Opening New Daycare Center...

[giselezachar]

I am planning to open a day care center (small to medium size up to 20 children) in Harlem, Manhattan. I have read all the regulations and waiting for the package regarding all the licenses and permits. My question is: should I be looking for places already? How big should it be in sq ft? Which steps should I take first finding location, applying for licenses, taking courses.... I a bit lost.
Also, do I need to have any Bachelor degree? If not, how can I proof I have plenty of experience with children?
Thank you very much

[Michael]

Welcome to the Daycare.com Forum! Many of your questions will be answered by the standards your state sends to you. What state are you in? It looks like your IP is in New York. If so, you can view your requirements here:

https://www.daycare.com/newyork/family.pdf

https://www.daycare.com/newyork/

[Crystal]

First look at the regs to make sure you will qualify to own/direct a center. It is a LOT different than Family Child Care.

In Ca. you have to have 35 sq. feet indoors per child and 75 square feet outdoors per child. The only space that qualifies in this is actual USABLE space, so anywhere there are shelves, toys, etc. will be excluded in your space. You also need 1 toilet and 1 sink for every 12 children.

Director requirements here include having to have at least 12 ECE units with three of those units in administration....IMO that is NOT enough education to adequately mainatina quality child care program.

Your licensing agency may require that you attend a center orientation at their offices before you can apply for a license. That would be the first step, so I would contact your licensing agency regarding that. Once you know the building and space requirements, you should start looking for a building. This can take a very long time. You will want to conduct a feasibility study for each building you consider. You need to know the demographics, the NEED and DEMAND for care in that area. Accessibility, is it close to freeways or major work hubs? You will need to know about staff requirements and ratios, then figure out how much of the gross income will be paid on that. You need to know what your start-up costs and monthly operating expenses will be. Once you know all of that you will know if it is doable. You will need funding, with AT MINIMUM, 6 months reserves in cash or lines of credit to pay your start-up and monthly operating expenses until you have enough children in care to meet those expenses.

There are A LOT of things to consider. Starting a child care center is a significant amount of work and a huge monetary investment. I have conducted feasibility studies on at least 12 buildings and even though I have been a very successful FCCP for 14 years, none of the feasibilty studies impressed me enough for me to take the plunge!

Good luck!

[melskids]

i'm pretty sure you have to have a masters degree to operate a center in NY. i worked in a center where the owner didnt have a masters, but the director did. i am upstate, and i know alot of the rules and regs are different for those in NYC. your licensor should be able to help you and answer all of your questions.

good luck!!!!