Beginning Process to Open Daycare and....O.M.G!

[mrsnj]

We started to look around and gather information on opening a center. I have to say....I AM HYPERVENTILATING! Loans, grants, buildings, business plans... and we haven't even gotten into the zoning and state! I think I am starting with heart palpitations! I feel like Alice when she fell down the rabbit hole! And the business plan has my wanting to call it. I am like WHAT IS THIS!?

I was wondering if others could share their experiences and maybe some tips? Maybe if I heard some awesome stories I might not feel so much like a deer in headlights and it will give me a much needed mind break.

So you lease or buy?
Did you start from scratch or buy a daycare for sale?
Did you start small and enlarge, stay small, go big to start?
Where do you even being?
Do you have any advise that might help save my sanity?

HELP!
(falls dramatically on the floor grasping chest!)

[Blackcat31]

More threads about opening a center

https://www.daycare.com/forum/tags.php?tag=opening+a+center

[finsup]

One of my ECE classes was simply on how to open and operate a center. I felt the same way you did and was like oh my goodness, this is SO much . And also not for me No real advice other then to take it one step at a time. Hopefully others that have done it will be more helpful!

[midaycare]

My husband always says, "How do you eat an elephant? Answer: One bite at a time!"

Make some smaller lists, get those smaller lists accomplished. Get yourself organized. You can do it. Enjoy the process, don't borrow trouble. :hug:

[Michael]

I remember when I was working as a bartender and how easy it was to make money and then leave the restaurant until the next work day. I was outside the bubble. The managers worked long hours and seemed to live there and had far greater responsibilities.

Now that I have my own business I realized how much easier I had it as a bartender. That is what it is like when you start your own business. You learn about all the taxes, deductions, regulations and marketing.

It gets easier once you learn how it all works. You have greater control of your workplace and have a greater chance of making money and succeeding. You learn to play the system. I would never give it up to be a bartender again

Stay with it and Good luck!

[Mom2Two]

Number one advice is to make sure you will really like this. I would hate to see anyone in a lot of debt and committments only to find that they hate the lifestyle.

Mine is a home daycare on the main floor of my home, so it's not as much big business as a center.

Make sure the market demand is there so that you'll be able to get enough business.

ITA with what Michael said about running your own business though. Sometimes I think about the fact that I could make more money even being a kindergarten teacher, but the thought of working for someone else, especially the state, isn't a pleasant thought.

More positives for me are the fact that I get to customize my business to my family's needs and I get to be at home in my own space.

[midaycare]

Number one advice is to make sure you will really like this. I would hate to see anyone in a lot of debt and committments only to find that they hate the lifestyle.

Mine is a home daycare on the main floor of my home, so it's not as much big business as a center.

Make sure the market demand is there so that you'll be able to get enough business.

ITA with what Michael said about running your own business though. Sometimes I think about the fact that I could make more money even being a kindergarten teacher, but the thought of working for someone else, especially the state, isn't a pleasant thought.

More positives for me are the fact that I get to customize my business to my family's needs and I get to be at home in my own space.

How many kids are you allowed to have? I make way more than when I taught!

[Mom2Two]

How many kids are you allowed to have? I make way more than when I taught!

Eight at a time. I have nine enrolled but they are all 3-4 days per weeks and a couple of them are not full day (lower rate). Technically, I could give more care and earn more, but it's a bit slimmer because I want to preserve my sanity!

But even if I had 8 FT kids, I would still make more teaching, especially considering paid insurance, vacation days, and even more as the years went by and if I got more education.

[midaycare]

Eight at a time. I have nine enrolled but they are all 3-4 days per weeks and a couple of them are not full day (lower rate). Technically, I could give more care and earn more, but it's a bit slimmer because I want to preserve my sanity!

But even if I had 8 FT kids, I would still make more teaching, especially considering paid insurance, vacation days, and even more as the years went by and if I got more education.

I find with 6 full time kids, I net (so after expenses), more than a mid-range teacher. When I bump up to 12 full time in a few weeks here, I will have to pay for an assistant, but I will net more than teachers here at the uppermost pay scale.

It is true we don't have benefits like health insurance. Also, no summers off.