Question for you all who currently work full time, but might have a job that would let you work full time (legally) but 1 day less a week.

I'm taking a Business class this quarter and as I was reading about entrepreneurs and cooperatives I got an idea that I want to know your opinions on.

What if you didn't have to pay daycare any more? Great idea right? What if you teamed up with 4 other single parents...or even just parents that felt the same way? Each mother would watch her children and the other parents 1 day each week and work the other 4. Parents would provide food, diapers etc. It could even work out to where the mother that had the children that day provided food, and the other parents provided all else.

Location might be an issue, and you'd certainly have to be in the same township for school age children. It might still be cheaper than regular daycare if those 4 parents rented an apartment. A 1 bdrm or studio is about $375-$400 around here plus utilities split 5 ways...

Getting each parent licensed and keeping up on licensing isn't so hard. My past daycare providers (eww) have proven that they let slime through so why not a good mother?

Anyhow...I was just curious if anyone on here thought that it would be feasible. I don't see myself making it anywhere financially opening my own daycare, but if I could still make a decent wage 32 hours a week and keep my insurance benefits, but decrease my daycare expense by 3/4 of what it is now...I can see that one working.

Ever read my posts in the Single Parents Commune thread? Although they aren't exactly about what you are describing, they are about the idea of single parents pooling resources for the common good.

I swear...as hard as I try, I feel that I'm maxing out at about 85% of what two parents could provide together...but my son deserves 100%.

Now if I could team up with another single parent also providing 85%...well...then our kids would get much more than 100%...

B - Its sounds like a good idea. But then I thought about it, since I make more in one day than a week of daycare cost me, I would actually loose money if I only worked 32 hrs a week and didn't pay for daycare. However in areas where daycare cost alot more, I'm sure it would be a great idea.

I pay 75 a week for my daughter and 85 a week for my son at daycare. 160 a week. For the average person with 2 children....32 hours a week and paying 1/4 in childcare costs...works. For me to "break even" I'd have to make $20 per hour.

Just out of curiosity, why would you only have a 32 hour work week? Why couldn't the parents work 4 10 hour days for a 40 hour week? Is it because of the extra time one parent would have to spend 1 day a week w/all the kids? Would it be more feasable w/a 4 day 40 hour work week?

That is always a possibility TM, but in my case...I'm looking to spend more time with my children and relieve stress too. According to insurance guidelines...30 or more hours is still considered full time w/benefits. When you consider that you'll be watching your children and other parents children on that extra day off...I think that would be too much and would add stress where you didn't have it before.

For me, it wouldn't since I watch another child every other weekend already for about 10 to 11 hours each of those days. I would still have to work the 40 hours, or even this wouldn't be worth it. This is just my situation, and food for thought.

B - I wasn't thinking straight. I forget its possible that someone might have more than 1 kid. If I had to 2 kids, I think it would even out.

Yes, 2 kids is how it evens out...or if you have an infant and make a lower wage. This is not an idea for people that pay less than $100 a week in daycare...unless they simply want to spend more time with their kid. If someone wanted to work 4-10s and still do this it would work out as well ( a good point)

As with all things, it wouldn't be something that everyone could do and it would be hard to coordinate. Personally, I'm wondering if I could get 1 of these co-ops off the ground....then maybe move into not working at all and making my business coordinating cooperative daycares and child care education within my county.

You would have to be very hands on in the beginning of each co-op. It would probably cost more to start out, but would eventually give you the freedom you're looking for financially and time wise.

There is a large need for this kind of thing, and I'm sure that a few corporations need to hit their "social donations" quotas. It's something I'm actually very serious in persuing...even though not something I can use for my business project for class b/c its not necessarily going to be started off as a sole proprietorship, more of a co-op. Once the thing took off though I'm sure that it could be very beneficial to not only the community, but to my life!

I agree that this is a great idea. It is something that could work and would be beneficial to many. Just remember to look into the time constraints and monies involved in the initial start-up of something like that.

It sounds like a great idea to me. With a group of good mothers/fathers that would be a good venture.

The idea is great but there is somethings to consider that may not work out.

1) Each parent's work would have to agree to such a thing. Some company's may not allow it cause of the business needs.

2) If you had 4 - 5 parents that did start this, what if one of the parents backed out in the middle of it. Then the day that parent was committed too, everyone else would be stuck with no child care at all for that day.

3) What if the parent who had the kids for that day, their child was really sick. You wouldn't want the other children getting sick too.

Just some food for thought when I read this ...

SillyGirls...I had thought about those things...I do believe a contract would be in order. I hadn't thought of sick yet...