How to Write a Day Care Business Plan

Entrepreneurs like you get involved in the day care business for a number of reasons. Some business people see financial potential in opening a child care center while others want to help teach good values to generations of children. The first step in starting a good day care business is to write a concise plan of action.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Budget
• Promotions plan

Organize a Business Plan for Your Child Care Center

1. Familiarize yourself with the child care standards set by your state government. When you write your business plan, you need to know which licenses and levels of certification to maintain in order to stay in business. A good resource for child care business requirements in your state is the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education (see Resources below).

2. Discuss the level of your child care company's relationship with local schools. This discussion can include a partnership plan with a specific school or an attempt to work closely with lesson plans assigned through city schools. This section is important for grant applications and non-profit agencies interested in providing startup funds.

3. Outline the staffing needs for your child care business in your initial plan. You may choose to run the child care without much assistance to keep overhead costs low or hire assistants to diversify your services. In either case, you need to argue for your choice as a means of explaining the educational services your company provides.

4. Sketch out the facility needs for your day care. In addition to classrooms and bathrooms, you need playground equipment to keep kids entertained during down time.

5. Lay out your plan for reaching out to families in your community. You should create a monthly schedule for promotions, advertising and canvassing the community to demonstrate your commitment to drawing in new customers.

6. Calculate a monthly budget for the first year of your business. This section should be toward the front of the plan and include every cost that you can imagine for the initial phase of your business, including building rental and equipment.

Tips & Warnings

• Add any child care grants, loans or subsidy programs that you apply for when you write your business plan. Government agencies at the state level help out small businesses and educators interested in alternative means of teaching children. You should list potential grants by their name and funding amount. You should also give a brief description of the funding organization.

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Resources

• State childcare resources through the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education