Day care business is one that involves a child care unit giving parents the opportunity to keep their children for a period of time during the daytime for custody, awareness and concern.
The popularity and need for a day care business continues to grow as a result of the steady increase of single mothers and working couples.
Also non-working mothers use the day care to inculcate a healthier preschool learning experience for their child.
WHY YOU SHOULD START A DAY CARE BUSINESS
A day care business is one great profit potential but you have to start out with the right location and position yourself correctly in the market.
Over the past few decades, the day care industry has grown rapidly and shows no signs of decreasing.
There is a scarcity of excellent day care services in various areas.
The income potential for the day care business is on the increase as parents demand an advanced standard of care and are prepared to spend more to make sure that their children spend their early years in an excellent environment.
Another reason why you should get involved in the day care business is if you love being around children as being involved in the day care business gives you the opportunity to educate, care for and have fun with children.
Seeing children grow, learn and develop as a result of your efforts will offer you a great deal of satisfaction and is one reason why you should go into the day care business.
Day care business presents you with an opportunity to work from home.
Opening and managing a day care business give you a chance as a parent to spend quality time with your own children and to generate a more interesting environment for them.
Take note of the following tips before starting your day care business:
FIND OUT ABOUT THE NECESSARY REQUIREMENTS TO RUN A DAY CARE IN YOUR AREA
Finding out about the necessary requirements you need to run a day care business in your area will help you decide if you are up to the task and you are ready to run a day care.
This is as a result of the fact that there are certain licenses and permits needed to run a day care and this varies from area to area.
But this is a paramount stage as the day care business involves the lives of little children, so starting right is crucial.
DETERMINE WHAT TYPE OF DAY CARE BUSINESS YOU WILL LIKE TO RUN
It is important that you decide whether you want to run a home-based day care business or you want to get a space specially for your day care.
It is advisable however to start small from your home if you have adequate space so as to minimize costs.
You will need to determine how many kids you can handle, if you can meet up with certain child welfare regulations, what age range of kids you would like to have at your day care and if you have help from another adult to help you look after the kids.
This is important so as to decide how you want your day care business to run.
Come to a decision on how large your day care business will be.
GET AN IDEAL LOCATION
Searching for an ideal location is one of the crucial steps to consider before starting a day care business.
You can use your house if you have adequate space.
If the space in your house is however inadequate, you will need to look for a place with an outdoor vicinity for kids to run around in.
Ensure your ideal location has a gate so as to ensure the children do not go out easily.
Get a location with big space inside for naps and indoor activities.
Your ideal day care centre location should also have countertops, a toilet and a kitchen.
HAVE A BUSINESS PLAN FOR YOUR DAY CARE BUSINESS
You will need a business plan before starting your day care business as a business plan will help you plan and focus.
A business plan will help you determine how you want to run your own day care business and give you an idea of how your business will be.
If you are however seeking for additional investment for your day care business, a business plan will help you as banks or financial investors would not invest if you don’t have a business plan.
Ensure your budget is included in your business plan.
DO A PROPER RESEARCH
Carry out a proper research on the appropriate child care in the vicinity where you want your day care to be located.
Research is essential when it comes to day care as it gives you an insight into the kind of services parents will like for their children.
If you carry out a thorough research, planning your business smoothly from marketing to the way your business will go will be an easy task for you.
A research will help you find out if there are certain needs which need to be addressed in that particular vicinity and help you determine if you can meet this needs.
It could be simple needs such as preparation of meals for children with a choice of a regular diet or vegetarian or offering sign or bilingual languages which could be helpful for some children.
After which you have done all these, you would be sure you want to start a day care business.
As you would be starting your day care business, take note of the following additional tips
HAVE A GOOD BUSINESS NAME AND THEME
Conduct a business name search.
Select a good name for your business, one that would be easy to remember and leave a lasting impression.
Ensure your business brand is one that is inviting especially for the kids.
REGISTER YOUR DAY CARE BUSINESS
Register your business with your state’s business registration division.
Register your business legitimately and legally.
DETERMINE YOUR PRICE RANGE
Determine your price range according to the ages of the kids and hours spent at the day care.
Note that some day care facilities charge for a full week where the child comes in every day of the week or not.
Determining your price range and how you want to charge is crucial for your day care business.
Find out from other day care centres concerning their charges and how they go about it, this will help you.
HAVE A PROPER AGREEMENT
Come up with a reasonable agreement or policy handbook for your day care business.
You can do this with your legal adviser or a professional, this is to put in writing the terms and conditions for your day care centre.
Parents are to sign this agreement before you start taking in their kids at your day care.
INSURE YOUR DAY CARE BUSINESS
Insurance is a good way to protect your day care business from many unseen circumstances.
Ensure you get the right type of insurance for your day care business.
Do not be mistaken to think that an agreement or policy handbook will keep you safe from being sued.
EQUPMENTS YOU NEED AT YOUR DAY CARE CENTRE
For infant care, you need :
- bedding,
- beds specifically made for infants
- appropriate infant toys,
- a safe play area,
- a high chair,
- cribs,
- cleaning and diaper changing supplies,
- proper disposal area
You will also need drinks and food for babies such asbaby food and milk among other things.
For kids that are above infant age, you will need more matured toys, story books, books with signs suitable for their age, bed and beddings, food and a suitable toilet area among other things.
HIRE STAFF (IF NECESSARY)
As your business grows, you will frequently need to employ extra staff.
Ensure they go through the certification process and approval your state wants.
All staff before employment must undergo a proper background check to be certain that they don’t have a criminal record and that nothing forbids them from being around children.
MARKET YOUR DAY CARE BUSINESS
Once you have everything prepared and your day care business is ready, you will need to advertise your daycare business so that people will know that your business exists and that you are set to start receiving customers.
Publicize your business on your local radio station, put out posters, hand out fliers and place an ad in local newspaper to let everyone know that your day care is opened and running.
Tell your friends and everyone you come across on a daily basis about your day care services and ask them to recommend you to people around them.
CONCLUSION
Needless to say, the single most significant quality you should have is a true love for kids as you will be spending quality time with these children and their parents will be looking to you to provide quality service to their children.
Having patience and a calm attitude if things get a little chaotic, is critical when working with children.
Also, having previous experience with children is an important prerequisite.
If you have taken care of children in the past or you are a mother, you can draw from that experience for your day care business.
You must always demonstrate understanding and patience with children as you will be accountable for them.
You continually need to show parents that their kids are in competent hands.
DAY CARE BUSINESS RESOURCES
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