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8 - The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, November 24,1998 30 yean iness 487 Laurier Ave., 878-2881 Little down time for day care entrepreneur Y ou have to be on all the time, every shift. And you can't hide if you're having a bad day. Day care seems so easy. Keep one eye on a few kids, watch your soaps, manage a few household chores, and it's easy to have dinner on the table at SIX. According to Rebecca Caspar, day care can be like that, but it shouldn't. Ms Caspar has been operat- ing a day care out of her Briar Crescent home for the past year. A lengthy description of activities she sets for her young charges seems likely to keep them busy enough, until she begins with the afternoon list and the realization sinks in of just how hectic ber schedule is. Ms Caspar used the services of the Halton Child Care Registry, which seeks to link parents of children needing day care with local providers. The registry helped ber get started as a small business and has kept ber client list full since the beginning, she said. "I needed information and they were there," said Ms Caspar. "I found the registry very helpful. I didn't have to advertise and I used their ser- vice to become licensed. Most of the other agencies take a cut off the top." Affiliation through the reg- istry also provides some dis- count offers on food and art supplies from area companies. In addition the registry insur- ance policy saves the day care $34 a month in coverage. Ms Caspar also takes care of ber own five-year-old son Cory. She says operating a day care provides ber with the opportunity to be with ber son and allows ber to make a lot more money than she would as an early childhood educator. Tbe child care industry typi- cally pays its front line employees about $18,000 per year, while Ms Caspar said she will make more than $30,000 this year. "It's organized as a small business," she explained in between answering questions from inquisitive Taryn. 'To me it's a career. I provide a con- tract to parents. There are emergency forms, transporta- tion forms, medical forms and accident forms that need to be filled out. Everything is cov- ered." In the event that she is unable to take children on a particular day parents are encouraged to have a back-up care giver. Ms Caspar said she has only taken three days off in the past year, two for funerals, and with the contingency plans in place there was no difficulty. Reliability is a key in this industry. Her contract requires that she give four weeks notice for holi- day time but she has provided parents with four months notice on an upcoming holiday. Ms Caspar has substantial background in childhood edu- cation and development. She holds a degree in social work and was employed for some time in a group home facility for high-demand young offend- ers. She said work there was not what she had expected so she began to look into other areas. She said one-on-one contact with the kids is what first attracted her to day care. In fact, she is limited by law to caring for no more than five children other than her own. In a typical large day care center the ratio between staff and chil- dren is more likely 10-1. The day begins before 8 a.m. when the first two children arrive at her door. Another comes at 8:30 a.m. and the final one arrives at nine. • see DAY on page 15 Photo by GRAHAM PAINE Youngsters Adam O'Donnell-Gillies and Cory Early play a game of Snakes and Ladders at a local day care centre. Registry seeks uniform day care rules to regulate system across the region Seek the underpinnings of the workaday world and you will find the foundation anchored in a little known web of independent child care services. Child care comes in as many shapes and sizes as cbildren them- selves. There are large day care centers, licensed organizations, some of which are operated by big corporations for their employ- ees. Then there are independents and small businesses. However, the most pervasive type of child care is the compliant neighbour who takes in a few of the local kids for a fee. This unregulated industry has caused some concem among par- ents and local govemments. There are guidelines for operating a day care but they are not well known nor are they strictly fol- lowed. The new Halton Child Care Registry is aimed at shedding some light on these issues for both parents and day care providers. Operating as a referral service for parents, the registry workers are also trying to get day care providers in Halton to sign on and abide by minimum guidelines. Registered day cares and their operators are scrutinized by cross-checking criminal and Children's Aid Society records of those working or living on the premises. In addition, operators have a fire and safety check done and are provided with provin- cial regulations. In the end it is supposed to give some level of comfort to ner- vous parents and offer neighbourhood operations insight into how they should be running - while providing a steady stream of referrals to match supply and demand. "Parents need to know," said Janet Proctor, marketing director for the organization. "People have cared for children in their homes for years. We are trying to make the services more consis- tent." The Halton Child Care Registry office is located in Milton at the old train station in Chris Hadfield Park. It falls under the a see THOUSANDS on page 9 BBQ Chicken Sandwich (Hot or Cold) .... $4 Slice of Cake and Coffee .... Large Caesar.......... Sandwich w Side Slador Soup & Pop (600mI).. w, Discounts on business luncheons ù ù Catering available 'à< Breakfast available û * Fresh roasted coffee ù i New - fresh pasta now available ùc * Hot Soup available * \I ~Book your privatefunction or Christmas party now!!! Delivery available for lunches!!! " 1 377 Main St. OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 7A.M. - 10 P.M. 878-9232