Does it seem difficult to get ahead with a single income while supporting your kids? Have you been thinking how you could get some extra income to improve your finances? With rising taxes and food costs, it can be a challenge. However, there are some good ways to earn additional income for you as a mom.
Did you know that there is a wonderful opportunity that allows you to provide childcare even without a license? There is so much demand for parents to find before and after school care, at a reasonable price, and you can offer a solution to their problem. Childcare provider rules differ depending on which province (or state) you live in and you should check the regulations before jumping in. As an example, if you live in British Columbia, License-Not- Required Care (LNR) means that you have the opportunity to care for 2 kids or a sibling group, not related to them, at any one time. The hours in the morning are typically from 7 am until the children are dropped off at school and afternoons from when school gets out until 5:30-6:30 pm.
(If you are in the United States, check Child Care Aware page to learn about licensing requirements).
Like the regulations, the fee you can charge will vary depending on the area you live in. Thankfully, there are some resources to help you figure it out. After checking some of the forum boards online, it appears that some are charging $20 a day for before and after school. Furthermore, they are charging $15 a day for either morning or afternoon childcare. You will also want to consider what you will charge if a parent is late for picking-up their child. For example, some caregivers are charging $1 a minute but it might not be reasonable for all cases.
Websites such as godaycare.com will show you the average child care cost for licensed and unlicensed care by province. Searching through this list, it is easy to see that the younger the child, the higher the average childcare fee is. You can look at the rates given for licensed before school care only, after school care only, and before and after school care: you’ll find the average as well as a range provided. The highest source of revenue (especially if you have a morning job) is the after school care at an average of $365 month.
If you live in Ontario, unlicensed before and after school care regulations differ from BC, perhaps making it even more lucrative for you. For example, you have the opportunity to take care of 5 kids under the age of 13, including your own children under 6 years old (but no more than 2 children under 2 years old). There are other conditions you need to review and I recommend visiting this website for further details. For the readers that are living in other provinces or countries, I would suggest going online and searching “before and after school care” in your location for rules and regulations.
Overall, providing a quality childcare can be a great way to earn additional income for you as a single mom. You can also take advantage of tax deductions for housing costs and business-related expenses (e.g. food and supplies) as this income is considered self-employment income. I recommend checking with an accountant for all the tax deductions you might be eligible for.
The downside to exploring this way of generating income is that your home insurance company could potentially charge you a higher monthly fee. You’ll want to consider reviewing the amount of liability coverage you have. If you don’t have insurance, I recommend that you get it because if somebody gets hurt on your premises, you put your financial future at risk.
Other things to think about are the amount of money you’ll need to spend before you open your doors on crafts, toys and child-friendly equipment. I would highly recommend visiting thrift stores and garage sales. Your home utility costs will also likely increase (find out how to decrease them). Another major thing to consider is the amount of personal time that is required to commit to the childcare business and the lack of flexibility in taking time off for vacations, sick time, etc.
If you decide to generate extra income by becoming an occasional childcare provider, you must be really passionate about children and helping families to succeed and generate good references. Regardless of some of the drawbacks, many moms are making hundreds of dollars each month doing what they already love doing: raising children.
Thank you to Elisabeth from pennysmart.ca for this wonderful post!
