The Daycare Sisters

Leave us a voicemail at 651-300-2277. We will weigh in on the podcast, and so will the community. Your question could help thousands of providers. Rebekah spent 15 years in child care centers, most recently as a director, then opened a home daycare in the basement of her Maryland townhouse. She and Brandee get into small-space setup, running mixed ages from 14 months to 7 years, homeschooling her...

Leave us a voicemail at 651-300-2277. Your question could help thousands of providers. Brandee and Erin answer your voicemails: how to cope with caregiver overstimulation, what to do about a toddler who hits and bites, and how to terminate a daycare family when behavior becomes a safety problem. If you run a home daycare or family child care program, this one covers the hard parts nobody warns you...

She quit her home daycare, ran a childcare center for four years, then reopened the home daycare she had walked away from. In this episode, Brandee sits down with home daycare provider Jess to talk about burnout, boundaries, and why the grass wasn't greener. If you run a home daycare or family child care program, this one is about protecting your energy: shorter hours, real policies, picking t...

In this episode we cover how to balance a home daycare with family life without burning out, from simplifying meals to setting closing policies. We also get real about why almost nobody feels like they know what they're doing at first, and why that's okay. CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Intro and the loneliness of home daycare 00:00:54 Facebook milestone and the new voicemail line 00:02:18 Voicemail: b...

In this episode, we talk with Rush, owner of Poppins Daycare in New Orleans, about running a legally unlicensed, infant-only home daycare. We cover what it's like to move from Malaysia to start a daycare business, why she chose infants only, and how licensing works differently state to state. https://www.instagram.com/hostasister https://www.facebook.com/groups/hostasister If you run a home da...

In this episode, we get honest about the year we couldn't get it together. We talk burnout, mental load, brain fog, longer hours, and the pressure to do it all as a home daycare provider. If you run a home daycare or family child care program and you have felt forgetful, stretched thin, or like you are the only one struggling to keep up, this one is for you. You are not alone. The comedian Bra...

Running a home daycare is one thing. Running one while raising twins, managing a first responder husband’s schedule, and figuring out policies as you go? That’s a whole different conversation. In this episode, Brandee sits down with Danielle, a certified early childhood educator and private home daycare owner in Ontario, Canada. Danielle has been running her daycare for five years, including throu...

In this episode, Brandee and Erin get personal about their hysterectomies - one sister had hers in 2022 and the other is heading into surgery the day after this recording. They cover years of being dismissed by doctors before diagnosis, the four types of hysterectomy, what recovery actually looks like, and the hard truth about taking time off when you run a home daycare. If you run a home daycare,...

In this episode, Brandee interviews Courtney, a legally unlicensed home daycare provider in Wisconsin who has built a large following as a daycare content creator. They cover what legally unlicensed care actually means, screening families before interviews, and balancing daycare with family life. If you run a home daycare or family child care program, this honest conversation will help you take yo...

In this episode we talk about what summer really looks like when you run a home daycare, from weaning kids off naps to saying goodbye to families and finding free things to do. If you run a home daycare, a family child care program, or you work with young children, this one will help you get through the end of the year and head into summer feeling a little less alone. KEY TAKEAWAYS- Summer in home...

Brandee sits down with Krista, "Krista the babysitter," who left center work after years of burnout to run her own in-home daycare, where she now earns more and chooses her own families, hours, and rules. https://www.facebook.com/KristaTheBabysitterhttps://www.tiktok.com/@kristathebabysitterhttps://www.instagram.com/kristathebabysitter/If you run a home daycare or family child care progr...

We cover how to manage multi-age groups in a home daycare — infants, toddlers, and preschoolers all at once — including how to set up your space, plan around the babies, and teach different ages at the same table. If you run a home daycare or family child care program, this one is honest about why multi-age is one of the hardest parts of the job, plus the real benefits of kids growing up together....

Brandee talks with Emily, a family daycare provider in Australia, about what home-based childcare looks like outside the United States. Emily shares how she started her family daycare, what licensing and provider support look like in Australia, how safety rules affect her home, and why she focuses on nature, community, preschool independence, excursions, and Christian values in her program. She al...

In this episode, we reflect on 20 episodes of The Daycare Sisters Podcast, why we started it, and how isolating home daycare can feel. We talk about provider loneliness, building community, what surprised us about podcasting, listener feedback, interviews with other providers, and why conversations between daycare providers matter. If you run a home daycare or family child care program, this episo...

Brandee talks with Alexa about running a licensed home daycare completely out of her basement. Alexa shares how her basement daycare setup helps keep her family space separate, gives the children a dedicated childcare area, and creates an easy flow to the backyard through her walk-out basement. They also talk about daycare licensing, food program visits, caring for infants through kindergarten, pl...

Jenn has been doing daycare since 1998, and she shares what decades in home daycare have taught her about staffing, licensing, parent communication, winter weather closures, burnout, boundaries, and running a child care business from home. If you run a home daycare or family child care program, this conversation will help you think through the real-life side of daycare: how to stay organized, when...

In this episode of the Daycare Sisters Podcast, Brandee talks with Cattie, a home daycare provider who grew up in her mother’s daycare before eventually taking over the business herself. Cattie shares the emotional story of continuing her mom’s home daycare legacy after her passing while also raising her own children inside the daycare environment she once experienced as a child. They discuss: • R...

Infant daycare spots are hard to find, and in this episode, we talk about why. We cover why providers can’t always hold or open spots, how home daycare ratios and licensing limits affect availability, and what parents may not realize about waitlists, cost, and timing. We also share a quick Daycare Sisters community update, meet the new chicks, and talk through the provider side of infant care: ear...

In this episode of The Daycare Sisters Podcast, Brandy talks with Danielle, a mom of three in Richmond, Virginia, who is leaving a 15-year corporate HR career to open her own home daycare. Danielle shares what led her to child care, what the licensing process looked like, how she is preparing her home, and the behind-the-scenes paperwork that new providers often do not see coming. This conversatio...

We break down exactly how new daycare providers can find their first families—even if you’re starting with no clients, no reputation, and no referrals. We cover simple, realistic strategies that actually work—from yard signs and local visibility to networking with other providers and using social media. If you’re starting a home daycare or struggling to fill your first spots, this episode will hel...

We talk with Megan, a former kindergarten teacher who turned burnout and motherhood into starting her own home daycare business. In this episode, we get into the real experience of running an in-home daycare—what it actually looks like day to day, the challenges of balancing work and family, and the emotional side of being both a provider and a mom. We cover: Work-life balance in home daycare Mom...

We break down the real differences between home daycare and child care centers, including cost, flexibility, scheduling, and what actually matters when choosing care. If you’re a parent or daycare provider, this episode will help you understand your options and choose what works best for your family or business Key Takeaways -Home daycare is typically more affordable than centers -Centers offer lo...

We talk with a former police officer who hit burnout and made a life-changing decision... starting a home daycare. She shares what burnout really felt like, how she made the leap into childcare, and how she eventually found balance again by setting boundaries, changing her schedule, and building a daycare that works for her life. If you run a home daycare or are feeling overwhelmed in childcare, t...

We continue the conversation about maternity leave, sharing real experiences, tough realities, and why this matters for daycare providers and families. We talk about what it is actually like to take little to no maternity leave while running a home daycare, the financial pressure behind those decisions, and why many providers return to work before they are ready. This is not about having all the a...

We talk with Alexis, a home daycare provider and advocate, about what’s really happening behind the scenes in family child care. https://www.tiktok.com/@missalexis_homedaycare We dive into home daycare advocacy, including licensing challenges, burnout, policies, and what providers are experiencing across the country. Alexis shares her experience running a successful in-home daycare, navigating reg...