Child Care For Homeschoolers

One of the biggest challenges working moms face is finding child care for homeschoolers.

When I realized I needed to return to the workforce, the first task I started to tackle was who would look after my kids while my husband and I were at work.

In the past, homeschooling was usually associated with a family with at least one parent – usually mom- at home.

But times have changed, and an increasing amount of moms find themselves in need of child care solutions.

Overcome Child Care Fears

Have you ever had anxiety about leaving your kids?

I mean, I know I am not the only one who can look after my kids, but some part of my oddly wired brain goes haywire thinking of all the things that can go wrong.

Even before I started the dreadful task of job hunting, I knew I needed to figure out child care for homeschoolers.

The very idea of handing my precious ones off to a stranger broke my heart and terrified me.

As a stay at home mom, I was always with my kids.

But I knew if I was going to leave and go to work, someone had to take care of the kids!

The best way to overcome these fears about finding child care for homeschoolers as a working mom was to educate myself about what child care options were available.

5 Points To Consider In Choosing Child Care

As a working mom, choosing the right child care provider is probably one of the most important decisions I’ve ever had to make.

After all, I wanted to make sure to choose one that best fit the needs of our family.

Here are a few things to keep in mind while choosing child care for homeschoolers:

1. The age of my child. Many child care options are only open to certain ages of kids. Finding one for both of my children proved difficult.
2. The location was important. We have one car, which made drop-offs and pick-ups time-consuming. I needed to limit the amount of driving.
3. The type of child care. Did I want in-home, mine, or theirs? Did I want center-based or group care?
4. What type of care does my child need? This is very important to remember if your child has special needs, allergies, etc.
5. Cost. Child care can be expensive! We created a budget and had to stick to it. I didn’t want to be working just to cover child care costs.

I used these conditions to help me narrow down my choices. You’ll want to keep them in mind as you go through the following options for child care.

Finding Child Care For Homeschoolers

I had never planned on needing child care solutions for my kids.

I wasn’t quite sure where to start looking for child care for homeschoolers, so I did what any mom does- I asked other working moms that also homeschool their kids!

I knew they would give me a great list to get started!

As you go through the list for your own family, I encourage you to remember that you know your children best. Choose child care options that will work for your child and your family.

In preparation to meet the child care solution you’ve chosen, think about what questions to ask child care providers.

Free or Low-Cost Child Care Ideas:

Child care can be really expensive. The following options are the most affordable for working moms:

1. Homeschool Teen: Many hire a homeschooled teen during the week for a few hours a day to help keep your younger kids on track while you are working.
2. Family or Friends: This is a great option if you have a reliable family member or friends nearby that support homeschooling.
3. Trade with another working mom who is in need of child care.
4. Have a friend hang out to do “fun stuff” with your kids while you work. This is a great way to combine hands-on learning with child care.
5. Leave older kids home alone while working. Using check-in programs or security measures will help you feel at ease. Be sure they know emergency numbers and how to contact you.
6. Hire a stay at home mom to take care of your kids. Many appreciate the chance to bring in a few extra dollars.

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Group & Center-Based Child Care Ideas:

Group and center-based care can kill two birds with one stone, looking after your child while providing social activities for kids.

1. Day Care. This is a great option for younger children.
2. Workplace daycare. Some businesses have an onsite daycare for their employees.
3. Gym Memberships: Some fitness centers will offer free child care with their membership plans. Check and see if you can drop your child off for a few hours while you work.
4. Homeschool Co-ops. While each homeschool co-op may be different, many meet for at least one day a week. This is also a great way to fill the social needs of your child. Learn more about what to consider when choosing a homeschool co-op here.
5. Homeschool Care Swap Group. This is where you can swap watching a group of kids with other local homeschool moms for a day. Be sure to check local boards and Facebook Groups.
6. Make use of “camps” provided during public school breaks. Check your local Facebook groups, library, and grocery stores to see what is available in your area, plus other social activities for kids.
7. Hybrid-Homeschool. These may be an option in your area where you can drop your child off 1-2 days a week. (It may also be called a “Homeschool Academy.”)

Untraditional Living Child Care Ideas:

Sometimes we need to think a little outside the box to find the best child care for homeschoolers.

1. Au Pair: Many working homeschool moms have had success in hiring an Au Pair. According to AuPair.com “Au Pair is defined as a young person (between the ages of 18-30), who goes abroad to live with a native family and learn (or perfect) a language in exchange for childcare.”
2. Nanny: Similar to an Au Pair, but usually the person is a native or lives locally.
3. Work opposite schedules from your spouse. Pro: You do not have to worry about who is watching the kids, and you save both money and time. Con: You do not see your spouse as often. This takes arrangement takes great communication and cooperation from all in the family.
4. Consider multi-family living arrangements. Are you wondering what that may look like? One example is how working homeschool mom Joan Concilio makes this work for her family by using multi-family living arrangements.

Service & Agency Child Care Ideas:

If none of the above child care solutions work for you, perhaps an agency is your best bet.

1. Find care through a service such as Care.com. This site came highly recommended for information as well from moms in my Facebook group. Available in Canada and USA.
2. Sittercity.com. While similar to Care.com, this one focuses on finding local child care. Read about the differences between Care.com and Sittercity.com here.
3. College Nannies, Sitters, and Tutors. This agency came highly recommended. They are currently in the USA only.

You will want to interview your childcare providers before you have them watch your children.

Child Care Solutions For A Sick Child:

No matter how much we try to prevent it, our kids will get sick. And when this happens, it can really hard to find someone willing to expose themselves to germs.

It’s always good to plan ahead and create a backup plan.

Here are a few child care options that may work for you:

1. Create your own village. Talk with family and friends that have part-time jobs or a flexible schedule before the situation arises. Try to work out a reciprocal arrangement when a backup plan is needed.
2. Ask other working homeschool moms. They will likely understand how stressful having a child that is sick and needs to leave is.
3. Take the steps you can at home to help prevent the spread of illness.
4. If you live in a town with college students or know homeschool teens who you trust-work out a backup plan with them for sick days.
5. Barter: Sometimes other moms who are willing to watch your sick kid don’t need a sitter-they need errands run, kids dropped off and books to be picked up. Offer to take care of a task while they watch your sick kid.
6. Trade: Ask another working mom to be your swap buddy. If their child catches a bug, you watch their child. And if your child is sick, they watch yours.
7. Make your home “work friendly.”  As a last resort, you may be able to stay home with your child and still get some work done. Be sure to work out the details ahead of time with your boss and provide the sick kid with quiet boxes for kids filled with activities they can do.

Whatever childcare option you choose, it is vital to have good, open communication between you and the childcare provider. 

Set clear expectations about everything.

Include any routines, if you will have school work completed, what to do if they get stuck in their homeschool assignment or the child resists, and house rules.

Our Child Care Solution

In the end, I end up going with a combination of child care solutions. When possible, I worked opposite shifts from my husband, focusing on working weekends and evenings.

We also had a family member take both of my kids during the day. The children would pack a backpack filled with games, books to read, art supplies, and hands-on learning activities.

As a backup, we had a sitter we could call.

While my heart longed to stay home with my kids, knowing they were safe and taken care of really helped ease the irrational fears I had in the beginning.

Do you work and homeschool? What child care solution have you found that works for your family?

Once you have a few child care options picked out, the next step is interviewing them. If you need ideas of questions to ask a sitter, be sure to read: What To Ask Child Care Providers

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