Tips for Starting a Day Care Business

You want to be with your kids, you need an income, you want to be your own boss.  You've looked at all the dubious self employment options and you keep coming back to the idea of starting a day care business.  But it has remained an idea.  Why?  Fear of the unknown, fear of taking the risk, fear of falling at the first child care hurdle.

If you want to start a day care business my advice to you is remove the fear.  Get a taster of the child care business first and see if it is a profession you would enjoy. Immerse yourself in a day care environment for research purposes.  Get a job or offer your services at a day care or child care service.  Try to find one that will allow you to bring your children with you or get a kindly family member to do your child care while you are researching.  Do whatever it takes toget the time off work.  Remember, this is your day care dream future youare planning.

There is nothing like on the ground experience to figure out your suitability for a particular profession particulary child care. Hands on,practical experience will introduce you to the nitty gritty of day care daily operations. You can learn invaluable lessons and glean tips and hints that could otherwise cause you to fall at the first hurdle.  Observation and practical application within a child care environment is great for figuring out what works and what doesn't.

Your day care research period should be your sponge phase soaking up every jot of child care information. Have a pen and paper to hand and take notes on your lunch break or right after you get home while it is still fresh in your mindbefore you forget those little child care nuggets. Absorb all the day care paperwork, policies and procedures every chance you get. You won't remember it all now but it will give you an overview of how it all fits together to facilitate the smooth running of any child care operation.

Ask lots of questions particularly of the senior, experienced child care staff and the day care owner.   Observe how they work, their methods of interaction with children, parents and other staff. Try to identify different child care staff roles e.g. does each day care room have a keyworker and assistants? How is the team dynamic and could it be improved?  Hone in on any behavioural problems and notice what is the procedure for dealing with same.  Note what you consider to be weaknesses at this particular day care and use that knowledge to your advantage as alesson in what not to do at your child care service.

Every successful day care business has effective systems, policies and procedures in place enabling it to run smoothly.  The same applies to any form of child care business, once you remove the fear of the unknown by immersing yourself in the daily operations of a day care all the pieces will come together in your head enabling you to get beyond the fear to a more confident and constructive place. Most importantly though, it will give you a very good idea if child care is a business in which you could thrive. Passion and interest are paramount in child care…
So, get researching.  You are on the path to the perfect day care business for you and your family.