How Long Did it Take You to Get First Clients?

[kayla]

Also forgot to add i worked weekends cleaning hotel rooms for awhile til i was making sufficient enough funds. It helped but you get wore out fast..

[KDC]

I actually walked around to my neighbors to introduce myself (new subdivision), and let them know I'd be doing home daycare (I nabbed 2 full-timers & good friends that way). (Felt like a preggo chaser starting out! ha!) I also have a website, and attached it to search engines (Google, yahoo) and other free care searches so that anyone who typed in my city & daycare -- would have my daycare listed near the top of the search engines. I did fliers, but found they did not work as well, few inquiries with no results. I gave my name to a preschool that was not also a daycare (lots of churches have preschool, but no daycare) and they will refer you to people who call them looking for daycare. My library had a daycare/preschool fair where providers could come and give out information & people looking for car could grab the info. It was so popular they do it twice a year now.

It took me about 5 months before I was at my capacity, but as someone else mentioned... lots of people are looking for infant care. This year I was more choosy and my youngest is 2 happyface

Good luck!

[beachgrl]

Got licensced in aug, got first drop ins shortly thereafter. Lost one of those and the other went to ft care...nothing for several months, then got a referral from a friend for another ft and also got another pt that started in jan so all i need is two more ft and maybe another pt to be full and making the money i need to go long term. Although i have stressesd about the money, ive just passed my six mo open mark and we have been able to make it work so far

Ive done flyers, car signs, yard signs, fair booths, put business cards out anywhere i could think of, network w other providers, facebook, craigslist, and more!

[renodeb]

Have some business cards made or print your self. Leave them every where, Always have them to pass out. If you go to church ask them if you can leave some business cards or a flier. (some churches have community bulletin boards as do some icecream places/frozen yogurt places. Some grocery stores do to. Make sure you get on any resource and referral lists you can. List your daycare on line. Most sites are free. Metrodaycare, daycarematch.com, daycarebear.com, just to name a few. Be patient and it will happen. Keep plugging away at it.
You could even hit up local elem schools, middle schools, or highschools. Teachers make great clients! Good luck.
Debbie