After many years as a childcare professional, you might feel it is the right time to start out on your own and use your considerable skills to open your own daycare center. However, you will quickly find that this will involve an entirely new skill set, and it might be hard to know where to begin.
There is quite a lot to think about, as the specific requirements will vary according to the size of the facility, its location, and the ages and needs of those you will be looking after. Bearing all of this in mind, there are some things you will need in place before you begin.
Ensure you Have the Right Insurance
For an operation such as this, you will need to be fully covered so that both you and those in your care are protected. The cost of that insurance and the policies you need will vary on where you set up (more on that later). At an absolute basic level in somewhere like the US, you will need general liability and commercial property insurance, although you might want to take out further coverage in case of accidents.
Make Sure you Have all of the Supplies you Need
For any sort of daycare, but especially for very young children, you will need plenty of hygiene and medical supplies. You will no doubt be aware of the amount of cleanup required due to various ‘accidents’ and you will also need medical supplies in case something more serious happens. You should find the right medical equipment supplier that can cover all of these bases. Ordering from one supplier can also save money on delivery as well. This is one area you don’t want to scrimp on, so finding a reliable, top-quality supplier is key.
Work Out the Best Location
This is an important decision that will affect both the set-up and longevity of your facility. There are many things to balance here, principally the decision between running this at your home, or hiring or buying somewhere. The cost of setting up at home can be smaller, as will ongoing overheads – but if you live out of town, then the location might not be ideal for parents dropping off and collecting their children.
You could instead opt for somewhere a little more central to attract more trade, and this facility might already have some of the amenities like a play area on site. This is not likely to be cheap, however, so you will need to work out how this all fits into your plan – along with where you see things in the future.
Final thoughts
These are all key factors that you need to consider before opening your daycare facility, and that is without exploring the issue of licensing and staffing – where and how you find other people as skilled and dedicated as you. From the start, though, it is likely to be just you, so finding what you need in these three important areas is absolutely key.
