How to Open a Child Care Center?
Now, many parents are looking for daycare. If you love kids, opening a daycare can be an ingenious and fun business. Start by opening a small in-home daycare, or rent a larger business space to expand your business. This guide describes the requirements needed to open a daycare, how to open a daycare, ideas for finding customers, and how to profit from the business.
First Of All Preparing for the Opening of Child Care
Know the advantages and disadvantages of a daycare business.
If you want to open a daycare, you probably like kids. Before starting to open a daycare business, consider the following business elements:
1. Are you prepared to deal with accidents, child behavior problems, and other emergencies that may happen to your child? Consider taking first aid and CPR training, or early childhood teacher education before opening a daycare.
2. Parents of children will expect a lot when entrusting their children to you. They want their children to be educated and carry out good activities while they are in custody. An educational degree, teaching experience, or experience working in a daycare can be of great help to you.
3. After all, daycare is a business. As a business owner, you must manage your employees, do the bookkeeping, market your business, and take on other business-related responsibilities.
Decide which type of child care you want to open from the two types of child care below.
When choosing, consider the desire as well as financial capabilities and time.
1. Open up home childcare. This daycare offers a home-like environment for children. Generally, these businesses are small-scale and open to the neighborhood’s children.
2. Open a commercial daycare. This daycare is in a commercial location and can accommodate more children, resulting in more profits. Therefore, the owner can pay more employees.
Select a daycare location
Before opening a home daycare, make sure the room in your house is large enough for the child you will be looking after. Is the bathroom close to the play area? Is there an outdoor playground protected by a fence? The same is true when choosing a commercial childcare location. Choose a place with an area according to the number of children you will accommodate. Set up indoor and outdoor play areas, comfortable bathrooms, and a kitchen for cooking.
Know the permits required to open a daycare.
To legally open a business, you need a license, which may need to be renewed regularly.
1. The permits you need differ between in-home and commercial child care. Look for information about the required permissions before starting.
2. In order to obtain a permit, the home or childcare location may first need to be inspected to prove that the location meets the requirements.
3. Make sure the child care that you open has a guard-to-child ratio according to applicable regulations.
4. You may need to attend orientation or training before opening a daycare.
5. Prepare the necessary files and budget for the licensing process.
Organize Child Care
Create a safe and fun environment for children
No matter what type of childcare you plan to open, make sure it includes the following:
1. Safe place to play. Decorate the main playground with eye-catching decorations. Set up a break or reading room for children, and a playroom together. Set up a table so kids can make crafts, and buy a rollaway bed for naps.
2. Toys, books, art supplies, and other items that are entertaining and of educational value. Make sure the items you prepare are child-friendly and age-appropriate.
3. Healthy snacks, water, and juice. Also prepare plates, napkins, and glasses, according to the age of the child. If you don’t provide snacks for children, ask parents to bring some from home.
4. Bathroom or changing room for children. Buy bathroom necessities according to the age of the child. If you accept babysitting, prepare a changing table, diapers, and other baby necessities.
Pay attention to the business aspect.
After making sure your business meets licensing requirements, make sure you prepare your business properly.
1. Pay staff. Determine the positions that need to be staffed, conduct interviews, and select staff to help you run the business. Consider hiring staff with an early childhood education background.
2. Determine business operating hours, reception time, and child pick-up time.
3. Determine the service fee. How much will you charge parents? Contact other daycares in your area for reasonable rates. If you offer a special service, such as reading lessons, you may be able to charge more.
Make a schedule
Divide the time of day into reception time, reading time, playtime, meal time, bedtime, going out, and so on. Pay attention to the ages of the children you accept to design a suitable schedule.
1. Consider adding basic educational activities, such as reading and arithmetic, as part of child care services. You may also want to celebrate holidays, changing seasons, or other special occasions with your children.
Opening Child Care
Spread the word about childcare openings
Place advertisements online, in newspapers, or on notice boards for schools, houses of worship, and cafes.
Meet parents
Show your place of care to parents and children, introduce staff to them, and explain the schedule and curriculum you offer. Prepare administrative requirements for admitting children to your care.
Learn while running a business
After the business is opened, continue to develop the facilities, rules and structure of the program that you offer to provide maximum services to the children that your parents have entrusted to you. Child care that continues to grow will also attract many parents to entrust their children.
Remember That:
1. Always have a first aid kit ready.
2. If your kids are fighting, let it go!
3. You may want to keep animals that your child might like, such as rabbits or fish.