There is no better way to earn your living than by setting up and running your own business. There are plenty of ideas that are circulating around, but the best for you would be something that inspires you to wake up in the morning and look forward to the day. In other words, choose something that you love and develop into a business. In this way you would find both satisfaction as well as professional satisfaction. People, who are comfortable with young children and relate to them with ease, would profit greatly from running their own kids playroom business.
The basics
The first thing you need is research. Find out what are the rules and regulations in your State regarding small scale child care centers. You also need to know what licenses you would need to start your business. You will find this information on the website of the State you live in, or with a local legal consultant. Here is a list that would help you organizing your ideas:
- Minimum and maximum number of kids you would like to accommodate
- Minimum and maximum ages of the kids you would admit in your playroom
- Space requirement (many States have a per-child minimum requirement)
- Color patterns of furniture and walls
- Posters and audio-visual aids
- Number of personnel you require
- Place where the children would sleep, if they need to
- Toilet facilities
- Cooking facilities (many State require that day-care centers offer at least one hot meal)
- Safety measures
- Doctor/nurse on the premises or at call
- Neighborhood (note that sometimes neighbors are not too happy to live next to a large group of kids playing)
- Skill you and your personnel need (this includes any special certification and training that would be prescribed by the Law of your State)
- Toys and learning material commensurate with the age of the children
- Pricing per child to achieve breakeven point and profit
- Financing the venture for at least six months, without worrying about returns
- Developing a business plan – in case you would apply for bank loan, Government (minority, if applicable) grant or subsidy, hand loans
- Bookkeeping and taxes
Running the business is easier than you think
Spend enough time in planning and research and you will find that the actual business is not as tough as you would think. In order to run your kids’ playroom successfully, ensure that you have a workable schedule for the whole day (or time the children stay with you). You would need to include activities that keep the children happy and develop their learning abilities. This is where special training or certificate courses might come in handy. You need to know how to weave in appropriate activities such as large and fine motor skill activities, story telling, imagination-building activities and so on.
You would also need to keep in constant touch with parents so you could fine tune your services to incorporate any constructive criticism you receive. Since this would be an indoor facility, organizing space and safety become very important. You need to be well equipped to handle problem behavior such as biting, screaming, hitting, and the like.
Online resources:
- http://www.universalclass.com/i/crn/9761.htm - you will find here some courses that can help you better your child care business. Even if you do not opt for the courses listed here, you would gain a fair idea of what to look for as certification for this business
- http://www.childcareonly.com/ - this is website that offers a wealth of information on all aspects of childcare business, from child behavior management to toilet training to the legalities of the business. A must-read.
- http://www.childcare.net/grantfinance.shtml - an excellent overview of places where you could apply for loans or grants for this business.
