Starting a childcare business
Due to increasing demand, setting up a daycare center if you love children is the best business option for you. As we know, nurseries are education and training centers where children will be present in one of the most important phases of life, since it includes the first years of life of the infant (the age range for a nursery will have children whose ages range from 0 to 3 years old). Some children may be present in day care until the age of 6 and from there go directly to school.
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Here is a guide to different aspects and procedures for such opening.
Everything you need to know to set up a nursery
If this is a decision that you have made, you should consider the following aspects that will help you to set up and install the best nursery in the sector:
The rooms and the number of places available
It is important to know that first, you must separate the children according to their ages. This will depend on the number of children you have (not to exceed). You can classify them into three groups, babies, toddlers and older children, so that each group has the same average age range.
Now, taking this into account, you should have a minimum of three classrooms where the groups we have classified before will be located. The classrooms must have a minimum of 30 mt2 (square meters) to guarantee a space where children can enjoy themselves.
Equipment, material and food
Removable dining rooms should be available at the day care center in sizes that children can fit into and feel comfortable in, and that provide them with confidence and security in all aspects. There should also be a space for preparing food for the children, a playground for them to go out and play in, a place for personal hygiene for the children, and equipment such as: mats, pillows, blankets, toys, tokens, puzzles, balls, classrooms, etc. There should also be working materials such as paint, glue, paper of different materials, plasticine and others.
The staff of the nursery
The staff working with the children in the nursery must be qualified to take over the job. Chaperones must be present in the day care centre’s classrooms to ensure the safety and proper care of each child. Qualifications are required to work in the nursery, so you must be in charge of reviewing each candidate and with this, offer the best service in your business. In addition to this staff, there should be staff in charge of feeding and cooking and another, for the cleaning of your nursery.
Do you have in mind to set up the nursery in your home?
If you are thinking of setting up the daycare center at your home, which will save you money since you will not have to rent a place, we recommend you to take into account the following points based on the indications we mentioned above, but focused and modified to the conditioning of your home for it:
It is important that you identify the places in the house that will be available only and exclusively for the children, the classrooms and the space for games. This will allow you to have a greater order according to the classification of places to which they will be able to access and those that are inappropriate for them.
The doors present in the places where the children will be located, must have locks that allow the opening and closing by any of the two sides, in addition to this they must count on a safe boy. It is important that hazardous items such as chemicals, medical devices, etc. are equally safe and cannot be used by children.
You should put rugs and carpets that will be placed in spaces where children run to prevent them from slipping and falling.
If you have decided that the garden will be another space for the children, you should eliminate those plants and herbs that can cause allergic reactions to children or that have poisonous fruits, because the children could access them.
If the house is to be a place for outdoor play, it is important to install a fence made of strong and resistant material, with a padded base, inside which you can put sand or other elements.
Taking into account the ages of the children, it is important that you remember that in this same measure you should differentiate the talks and knowledge you send, as well as the hours of play for each one.
For the children, as well as for the staff of your nursery, it is necessary to establish rules that must be strictly followed about what can and cannot be done, as well as to set schedules for each of the activities that are carried out.
Requirements for a nursery
Starting a daycare center hasa number of commitments and responsibilities that can be very challenging. Therefore, one of the requirements is related to the safety and integrity of children in the spaces.
In order to be able to open a childcare facility, a special permit must be obtained. The permit is requested by the investor and issued for a single location. Similarly, after there is a decision to sell to a new owner, a new permit is also required if you move to a new location. Most states require the permit to be renewed each year while it is in operation.
You should be very strict about the space you choose for a day care center because it must be safe. Before the permit is issued, the appropriate government institution and local inspectors monitor the potential location of the day care center to ensure that it meets state requirements and fire and safety regulations.
Tips for starting a child care center
Starting a day care center is particularly viable for several reasons. One is that in most families both parents work and the shift work has become increasingly evident due to the economy.
It is therefore highly recommended to assess strengths and weaknesses. One very important one is that you enjoy working with children and know the great amount of energy and commitment that is needed for this work.
You also need qualities such as professionalism and business acumen, a willingness to take risks, the ability to supervise staff, access to financial resources, organizational skills, and accounting skills.
Advantages of having a childcare facility
Setting up a nursery can be a very profitable business as it is in high demand due to the need for parents to leave their children in safe, quality habit-forming and educational spaces.
With a day care center you have the opportunity to offer a quality service, with people properly trained for it and with experience that must be verified. A baby is a very big responsibility and the person in charge of running the centre must be sure that his or her team is fully prepared to carry out the care functions well.
A nursery also offers the possibility of working with techniques and strategies to teach values, stimulate and educate. Therefore, the baby receives professional and quality care and education.
Problems in day care centres
The budget is one of the challenges to be taken into account when opening a daycare center, since obtaining financing is still a recurrent problem among new entrepreneurs.
Another problem is being able to predict the calculation of how much it costs to set up a day-care centre, because the total cost depends largely on the premises, whether the establishment can be adapted. Because a day care center requires specific accommodations related to the safety and integrity of the child that will be inspected to ensure that they meet the requirements of the responsible agencies.
Child care success stories
One of the successful nurseries is Platero, which is catalogued as an early childhood care centre (from 0 to 3 years old), an educational system that reconciles work and family life, configuring itself as a support resource for the family in the performance of its socialization and childcare functions.