Starting A Daycare Means You're Actually Starting A Business

By Author: Tom Shieh
Total Articles: 16
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For somebody with no business experience owning a business can be stressful. The organization needed in building a business from scratch is a major stumbling block to would-be entrepreneurs. Starting a daycare is just like starting any new business. You have to have the expertise needed, the time, energy and resources. However, one advantage of starting this type of business is that you can do this from home. As long as you like caring for children, converting your house to a facility for educating and caring for children is the easy part.

In starting any business endeavor, you have to begin with local rules, regulations, policies, laws and requirements. You also have to make a study of the potential market and competition. That means you have to find out how many children of daycare age are in your neighborhood. You also have to know how far the nearest daycare centers are from where you live.

Among other things, it would help if you can write up a feasibility study for a daycare center in your area. This would include the population and demographics, as well as include data regarding other daycares ...
... within or near the area.

After the feasibility study, you might then need to create a checklist for the steps you need to take in registering your business. Included in the checklist are a list of things to do including checking with your local authorities regarding the pertinent zoning laws, and what steps you have to follow to get the permits and licenses.

If local regulations have a requirements list for a daycare center, make sure you comply with this prior to any inspection. It would also help if you can get yourself accredited with organizations for preschool education, or a daycare association or local certification agency. Being accredited with these standards boards and organizations will be a big boost in your enrollment.

While in the organizational stage, it would be good if you can also look into any grants or financial aid for daycare centers. There are grants for established daycare centers, as well as for startups. The money may come a long way in helping you in the first year of operations.

Internally, you also need to have the necessary forms for the parents and children. These forms range from parents' permits, to notifications, and medical data. Having these standard forms will make running the daycare that much easier for you. You can download these forms, their templates and get plenty of valuable information from OwnADaycare.com.

After having complied with local government regulations, pre-school education requirements, you can then hang up your shingle, and do an information and enrollment campaign. One way to do this is to have an open house, inviting the neighborhood in for a visit. The aim of this is not only to introduce the center to the neighborhood, but also to make your neighbors feel at ease and comfortable with your presence. In this venue you have to step up and put your best foot forward. Try not to think of it as a sales pitch, but as a getting-to-know-you or a coming out party.

Remember that besides the necessary skill set, starting a daycare is well worth it if your heart is into it. If your heart is in it then you should consider starting a daycare from your own home.

Tom is a freelance writer from Colorado, having a diverse background which has allowed him to be an expert on a number of different subject matters. He has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, M.S. in Telecommunications, and runs and operates hundreds of sites. If you are searching ultimate resource in learning How to Start a Daycare or Start a Daycare, in home or business so please visit at www.ownadaycare.com