Children who say "no" to everything you say need to be given boundaries for proper behavior in your home care environment. Many experienced child day care providers provide such children with a choice that gives the child a certain degree of freedom and control over his or her environment, though choices that stay within the boundaries of acceptable behavior and scheduling offered by the care provider.

Children who hit, pinch or push others should receive gentle reprimands followed by an explanation of why such behavior is unacceptable. If the child continues with such behavior, it is suggested that he or she be placed in "timeout", or be asked to play separately from others unless the child agrees to limit such behavior. If that method doesn't work, it is suggested that the day care provider discuss the issue with parents to determine a solution.

Studies have shown that positive reinforcement, encouragement, and plenty of love and affection help to minimize temper tantrums and unacceptable behaviors. This is not to say that your best efforts are going to prevent disagreements or fights over toys, or is able to prevent Sally from whining incessantly because she's not allowed to watch her favorite cartoon. However, patient caregivers are aware of various techniques that may help to reduce such issues.

For example, if two children want to play with the same toy, a childcare provider might offer each individual a fair amount of time alone with the toy. For example, Jake can have the truck for 15 minutes, and then he has to give it to David to play with for 15 minutes. Depending on their age, the caregiver may even broach the question of how to deal with the issue to the children themselves.

Children required to be away from home for long periods of time may grow fussy, frustrated, and angry. Let them know that you care, but do not allow them to take their frustrations out on others. This can be done with firm reprimands followed by kindness or signs of affection to let them know that you understand their feelings.

For more serious breaches of behavior, the "timeout" chair is appropriate for most age groups. However, extended periods of sit time are not effective for most age groups. A rule of thumb to follow is that a three-year-old sits in the chair for three minutes, a four-year-old for four minutes, and so on.

In addition, childcare providers are cautioned to provide 'alerts' or 'warnings' when one activity needs to be changed for another. For example, a schedule that requires the children cease playing in self-directed or free play in order to eat lunch or take a nap necessitates the childcare provider to give the children warning ahead of time that activities are changing soon. For example, say, "Okay, in ten minutes, we have to stop finger-painting so that we can eat lunch…"will give children an adequate amount of time to transition from one activity focus to another. This will also help to alleviate negative behaviors and outright refusals.

Some day care providers are asked to care for handicapped children who have special needs. For other daycare providers, the constant barrage of individual parent requests may often be overwhelming.

When it comes to dealing with such issues, day care providers must often bite their tongue and maintain a professional attitude, which includes being courteous and respectful, regardless of how picky, demanding or angry a parent might be. However, day care providers must also be able to stand firm regarding the rules of business regarding scheduling fees, hours, sick policies, and pickup times.

Communicate with parents on a daily or weekly basis. If you start to notice a trend of one parent picking up their child later and later every day, mention it before it gets out of hand. Relate your concerns and issues with a parent without threatening or insulting them. Many parents make the mistake of believing you are merely, "a babysitter". It is up to you to correct this attitude by assuring parents that you are performing and offering a valuable service, much like any service provider in the community, and that your schedule needs to be abided by.

If parents continually ignore your concerns or are chronically late in picking up their children or paying you for services, it is often necessary to terminate your relationship with these parents. Remember, you're not only doing them a favor, you're in business for yourself. It doesn't matter whether you are providing day care, nursing care, or plumbing services, a business is established to provide service or products to others and bills must be paid on time and office hours abided by.

The great majority of home daycare providers are young women with children of their own who have supportive spouses. Of course, there are some women who provide day care who aren't married, or who may be older with grown children who have since moved out of the home. However, most day care providers have husbands and small children who must be consulted about changes that may occur or expectations that may be required prior to opening a home daycare business.

Children of daycare providers often feel jealous, ignored, and overwhelmed by the sudden activity and demands on his or her mother. They often become irritable, tense, and develop negative behaviors in a bid for extra attention. Husbands may grow inpatient and dissatisfied with the demands placed on a spouse to provide childcare after work hours, weekends, and holidays.

Before initiating any child care business, it is essential that not only the child care provider knows what she is getting into, but that friends, spouses and children know and understand regarding the changes that can be expected with such a decision. Often, all it takes is an adjustment period that may last from a couple of weeks to a couple of months before additional family members have had an opportunity to adapt to the new environment. However, there are some cases in which spouses and children of a care provider are unable to or refuse to adapt to the new situation, which may doom your childcare business hopes.

To prevent such scenarios, it is suggested that child care providers and their spouses and children visit local day care centers around the neighborhood to gain some sense of a new and possible changes in environment in their own home. Potential childcare providers are also encouraged to ask questions about concerns or worries that may affect every member of a family.

If your business is growing, you may realize that you can't provide all of the necessary care on your own. At this point, you may need to hire an assistant or a partner. Help may be found through newspaper ads or through child care agencies, depending on individual need. Finding someone who is trained and able to share the responsibilities of your business requires careful interviewing and screening processes. Most of all, it requires patience.

Local or community childcare support groups are also available in many states, and may be found through your local Chambers of Commerce, Department of Social Services or telephone books. Whenever possible, it is suggested that child care providers join support groups and networks in order to gain exposure and experience with a wide range of individuals and small home-based businesses, who may be able to help clarify issues, questions, or concerns.

Networks and support groups are also be able to offer information and guidance on activities to do with children of multiple age groups, as well as guidance for such topics as self-esteem, development, and behavior issues. Several such organizations and associations may include but are not limited to the following:

Of course, there are many more out there, including the National Fire Protection Association, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, the National Association of Childcare Resource and Referral Agencies and so on.

Childcare providers are also encouraged to visit the state childcare websites that may often be accessed through the Departments of Child Services or asking for specific information from the National Child Care Information Center.