassure a worried parent - Burnout is real after years in this job, and taking a personal day is necessary, not a

  7. Jul 13

    "Enforce Your Policy" Doesn't Work When You Can't Afford to Lose Families

    Leave us a voicemail at 651-300-2277. Your question could help thousands of providers.Brandee and Erin answer the last two listener voicemails. A 64-year-old single mom runs her home daycare from a two-bedroom apartment and can't keep up with the toys, laundry, dishes, and late payments. A rural Minnesota provider with three young kids at home is deep in burnout and wants to quit, but won't. The sisters get honest about tight margins, why "just enforce your policy" is easier said than done, and the small changes that actually help.CHAPTERS00:00 Intro01:34 Week catch-up and iron infusion prep07:36 Voicemail 1: running an apartment daycare alone at 6409:44 Fewer toys, kid cleanup, and guilt-free screen time16:02 Toys from home and lost items18:47 Late payments: Vanco, Venmo, and the awkward talk21:21 Laundry shortcuts and paper plate survival mode27:56 When you can't afford to lose families34:05 Speaking up and changing your hours41:53 Doing this job as you get older47:07 Voicemail 2: rural provider burnout50:05 Rural realities and the teachers-only daycare path56:01 Permission to just play58:04 Splitting the mental load at home01:07:42 Saving for summers off and budgeting01:12:31 Burnout is the mental load01:21:01 Survival mode seasons01:26:45 Cut 15 minutes and delegate whole categories01:31:38 Coming up: Minnesota laws episode, a provider tool, and Chicago01:32:56 OutroKEY TAKEAWAYS- Cut toys down to open-ended basics, store the rest in totes, and have the kids help pick up before pickup time- Put toys from home in one designated spot the moment parents leave so nothing gets lost at the door- Automate tuition with direct deposit through a service like Vanco, or send Venmo requests, so you never have to chase payments- Screen time, paper plates, and simple meals are survival tools, not failures- Enforcing policies is harder when losing one family breaks your budget; change hours for incoming families first and give current families a heads up- A teachers-only daycare takes years to build; start enrolling teacher families now and save all school year to cover summers off- Burnout is mostly mental load; hand off entire categories at home, like all food or all laundry, instead of asking for one-time helpCONNECTWebsite: https://www.TheDaycareSisters.comEmail: info@thedaycaresisters.com#daycareprovider #daycarelife #homedaycare #momlife #childcareproviders Feeling lonely while running your home daycare? Discover how to overcome the isolation that comes with being a professional childcare provider.Running a home daycare is a unique job where you are constantly surrounded by children but often lack adult interaction. If you feel like the only person who truly understands the challenges of balancing a childcare business with your own personal life, you are not alone. This podcast is for providers who need a community that gets the daily grind.We are Brandy and Aaron, two sisters with over 30 years of combined experience in the field. We created this space to talk about the reality of daycare provider isolation and share our experiences managing our own businesses while parenting. We want to ensure that no one feels like they have to do this work by themselves.Subscribe for weekly home daycare support and insights. Tell us in the comments what the hardest part of your day is so we can discuss it next.

  8. Jul 9

    After 15 Years in Child Care Centers, She Turned Her Townhouse Basement Into a Daycare

    Leave us a voicemail at 651-300-2277. We will weigh in on the podcast, and so will the community. Your question could help thousands of providers. Rebekah spent 15 years in child care centers, most recently as a director, then opened a home daycare in the basement of her Maryland townhouse. She and Brandee get into small-space setup, running mixed ages from 14 months to 7 years, homeschooling her own daughter during nap time, quiet time boxes, and the 4:30 closing time that keeps burnout away. If you run a home daycare or family child care program, this one covers starting up, daily structure, and protecting your energy. CHAPTERS00:00 Meet Rebekah: center director to home daycare02:03 Themes and planning without a purchased curriculum04:44 Her own kids and homeschooling while running daycare13:16 Making a townhouse work for daycare15:57 Maryland licensing and ratios18:04 Subs: husband, Oma, and summer help20:55 Field trips in a minivan31:47 Running a mixed-age group36:26 Nap time and quiet time boxes43:01 Structured vs play-based48:41 Burnout and the car-ride-home reset55:15 Advice for new providers: free programs and Maryland EXCELS01:00:08 Wrap-up KEY TAKEAWAYS - A townhouse or condo can work for family child care if you are strategic with layout and furniture - Plan activities for the oldest kids, then simplify the same activity for the younger ones - Quiet time boxes keep school-age kids busy during nap so you still get your midday break - Free local child care association programs and state quality ratings like Maryland EXCELS can pay providers real money - Closing at 4:30 protects your evening, and families who fit your program will still enroll RESOURCES MENTIONED - Brickit (the brick pile scanning app): https://brickit.app FOLLOW REBEKAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailydoseofbek Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beebrightcare CONNECT Website: https://www.TheDaycareSisters.com Email: info@thedaycaresisters.com Subscribe for real conversations for home daycare and family child care providers. #daycareprovider #daycarelife #homedaycare #momlife #childcareproviders #inhomedaycare #daycaresisters

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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
    52
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Daycare Sisters
  • Show Website
    The Daycare Sisters

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