Daycare Has Bad Name? Advice Please

[Preschool/daycare teacher]

I haven't been on here for awhile. The home daycare/preschool I had been working at had a switch-over of owners, and none of the children stayed on with the new provider, so I wasn't needed.
Well the new owner had a terrible time of it (she really had no idea of how to run a daycare), and I've heard the daycare has ended up with a bad reputation now as the place the children are allowed to go wild. Well NOW that owner has given it up and the landlord for the building is looking for a new owner for it. The toys, furniture, outdoor playground, etc are all there ready to go. All the new owner has to do is pay a small amount for the toys and all, and the monthly rent, plus get it licensed again. I am considering it since I regret not taking it before when it was offered to me. However, if the daycare really does have a bad rep now, I don't want that to affect my enrollment. I heard a previous parent has gone around "warning" other parents not to take their children there. It used to have a very good rep, and parents were always recommending it to others. So my question is, should I change the name? If I do there will be a LOT of money and hassle involved with that. There's a big sign by the road advertising it, so that sign alone would cost more than I want to pay! And there's another above the entrance, plus all the paperwork and licensing stuff has the original name on it. And besides that, I don't know how long I'd last if the last owner only lasted a few months (so I don't want to invest a whole lot into it yet until I know how things are going to go). Another option is to announce that it's under new management (new owner), but what would be the best way to get the word out? And how would you word it? It's a small town so they don't have a newspaper I can advertise in. And hardly anyone in the area uses Craigslist. Any ideas are GREATLY appreciated!

[Unregistered]

Anyway to get an inexpenssive banner made from somewhere like Vistaprint saying under new management? Word of mouth - Tell everyone you know? Paper flyers at local shops? Car magnet? Your own facebook page? Local schools?

[Starburst]

Well I personally would change the name if you can. I wouldn't really worry about the advertisements or even just put a sign for now of the new name on the enterence for now and worry about the paperwork later/advertisements later- for now when they sign up just use the old daycare name and they can renew their contracts with the new daycare name after you officialy change the name. If possible on the new advertisements "foramally known as 123 Daycare is now ABC Daycare and is under new ownership/management".

But if that is not an option right now you could try to use the current name and put up advertisements that say "under new ownership" or "under new management" and tell as many people as possible to get the word out. You can also try to go to local schools or coffee shops for advertising.

[Crazy In Mo]

I think you should change the name. The bad rap is associated with that name. If it has a really bad reputation I think people will always question it. I'm not positive but I don't think licensing would be any "extra" work or money to change the name since it will be new owners the past license will have nothing to do with it..... I would assume anyway. You could always just change the sign in the actual center for now and change the other later. Just advertise all the other ways you have mentioned. It is possible that you could change the sign yourself to save money? If not, your vistaprint idea would be pretty cheap.

[Lyss]

I think you should change the name. The bad rap is associated with that name. If it has a really bad reputation I think people will always question it. I'm not positive but I don't think licensing would be any "extra" work or money to change the name since it will be new owners the past license will have nothing to do with it..... I would assume anyway. You could always just change the sign in the actual center for now and change the other later. Just advertise all the other ways you have mentioned. It is possible that you could change the sign yourself to save money? If not, your vistaprint idea would be pretty cheap.

I agree. My BIL is in marketing/PR back east (he specialized in restaurant growth and turnarounds) and he says the biggest mistake people make when taking over a mismanaged business it to keep the name. He says that is the 1st thing they should get rid of as you want a fresh start. Just get a banner and slap it up over the old sign rather than paying for a whole new fancy sign.

There is a daycare center here that got a HORRIBLE rep (I actually worked there and quit after 2 weeks) but 2 years ago a new woman bought it and took over. She fired half the staff but the facility and supplies she kept the same (a few fresh coats of paint here and there). She put up banner over the old custom sign and made sure that the logo was different. I've seen the volume of children steadily increase since then, the playground and parking lot are always full (we live a block away) and it has great online reviews. 2 years later that banner is still up, it doesn't look tacky and it does the job. She also had an open house so parents could come and meet the people behind the "new" center.

I'd advertise it as a new place, I would not associate it with the old one. Like saying in the "Grand opening or now open in the old XYZ daycare space" (if I referenced it at all) so that it would be seen as a separate entity, not just a continuation of the old one with a bad rep.

I'm not sure how licensing in your state works for centers but I would assume either way a change in ownership would require recertification.

[nanglgrl]

Have you checked to see if you can even keep the old name? In our state an individual registers a trade name and that individual is the only one that can use it. I have a registered trade name for my business and if I closed my daycare I could pay a fee and my get the name unregistered with the county and thus unassociated to my name. If someone else wanted to use the name after I unregistered it with the county they would have to register it and pay a fee. If someone wanted to use it and I hadn't unregistered it they couldn't. KWIM? Of course things may be different in your area but it's worth checking in to.

[Preschool/daycare teacher]

Have you checked to see if you can even keep the old name? In our state an individual registers a trade name and that individual is the only one that can use it. I have a registered trade name for my business and if I closed my daycare I could pay a fee and my get the name unregistered with the county and thus unassociated to my name. If someone else wanted to use the name after I unregistered it with the county they would have to register it and pay a fee. If someone wanted to use it and I hadn't unregistered it they couldn't. KWIM? Of course things may be different in your area but it's worth checking in to.

I'm not sure how the original owner did it, if she registered the name or not. The lady who took it over after her kept the same name and just changed her name on the license.

Thanks everyone for the input! From what I understand, if I keep everything the same (same name, same daycare set up, etc), it will be ready to go for the inspection after I attend the orientations and apply for a license.

I like the idea of a banner, announcing a new owner .
Do you all think it would make a difference in the "bad rep" that this is a small town, and only one of two licensed daycares in that town? What I mean is, If I put a banner on the great big sign by the road, would that be enough to get the word out? I also thought I'd make a smaller yard sign (for a part of town that everyone passes), announcing openings, and possibly putting on it that it has a new owner. But then the last owner only lasted a few months, so everyone may think it's a sign of hers :confused: