Helpful ideas to start your in-home daycare business, and make it your career.
You'll get access to educational materials on these 7 important topics, plus all of our great features to start and manage your daycare business.
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You should love what you do.
Write it down. Come up with your mission statement, post it on your wall, share it with parents, live it every day. Your mission statement will be your reminder as to why you started out creating your own daycare business, and why you love what you do every day.
As a small business owner, you not only operate the business, but you're responsible for every aspect of the business. Financials, accounting, marketing, housekeeping, security, nutrition, education... the list goes on. Documenting these details and sticking to a plan will help to keep things from slipping through the cracks.
Showing parents that you are organized and in controll will help to build confidence with parents. In turn, this can lead to new referral business in the future.
You have a game plan for starting your daycare business. Great! But now you need to tell the world.
Getting started can be the hardest part. Maybe you create your own web page, post to a free listing site, take out an ad online. Not sure where to start? You're not alone.
One of the best places to start is by identifying the benefits you bring to the lives of your customers—children and parents.
Do you have CPR certification, a degree related to child care, education or nutrition? Begin to craft a plan around the problems you solve for parents and the quality you bring to their child.
Tip: DaycareBaby.com lets you build your own web page for free. Learn more
Your reputation is your most important form of marketing. Honesty, quality, professionalism. These are all things that parents notice about you, your home, and your business every day.
A parent recommending you is a priceless endorsement. If you're the best in town, other parents will want to get on your waiting list. Imagine not having to lift a finger to fill your daycare openings... sounds good, right?
Run an organized and professional operation at a fair price and you should have no trouble earning new business through referrals in the future.
Not only are you competing with other local daycare businesses, you're competing with large established daycare centers and preschools. Use the right tools and you can raise your game to their level while remaining your own boss.
Do you have a safety plan? Do you have a weekly meal plan available to parents? Do you have daily report print-outs to take home each day?
Educational tools, nutrition-centered meal plans, organized activies and a clean environment go a long way to helping your one-person operation mirror the level of quality a center can provide. Your price is one factor in a parent's decision, but quality is often worth the extra price, so, be sure you're doing all you can to raise the quality of your in-home child care business.
Nothing can be more damaging to your business than a safety hazard that impacts a child. Defined care spaces, safeguards and vigilance are good starting points to ensuring you minimize accidents in your home.
Get more ideas on safety in your home daycare by exploring our Safety tips section, or by signing up for our free account.
At the end of the day, this business starts and ends with you. If your heart is in it, and you take the right steps to learn, you should have no problem running a successful home daycare.
We'll give you tools to help you start, run, and succeed in owning your in-home day care business. Sign up now for free
A website filled with tools, tips and resources to help you run the best daycare business possible. Watch our video to learn more.