How to Open a Daycare Center

2007-03-08 10:33:40

( Business )



If you are thinking of opening a daycare center, below is some advice on how to open a daycare center.

You need to check with the local government agencies on the laws on operating daycare centers.

To learn how to open a daycare center is to start small preferably by offering babysitting services. As you become known for your business and your clientele grows, you can then opt to seek a bigger space to accommodate caring for more children.

You should consider relocating in either a vacant house with a big backyard, an old convenience store or grocery, or a store space within a mall or office building. Wherever you relocate, it is best to think about looking for ample parking space too.

You need to obtain approval from the zone city council before you open your daycare center.

Decide on your operating hours: an average day for daycare centers is from 6 am to 6 pm.

You will add about $6.00-$10.00 per week to your billing by serving breakfast. In some states it is compulsory to provide a mid morning and afternoon snack which can consist of cookies, juice and fresh fruit.

Plan your daily activities in one-hour segments. Younger children have shorter attention spans and tend to get bored easily. You can include indoor playtime, art and crafts demo, show and tell sessions, naptimes, outdoor play and educational trips to your activities aside from the mealtimes.

Because there is outdoor activity, a day care center should have a playground with a swing, slide, sandboxes and a jungle gym taking into consideration safety measures in case anyone is injured. Make sure that the playground is fenced in so that the kids don’t end up running out of your facility.

Purchase daycare insurance so that if any serious injuries occur, the daycare insurance can take care of paying the injured instead of your center having to pay from its own pocket.

Daycare costs anywhere from $35-65 per week with breakfast being charged at $5-10 per week. You should have a policy of paying in advance so you don’t have trouble with your bookkeeping and the funds can be used in your day-to-day operations.

You should also have a daycare center manager who overseas the day-to-day operations of your business. They should also be in charge of taking new clients around the facility.

Have strict measures for the pick up of kids.

As your center grows, you can add services such as pick up services or extended hours where children can be left for days without being picked up. You will have to hire extra help for this, and it has to be someone who specializes in taking care of kids such as nannies.

There are also computer programs that you can purchase to teach you how to open a daycare center and they are widely available on the Internet.


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