Starting a Daycare as a Business
Good day. In one of the WhatsApp groups I belong to, one of the members shared a "ladder" with us about starting a Daycare Business.
There was a Question and Answer session you may also want to read.
There are few things to consider when starting a day care and I will take us through some of them step by step. These days day cares are on high demand. This is because of how busy people have become and also the fact that in many countries, we can no longer [easily] get responsible house helps.
When you want to start a daycare facility in your area, there are many things to consider (though different countries have different requirements). I am going to mention the general ones but do not forget to check with your country’s authority to see if there is more that is required of you. Try and meet your country’s day care business licensing requirements and [remember] you may have to obtain separate licensing to run a business in your city or town.
In addition to the legalities, you will also have to spend time choosing the right location for your facility, obtaining child care equipment and supplies, and hiring employees to help you care for the children. Though you will have to invest, it is good to do your careful planning. Day care business can be profitable and fulfilling if you plan yourself well and avoid being greedy
1. Research and understand the laws for running a day care center in your country. This is a good way to start the planning process, as you can choose a location and create a business plan with your country's licensing requirements in mind.
2. Develop a business plan for your day care center facility. Write your plans for starting your business as well as your goals for expanding it. Include estimated costs for starting and running your business as well. This is good for any business, not just daycares. Developing a business plan is very important. Including goals of what you want to achieve is very important
3. You can start small by starting in a residential place then [as the business grows], you move to a commercial place. Choose a good commercial space when that time comes. With your country’s licensing requirements in mind, select a facility that is spacious enough for children to play, rest and eat. Consider the amount of physical space you will need for your employees, furniture, toys and storage as well. In addition, you may do well to choose a facility that is close to public transportation and major highways in order for people to access the place easily. Remember if your place is not accessible people may not consider your daycare
4. Plan in advance what ages you want to take care of and also plan how you will use the day care space. For example, you may have different rooms for each age group or you may create a communal play space for all the kids then after that separate children into smaller groups for napping purposes, meal time and outdoor play times. You may also need a separate changing area if you will be caring for infants and toddlers. This will all depend on the ages of the children you take in.
5. Purchase the equipment and supplies you will need to run a day care center facility in advance. You will need child-sized furnishings. Please do not forget to get furniture for employees and visiting parents. This is a mistake done by many daycare owners.You may also need cribs, nap cots, high chairs and booster seats for the children in your care. In addition, you will need a plentiful selection of toys, puzzles, arts and crafts supplies, books and games to keep your little ones entertained. At this stage you need to realize that you also have to be a little flexible because kids can insist on dancing around with you, lol. When its play time for kids its playtime...if you are in a mood or not they will play with you
6. Obtain safety equipment for your day care center. Based on your country’s licensing standards, you may need smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, locks on closets that contain hazardous substances and locked medicine cabinets and also a first aid kit just in case of any injuries
7. Apply for a day care license in advance not when you are ready to start operating because this can bring you embarrassment. You may have to attend a licensing orientation, complete an application form which is obtained from the government office and pay a fee to obtain the license. Some country may require you to submit to an inspection of your facility as well as criminal background and child abuse history checks as part of the licensing process. In some countries they ask for certificate of good conduct in order to check your crime record and clear your name. Each of your workers may be subject to background checks as well.
8. You may need to obtain a business license application from the agency or ministry that handles business registrations in your country. Remember in some countries you need not just one license but several so do your homework well before they embarrass you by saying you cannot run the business.
9. Talk with an insurance agent or company about insuring your business. This insurance is separate from the medical one for children. When it comes to medical insurance for children, each and every parent needs to provide a copy of medical insurance for the children in case of any sickness or any accident. If some do not have the insurance, then you may have to speak to a medical insurance provider to provide one for them and charge the parents as part of school fees. You may also likely need liability insurance to pay claims for property damage. If you will provide transportation for the children in your care, you may also need business vehicle insurance.
10. Hire child care workers to help you in your day care facility, keeping your country’s licensing guidelines in mind. Depending on your country, you may have to adhere to age and educational standards for your day care workers. This step needs to be approached with a lot of care because it’s not everyone who works in a daycare who loves kids. Some of them can be so cruel to kids and cause them to be traumatized. Remember if kids are traumatized at a young age, it affects them in their adult hood and some of them become so reckless. Some irresponsible adults we see around us today are not the making of their own but the making of the caregiver in their early age. That is why one has to be very careful which school you take your children and also who you leave them with during the day.
11. Have CCTV cameras installed in your daycare. This helps the parents to have faith in your daycare. With all the video clips we have seen doing rounds on WhatsApp; this should be a priority as you plan for this business. It should be centrally located and have someone ready to monitor what is happening in the classes. It also makes the workers more responsible when they know that someone could be watching what they are doing. Being a parent of a beautiful baby girl I can assure you that the moment I walked into a daycare and found a CCTV camera I did not even want to know how expensive the place was. I was sold out and ready to enroll my baby there
12. Conduct a research on how much people are charging and start with a lower charge. Do not start charging so much because people may prefer to go to the one they already know.
Please do not forget to be friendly to parents when they come to inquire about the daycare and when they come to pick their kids. Remember a satisfied customer brings ten more but one who is dissatisfied will go with ten more
Thank you
Mariapia Otiso is the mother of a beautiful girl and the wife of a handsome man. You can reach her by sending an email.
There was a Question and Answer session you may also want to read.
There are few things to consider when starting a day care and I will take us through some of them step by step. These days day cares are on high demand. This is because of how busy people have become and also the fact that in many countries, we can no longer [easily] get responsible house helps.
When you want to start a daycare facility in your area, there are many things to consider (though different countries have different requirements). I am going to mention the general ones but do not forget to check with your country’s authority to see if there is more that is required of you. Try and meet your country’s day care business licensing requirements and [remember] you may have to obtain separate licensing to run a business in your city or town.
In addition to the legalities, you will also have to spend time choosing the right location for your facility, obtaining child care equipment and supplies, and hiring employees to help you care for the children. Though you will have to invest, it is good to do your careful planning. Day care business can be profitable and fulfilling if you plan yourself well and avoid being greedy
1. Research and understand the laws for running a day care center in your country. This is a good way to start the planning process, as you can choose a location and create a business plan with your country's licensing requirements in mind.
2. Develop a business plan for your day care center facility. Write your plans for starting your business as well as your goals for expanding it. Include estimated costs for starting and running your business as well. This is good for any business, not just daycares. Developing a business plan is very important. Including goals of what you want to achieve is very important
3. You can start small by starting in a residential place then [as the business grows], you move to a commercial place. Choose a good commercial space when that time comes. With your country’s licensing requirements in mind, select a facility that is spacious enough for children to play, rest and eat. Consider the amount of physical space you will need for your employees, furniture, toys and storage as well. In addition, you may do well to choose a facility that is close to public transportation and major highways in order for people to access the place easily. Remember if your place is not accessible people may not consider your daycare
4. Plan in advance what ages you want to take care of and also plan how you will use the day care space. For example, you may have different rooms for each age group or you may create a communal play space for all the kids then after that separate children into smaller groups for napping purposes, meal time and outdoor play times. You may also need a separate changing area if you will be caring for infants and toddlers. This will all depend on the ages of the children you take in.
5. Purchase the equipment and supplies you will need to run a day care center facility in advance. You will need child-sized furnishings. Please do not forget to get furniture for employees and visiting parents. This is a mistake done by many daycare owners.You may also need cribs, nap cots, high chairs and booster seats for the children in your care. In addition, you will need a plentiful selection of toys, puzzles, arts and crafts supplies, books and games to keep your little ones entertained. At this stage you need to realize that you also have to be a little flexible because kids can insist on dancing around with you, lol. When its play time for kids its playtime...if you are in a mood or not they will play with you
6. Obtain safety equipment for your day care center. Based on your country’s licensing standards, you may need smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, locks on closets that contain hazardous substances and locked medicine cabinets and also a first aid kit just in case of any injuries
7. Apply for a day care license in advance not when you are ready to start operating because this can bring you embarrassment. You may have to attend a licensing orientation, complete an application form which is obtained from the government office and pay a fee to obtain the license. Some country may require you to submit to an inspection of your facility as well as criminal background and child abuse history checks as part of the licensing process. In some countries they ask for certificate of good conduct in order to check your crime record and clear your name. Each of your workers may be subject to background checks as well.
8. You may need to obtain a business license application from the agency or ministry that handles business registrations in your country. Remember in some countries you need not just one license but several so do your homework well before they embarrass you by saying you cannot run the business.
9. Talk with an insurance agent or company about insuring your business. This insurance is separate from the medical one for children. When it comes to medical insurance for children, each and every parent needs to provide a copy of medical insurance for the children in case of any sickness or any accident. If some do not have the insurance, then you may have to speak to a medical insurance provider to provide one for them and charge the parents as part of school fees. You may also likely need liability insurance to pay claims for property damage. If you will provide transportation for the children in your care, you may also need business vehicle insurance.
10. Hire child care workers to help you in your day care facility, keeping your country’s licensing guidelines in mind. Depending on your country, you may have to adhere to age and educational standards for your day care workers. This step needs to be approached with a lot of care because it’s not everyone who works in a daycare who loves kids. Some of them can be so cruel to kids and cause them to be traumatized. Remember if kids are traumatized at a young age, it affects them in their adult hood and some of them become so reckless. Some irresponsible adults we see around us today are not the making of their own but the making of the caregiver in their early age. That is why one has to be very careful which school you take your children and also who you leave them with during the day.
11. Have CCTV cameras installed in your daycare. This helps the parents to have faith in your daycare. With all the video clips we have seen doing rounds on WhatsApp; this should be a priority as you plan for this business. It should be centrally located and have someone ready to monitor what is happening in the classes. It also makes the workers more responsible when they know that someone could be watching what they are doing. Being a parent of a beautiful baby girl I can assure you that the moment I walked into a daycare and found a CCTV camera I did not even want to know how expensive the place was. I was sold out and ready to enroll my baby there
12. Conduct a research on how much people are charging and start with a lower charge. Do not start charging so much because people may prefer to go to the one they already know.
Please do not forget to be friendly to parents when they come to inquire about the daycare and when they come to pick their kids. Remember a satisfied customer brings ten more but one who is dissatisfied will go with ten more
Thank you
Mariapia Otiso is the mother of a beautiful girl and the wife of a handsome man. You can reach her by sending an email.
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