WORCESTER — It was a sunny Friday morning, and 4-year-old Annie was the Star of the Day at Cindy's Daycare.
There are many star children at Cindy Price's house at 3 Autumn St. in Worcester. Ms. Price, 53, mother to seven children — four by birth, plus three long-term foster children — has been a second mother for hundreds of other children since 1979.
Ms. Price is a licensed family day care provider, one of 300 in Worcester, according to the state Department of Early Education and Care.
“I started day care 30 years ago,” Ms. Price said in a recent interview. “When I started, I did not look at it as a business venture. I just started babysitting for two children.”
Ms. Price said the day care business has allowed her to stay at home and make extra money.
“My goal was to be at home with my children and raise my children,” said Ms. Price.
More than half of all business owners run their companies primarily out of a home, according to a 2007 Census Bureau survey.
A home-based business may be a good choice for people who are tired of the long commute, or who want to become their own boss and economize by moving out of a high-rent office. A home-based business often needs little startup capital, offering low overhead and flexibility.
The family day care business, one of thousands of kinds of home-based businesses, meets a growing need since the number of working parents is climbing. It can be easily started at home with an investment of as little as a few hundred dollars. Ms. Price said there are five other family day care providers within four blocks of her home, which is in a residential zone.
A home-based business is also a great tax saver. Ms. Price said almost 30 percent of her home bills can be deducted. Some of those deductions include property taxes, utility bills, insurance, depreciation, maintenance and repairs.
When asked about the biggest risk day care providers face, Ms. Price said they might be sued by parents if a child is hurt. In response, Ms. Price pays $800 a year for day care liability insurance, which has coverage for up to $1 million. She said she knows of only one suit, which involved a dog bite, and it happened to her friend a few years ago.
To run her business better, Ms. Price also went back to school at night to learn about medical care, which allows her to take care of children with special needs.
Family day care providers are required to have certain training and need to be licensed by the Department of Early Education and Care every three years. Once they get licensed, providers can have access to financial assistance from state and federal government sources through reimbursements, which are based on a set rate “per child per meal” for every child in a family day care facility. Ms. Price said she receives about $600 per month from the Bay State Food Program.
“It is a profitable business,” Ms. Price said. “I have always been full, and I do not feel the economy.”
The average family day care fee ranges from $180 to $250 a week in Worcester. Ms. Price charges $200 a week for children who are 2 to 5 years old, and she can have a maximum of 10 children. According to the state regulations, if the number of children is above six, the provider needs an assistant. Ms. Price's assistant is Marie Hackett, 53.
Ms. Price also pays $70 a month for a preschool curriculum. The monthly activity kits provide materials for children to learn letters, numbers, colors and shapes through a fun learning process.
Ms. Price said her marketing strategy is all about “word of mouth.” When she had openings, she would post advertisements on Craigslist and send emails to people she knew. Parents would spread the word if they saw notes on the front door.
“Being open and honest, keep parents and children happy and earn their trust, that is how I manage my business,” Ms. Price said.
Ms. Price said the parents must give her three weeks' notice of termination. “I asked for one-week deposit, and keep it until the last week,” Ms. Price said while taking pictures of the children and sending those pictures to their moms by phone.
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