Daycare for teachers who is only open when school is open?

[KidMagic]

My wife has been a teacher the past 8 years but with a newborn and a move to Nashville on the horizon we're planning to open a daycare center specifically catering to area teachers.

We're planning to only be open when school is open. Any time there is a school day off (whether it be summer break, MLK Day, or a snow day) our daycare will be closed as well.

In return for this, teachers will not be required to pay us during the times when we're closed.


Has anybody ever tried to run a daycare center like this? Is this a viable business model and is this something teachers would be interested in utilizing?


Thanks in advance for your input!

[AuntTami]

My wife has been a teacher the past 8 years but with a newborn and a move to Nashville on the horizon we're planning to open a daycare center specifically catering to area teachers.

We're planning to only be open when school is open. Any time there is a school day off (whether it be summer break, MLK Day, or a snow day) our daycare will be closed as well.

In return for this, teachers will not be required to pay us during the times when we're closed.


Has anybody ever tried to run a daycare center like this? Is this a viable business model and is this something teachers would be interested in utilizing?


Thanks in advance for your input!

Are you going to be servicing a small enough area that there is only one school? My concern, at least in my area, is that not all the school schedules are the same. For instance, my local school was delayed this morning but one of my DCM's who is a teacher in a different school in our district wasn't delayed at all..... If you close for a day that isn't a day off in every school, then what happens? Do those teachers then have to find alternate care?

[rosieteddy]

I have a teacher contract.I do not take children when the school is closed.Parents do pay a weekly rate though and I am paid through from Sept -June.They do not pay for summer vacations or summer. You would be able to set up tuition to cover what you need. You are basically open for 44 weeks.I would suggest figuring out what tuition would be weekly and then just charge the same every week regardless of attendance.The selling point is no pay for the 8 weeks of summer.I do take a two week fee to hold spot in June I apply it to their first 2 weeks of care.I wish that I could get all teachers and have summers off,it would be wonderful for you if it works out .

[Blackcat31]

Other than differing schedules, it's important to remember that many teachers work in the summer months too.

Coaching sports, summer school, etc.

Also, you will find that even on no-school days, many teachers will still go into work and get things ready for the next day or clean their classrooms etc.

I think it's a novel idea and one that could potentially work well but only if you really know your area and your clientele.

There are two providers in my area that provide care during the school year only. They don't limit their clients to teachers only but do limit the months they work so many teachers use them.

I have teacher clients and a lot of them start out saying they only want care on work days only to find that the longer the child is in care, the more the parent brings them on off days.

I'm sure it's different in all areas but definitely something to think about.

[KidMagic]

Generally speaking don't teachers in the same county have the same days off? I'm sure there may be some slight variances but for the most part it would seem pretty standard for them to have the same school holidays, summers, etc. It doesn't seem like it'd be that challenging to find 4 teachers in the same area who would be interested in this but I could be oversimplifying things.


We're not looking to start a huge daycare center (at least not initially) just want to find 4 kids she can watch during the day to make a bit of extra cash. Perhaps I'm being naive to think teachers would find this an attractive option.


I could see staying open on snow days, 1-day holidays, etc. However, the big ones (summer break, Thanksgiving, Christmas/New Years, spring break) we'd want to be closed.

[AuntTami]

Generally speaking don't teachers in the same county have the same days off? I'm sure there may be some slight variances but for the most part it would seem pretty standard for them to have the same school holidays, summers, etc. It doesn't seem like it'd be that challenging to find 4 teachers in the same area who would be interested in this but I could be oversimplifying things.


We're not looking to start a huge daycare center (at least not initially) just want to find 4 kids she can watch during the day to make a bit of extra cash. Perhaps I'm being naive to think teachers would find this an attractive option.


I could see staying open on snow days, 1-day holidays, etc. However, the big ones (summer break, Thanksgiving, Christmas/New Years, spring break) we'd want to be closed.

The major holidays are generally the same, but not always exactly the same.

One local school gets out on December 22nd this year, one on December 23rd for Christmas break.

And what about half days, early releases, and in service days? Those aren't generally done on the same days throughout the district.

I'm not trying to be rude or anything, like Blackcat, I also think it's a great idea and I think it has the potential to work. However, I also think you should go into a business having thought of all the *what if's* and having potential solutions if those or a similar problem arise.

And with a business that only operates when school is in session, you may run into that type of situation if you're planning on living in a town/city with more than one school choice.

If you plan to do all "major" Holidays off (summer, christmas, spring break etc) I think you might have better luck, but that's just how I see things.

If I were to open a business like yours, I would make sure that the teachers' school schedules all lined up, or you let the parents know that (xxx) will be your last day of care for the (xxx) break and if they are still working beyond (xxx) they will need to arrange for alternate care. But, that's just me. *shrug*

[midaycare]

There is a woman in my area that caters to teachers with the type of schedule you are talking about. However, she did not start that way and worked hard to build her clientele.

Maybe it's just around here, but the teachers I have interviewed have been a nightmare. They want the best in education for their child, obviously. So a daycare for their children needs to be geared toward that - at least here.

Teachers here all go through referral and I think it would be hard to just move and break in that professional group, but all it takes is one teacher! Good luck to you!

[KidMagic]

The major holidays are generally the same, but not always exactly the same.

One local school gets out on December 22nd this year, one on December 23rd for Christmas break.

And what about half days, early releases, and in service days? Those aren't generally done on the same days throughout the district.

I'm not trying to be rude or anything, like Blackcat, I also think it's a great idea and I think it has the potential to work. However, I also think you should go into a business having thought of all the *what if's* and having potential solutions if those or a similar problem arise.

And with a business that only operates when school is in session, you may run into that type of situation if you're planning on living in a town/city with more than one school choice.

If you plan to do all "major" Holidays off (summer, christmas, spring break etc) I think you might have better luck, but that's just how I see things.

If I were to open a business like yours, I would make sure that the teachers' school schedules all lined up, or you let the parents know that (xxx) will be your last day of care for the (xxx) break and if they are still working beyond (xxx) they will need to arrange for alternate care. But, that's just me. *shrug*

Hey,

I definitely appreciate the feedback, wasn't trying to come us as unappreciative I suppose I was just surprised that there is so much variance!

My wife is currently a teacher and all of the teachers in the counties around here (MD suburbs of DC) have the same schedules. This may not be the case once we move to Nashville!


You've brought up some very good points and I agree that we should focus on the major holidays instead of also including 1-day holidays/snow days (if they even get snow days in Nashville!).


Thanks for your input

[KidMagic]

There is a woman in my area that caters to teachers with the type of schedule you are talking about. However, she did not start that way and worked hard to build her clientele.

Maybe it's just around here, but the teachers I have interviewed have been a nightmare. They want the best in education for their child, obviously. So a daycare for their children needs to be geared toward that - at least here.

Teachers here all go through referral and I think it would be hard to just move and break in that professional group, but all it takes is one teacher! Good luck to you!

Yeah, we're definitely going to have to find a way to work our way into the teacher's circle there! My wife is currently a teacher and is National Board Certified which is somewhat of a big deal for teachers (less than 3% achieve this) so that may work in our favor even with her not teaching any longer.


This gives us some things to think about when we're trying to do marketing. It doesn't have to be JUST teachers we just figured that's who would most likely want to utilize our service since parents who are not teachers would still require care during the summers.



Thank you!

[AuntTami]

Hey,

I definitely appreciate the feedback, wasn't trying to come us as unappreciative I suppose I was just surprised that there is so much variance!

My wife is currently a teacher and all of the teachers in the counties around here (MD suburbs of DC) have the same schedules. This may not be the case once we move to Nashville!


You've brought up some very good points and I agree that we should focus on the major holidays instead of also including 1-day holidays/snow days (if they even get snow days in Nashville!).


Thanks for your input

I think they do. My aunt lives about 100 miles from Nashville, and has said that when it snows, everything closes. LOL

Also, I believe I've read somewhere on here that some providers say I follow "xyz's school schedule. When they're closed, we're closed" so you could pick your local school and tell everyone that when xyz is closed, you're closed... I believe the providers I've read about do this regarding snow days here in the midwest/north but I don't see why it wouldn't work for your type of business. Just make sure everyone knows that you follow THAT schedule and not their individual schedule!

[spinnymarie]

I (along with my sister) use this school-year model, currently.
We have several local school districts, and as many have said, they are not all exactly on the same schedule, but they are similar enough that there are only a handful of days that are different. We just chose a certain district (the one we live in, and my daughter attends). Everyone is expected to have back-up, and we very clearly outline our calendar.
We are open 195 days each school year - this includes the 185 teacher-contracted work days, plus ten extra days before school starts in the summer. We have a daily rate, which we multiply by 195, and divide into ten monthly payments, so each month is the same rate, with no payments due for June or July. We decided on our daily rate by figuring out what we would make with a 12-month calendar, subtracting about $800, and dividing into the number of days.
I quit my teaching job in this same district, as well as attended school here, so I had a fair basis for teacher clients before beginning, but we have a 12-person waiting list, especially for infants.
We have a little bit more about this on our website, which I can PM you if you want.

[snbauser]

I follow our local school schedule...sort of. I am open all regular school days and teacher workdays. I am closed for the month of July. We have a couple of different schedule here (traditional and year round) so I just advertise which one I follow.

[CraftyMom]

I think you could make it work if you follow a certain school calendar or only follow major holidays. Things like professional development vary. I have 3 teachers, all 3 are in neighboring towns and all 3 have varying days off. Two bring the child even when they are off, only one keeps her infant home when she is off.

We had a 2 hour delay due to snow last week in my kids' schools. 2 teachers still had to go in at regular time even with the delay.

[Blackcat31]

Generally speaking don't teachers in the same county have the same days off? I'm sure there may be some slight variances but for the most part it would seem pretty standard for them to have the same school holidays, summers, etc. It doesn't seem like it'd be that challenging to find 4 teachers in the same area who would be interested in this but I could be oversimplifying things.


We're not looking to start a huge daycare center (at least not initially) just want to find 4 kids she can watch during the day to make a bit of extra cash. Perhaps I'm being naive to think teachers would find this an attractive option.


I could see staying open on snow days, 1-day holidays, etc. However, the big ones (summer break, Thanksgiving, Christmas/New Years, spring break) we'd want to be closed.

There are 6 different school districts in my community (no clue how many in the entire county) but these 6 are all within 20 miles of each other and NONE of them have the same schedule. It seems they all have different teacher work shop days and closed days.

Even the Christmas or winter holiday closed days vary a bit by two to 4 days.


However, like you said, finding 4 families that meet your needs shouldn't be too difficult to do. You'd just have to do some research and get to know your area needs.

[momofsix]

I didn't start out intending to do kids only, but my dc has grown (mostly from teachers referring me to other teachers) so that now only one of my families has a "traditional" year round job. I decided last January to do my dc through the school year only. Most of my teachers work for local Christian schools. I have 5 different schools represented! I take the summer and Christmas break off. I usually take part of spring break off too-but offer care part of the time for that. Since I have so many different schools they aren't coordinated at all for the other days-so I'm open for those.
I think as long as you explain up front what your schedule will be it shouldn't be a problem.
This will be my first summer off! I can't waithappyface