How Many Families Did You Open Up With?

[Unregistered]

As I'm in the planning process of opening our center, I know how many children my capacity will allow, and how many children I will need to break even financially. How many children did you open with? I'm wondering if I should open with who I have lined up, or push the opening back to give time to get more families. How long did it take your ideal number of children?
Thanks!

[Heidi]

I'm family childcare licensed for 8. I opened with 1.

[spinnymarie]

I'm opening after next week, a group family home child care, and we are opening with every spot full
But we've been interviewing for at least six months for the August start date.

[melilley]

I'm family as well and opened with 0. I was full with the number that I wanted/needed to be financially set within 3 mo. My first set of siblings started about a month after I opened.

[Blackcat31]

As I'm in the planning process of opening our center, I know how many children my capacity will allow, and how many children I will need to break even financially. How many children did you open with? I'm wondering if I should open with who I have lined up, or push the opening back to give time to get more families. How long did it take your ideal number of children?
Thanks!

If you delay opening so you can find more families, the ones that are already anticipating your opening on xx date will need to find alternate care.

I would open with what you have now and continue filling spaces as the opportunity presents itself.

Providers don't close when their numbers go down so I don't feel delaying your opening date is any different.

Congrats on your grand opening! happyface

[Shell]

Can legally operate with six- opened with three and one pregnant dcm was on a wait until after maternity leave.

[DaveA]

Licensed for 6. Opened with 1 + one starting after maternity leave.

Good luck on the opening.

[TheGoodLife]

License exempt- I can take up to 3. I started with 1 very PT boy (a neighbor's grandson) within a month after my DD was born (a bit earlier than I wanted to start, but he was just mornings) and then my first FT DCG 3 weeks after that.

[craftymissbeth]

Licensed for 10 and started out with 2.

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

I can have 6 and I started with 1. That was in June and I was full by August.

[Unregistered]

I opened full, but I started out with my sister's dcks while she was on vacation.
The parents already knew me because I had helped her with her daycare before.
By the time they were back from vacation, I was full with my own dcks.

[Unregistered]

First time I was licensed for 6 and had 6 on opening day.

Second time around I could take 4 until I was licensed for 8 and had three on opening day. I was full immediately after getting the license for 8.

[Crazy8]

I am allowed 5, opened with 2 (twins so one family). Got my 3rd child about 3 months later. Don't even remember when I finally got all 5.

[TwinKristi]

I opened with 2 plus my own, prior to that I was license exempt and I was watching one family 3 days and one family 2 days. The 3 day family decided to stay home and right before I was licensed I started watching another family 4 days a week and the other boy 1 day a week. Once I got licensed I started watching another boy after school (noon dismissal) and his sister on breaks and then the 1 day switched to 2 days again and another boy. I filled up within 7 months and then lost everyone but 1 FT & 1 after school from mid-Dec until mid-Feb and filled up again by May. I'm also a home Daycare.

[daycare]

I opened with 3 plus one of my own was licensed for 6.....

Listen to BC, this cat knows her stuff....