How to Start a Nursery Preschool for Low Income Families

Nursery schools and preschools are bona fide businesses not babysitters.

Starting a nursery or preschool is a positive asset to any community, especially to low-income families, where both parents work. One key to success in starting a preschool for low-income families is to offer a facility that takes into consideration the needs of these families. Going the extra mile will earn you rewards. A a positive reputation that can carry by word of mouth throughout the community, could earn you new clients. As you start your new preschool, prepare for emergency situations, adhere to a preschool schedule, and keep thorough records.

Things You'll Need

• License
• Fire extinguisher
• First aid kit
• Toys (indoors and outdoors)
• Child-sized tables
• Child-sized chairs
• Books
• Nap mats
• Home telephone
• Safety devices
• Folders
• Food for lunch and snacks
• T.b. test
• Positive background check
• Parent handbooks
• Attendance sheets
• Menu sheets
• Child information sheets
• Child sign in-out sheets
• Emergency shelter plan
• 2 Record books

Instructions

Prepping the Facility

1. 

   Reading tools are important to incorporate into your new preschool center.

   Decorate the preschool facility with useful items. Arrange child-sized tables, chairs and bookshelves. Place toys, books, stuffed animals, puzzles, crayons and coloring books in the room for the children to use.

2. Have kindergarten nap mats available for the children in your facility. In a facility assisting low-income families, most families won't be able to afford to provide them for their children. When starting the facility, place a piece of masking tape on a mat and write a child's name on the tape with a Sharpie pen. Each child needs her own mat. If the child leaves the facility, you can then remove the tape and give the mat to another child.

3. Print out Parent Handbooks and have them ready to hand out to each of the parents. These handbooks will give you a place to state your rules and regulations, hours of operation, holidays closed, late fees if any, and any other requirements you may have. Consider charging a late fee if the parent picks up their child late, for example. It is easy for it to become a habit for the parent if you do not charge the first time it happens.

4. Print out Injury Reports, Child Information Sheets, and Permission Slips if you plan to take the children on an outing.

5. Keep all of the forms in appropriate corresponding folders.

6. 

Licensing

1. 

   Calling the local child-care office is the first step in officially launching your new business.

   Contact your local child-care licensing office. The licensing requirements for preschools vary depending upon where you live. Find out what the requirements are and ask them to send you a packet of information.

2. Schedule an appointment for a child-care county representative to come to your facility to measure and inspect before granting the license. The representative will also grant the license for a specific number of children, depending upon your allowable space, so think compact when arranging items to leave as much floor space open as possible.

3. Sign the appropriate forms to authorize a background check.

4. Travel to the health department for a t.b. test. This is required in most states for child-care providers.

5. 

   The state you live in will calculate for you how much you will make per child.

   Sign the authorization forms to accept state pay from your state for low-income families. This will allow the state to pay you directly for your services in caring for children in your facility. The childcare office will give you a chart informing you of how much they will pay you per child, depending upon the child's age and if they are part-time or full-time. The state usually pays you once per month.

Safety Devices

1. 

   Highlight the escape plan and shelter route.

   Draft an emergency shelter and escape plan and hang it prominently near an exit door. Provide a plan for a fire, a tornado, an earthquake, or a break-in. Most counties require you to have these plans prepared and displayed before licenses can be granted.

2. Install smoke alarms and fire extinguishers in appropriate places throughout the facility.

3. Install baby gates, oven locks and cabinet locks where applicable.

4. 

   Have a box of disposable gloves on hand.

   Place a first aid kit in your desk and in the kitchen.

Records

1. 

   Keep receipts for each ball or box of crayons.

   Record items you purchase, such as food supplies or toys. Gas mileage, paper and crayons may not seem like much at first, but it adds up over the course of a year. You will need these records for tax purposes.

2. Record daily attendance. The state will need you to send in an accurate chart of attendance on a monthly basis. Record the children's arrival and departure times.

3. 

   Serve healthy meals.

   Plan a menu in advance. Being organized will help you save time and money. The state will want to see these menus from time to time to see that you are providing healthy, well-balanced meals. Some state-licened preschools will reimburse you for some food costs.

Tips & Warnings

• Have plenty of hand sanitizer and antibacterial soap on hand from the beginning of your preschool and schedule a weekly day for disinfecting the toys. Cleaning the toys on a regular basis from day one at a new preschool will make a positive difference in keeping the illnesses down in your facility.

References

• Small Business Pro CO UK: Small Business Pro: Starting a Nursery School Business
• Home Biz Tools: Starting and Operating a Family Child-Care Business