You can make your day care stand out from the crowd, set it apart from the competition and as such, keep it full to capacity with children of happy parents. In order to achieve this desirable end you can take some small, cheap, easy to implement steps that will guarantee results.  Some take a little effort, others a little thought and some a little money but that investment in your business will supply you with unique selling points that will ensure the success of your day care. 

 So, a prospective parent arrives at your door brim full of cynicism and thoughts filled with negative day care tales – how do you get across to them that you are the real deal, that you provide quality child care?  Effective policies will indicate to parents the philosophy of your service and how your agreed and consistent methods of doing things will ensure the wellbeing of their children. Your policies are clear guidelines as to exactly how your business is run and should outline every procedure for every eventuality. 

Read more in my article here:  http://www.childcareonly.com/starting-your-business/how-to-make-your-day-care-stand-out-and-more-profitable/

 People will always require some form of childcare because people will always need to work to make ends meet despite all talk of downsizing and tough times.  They may look to change aspects of their child care arrangements due to changes in income and job rationalization.  Sadly, one of the first areas to get hit by cost cutting measures is the area of child care – and a recession is sure to see many people re-evaluating their cost of living.  More affordable options will benefit due to the exodus from bigger, expensive day care centers.

Read more in my article here:  http://www.childcareonly.com/starting-your-business/why-you-should-start-a-day-care-in-a-recession/

Positioned centrally on a commercial lot she is constructing a massive, 7,000+ square foot daycare center complete with all mod cons.  Each age group will have it's own room (with multiple rooms for the afterschool service) and all custom designed by the lady herself because, after years of on the ground experience, she knows exactly what she wants, what works and what doesn't. 

What I really loved about her concept is the ingenious way she had designed her play areas.  Each age group will also have their own outdoor play ground plus a  gym will be installed for indoor activities (always handy for the bad weather) complete with a theater for those creative and imaginative forays.  Staff and parents haven't been forgotten either thanks to the inclusion of a welcoming reception area and relaxing staff quarters.

Speaking to this fiercely entrepreneurial woman made me realise the importance of vision, fearlessness and experience when opening a daycare center.  Combine all of those traits and you're on a winner!

www.startchildcare.com

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Our training covers everything that isn't blatantly obvious, so matter what your needs you'll be able to get set up appropriately.
www.startchildcare.com

No more excuses.  This deal can't be beat!

Turnkey, tried and tested, lots of hand holding – all make a day care franchise vey appealing.   Customer loyalty is more easily acquired thanks to instant brand recognition. Licensing, staff/owner training, building selection, getting funding, the building process and actually opening your business will be covered in the development process. 

Ongoing direction and support for staff may be included in the package along with a proprietary curriculum and building design templates.  Operations manuals will make hitting the ground running a breeze and having the use of a recognized brand for advertising may well mean a busy opening day. Home office support can be part of come franchises also.  For more on the daycare franchises and montessori day care curriculum question read my article:
http://www.childcareonly.com/starting-your-business/daycare-franchises-montessori-day-care-so-many-choices/

 The health, welfare, safety and wellbeing of the children are covered by the regulations which are the law and therefore a given in any day care.  If you desire an exceptional, above average child care center to be your domain then you need build upon the legal requirements.  You need to consider that you might be in the wrong business if you haven’t already gone above and beyond that which is writ.

Read more about daycare requirements and day care regulations in my article here:   http://www.childcareonly.com/daily-operations/are-daycare-requirements-and-day-care-regulations-the-same-thing/

Before you begin the process give some thought to your suitability and ponder the following;  how much do you like children (do you like them ten hours a day like them??).  Are you super patient,capable of withstanding an ongoing onslaught or are you likely to be popping valium within a week?  Are you truly up for the massive responsibility that is the safety of someone else's precious angel?  Do you have a clone on standby for your vacations/nervous breakdowns?  Are your family likely to move out?

So, you're satisfied you have the nerves of steel required and are ready to leap into the day care licensing application process.  International and state day care licensing requirements, application procedures and regulations vary and you’ll need to do the research for your area. Ofsted deal with UK licensing: www.ofsted.gov.uk/childcare and in Ireland the Health Service Executive handle day care registration applications.  Information on all USA day care licensing and day care certification can be found here:  http://nrc.uchsc.edu and Canada here: http://canada.gc.ca/othergov/prov_e.html. 

Read more here: http://www.childcareonly.com/starting-your-business/day-care-licensing-tips/

A well publicized Open Day is the secret, highly effective marketing event that anyone starting a day care can organize.  I speak from personal experience having held just such an event when opening my day care and the business that resulted from that one day was phenomenal.  The start a day care open day guide is here for the taking:

 http://www.childcareonly.com/starting-your-business/start-a-day-care-the-magical-marketing-event-that-will-have-you-full-in-no-time/

It's the age old question; 'How can I market my day care business locally without it costing an arm and a leg?'.  Truly, it's not that difficult, just takes a little hard, consistent work.  First off,  get some stationary printed which should consist of; 

- Letterheads
- Business cards
- Small flyers/brochures for distribution. These should offer a tantalising taste of all that is good about your day care including;
  Read more in my article here: 

http://www.childcareonly.com/starting-your-business/marketing-your-day-care-locally/

I tend to divide my marketing into two main categories – local and internet.  So, let's start with the local based stuff by going back to basics and talking about branding your business.  While some of this may seem pretty obvious it actually raises key issues that many people gloss over.  A vital consideration before you begin is deciding on a name and logo for your day care business. 

Don't forget this will hopefully remain with you for a long time to come and become synonomous with those qualities you consider integral to your business.  So, you need to decide if your name will denote clean cut, expert professionalism?  Or maybe you wish to portray your business as a happy, child friendly realm of fun and frolics?  Perhaps your image will be one of a warm, nurturing and caring home from home? Either way, your day care name will need to reflect those qualities.

The next logical step in your local marketing plan is signage – and the power of a good sign should never be underestimated.  This is a once off investment that will pay dividends for years to come.  Your sign should be a snap shot of what is great about your business i.e. professional, expert, caring, warm, homely. 

I would consider having multiple signs made (including temporary correx signs and banners should the need arise for specific events).  Look into installing
signs in areas of high visibilty (check what permits are required first).  See if any local businesses would be willing to display your sign for free. I have had many clients come back to register their kids with me as a result of passing my signs over the years.  I stuck in their minds when it came to day care…and that's what you want!