Im looking for information on how to get my own daycare started?

Question

Im a african american and I know there are grants to help me start my business, but how you find them

Answer 1

The first step is to prepare a business plan. Even if you will not be applying for a bank loan, a business plan helps you to think through your business - what it needs, who it will benefit, how much it will cost, and what is its potential. Here are free business plans on childcare business that you may want to look into:

http://www.sba.gov/library/pubs/mp-30.doc
http://www.misbtdc.org/documents/BPWORKBK.pdf
http://www.misbtdc.org/documents/CDCPLAN.pdf
http://sbdcnet.utsa.edu/sbic/bplans.htm

You may want to read the free article "How To Start Your Own Day Care Center" http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol40/daycare.htm It covers various aspects of starting and running a daycare center including the demand for daycare centers, how to start this business, shoestring strategies, how to operate a daycare center, tips on caring for the children, income potential, how to manage your daycare, marketing your business and other additional income potential. There are so many things to learn about the business that the first step is to read everything you can find.

For in-depth information, I suggest checking out the following books:

- Start and Run a Profitable Home Day Care
- The Daycare Provider's Workbook
- Start Your Own At-Home Child Care Business
- So You Want to Open a Profitable Child Care Center :
Everything You Need to Know to Plan, Organize and Implement a Successful Program

It is also important that you learn the tax rules affecting daycare centers, especially if you are going to open one from your home. Here is the IRS page on child care centers: http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/industries/content/0,,id=99878,00.html

As for the licenses and requirements in your state, the Administration for Children and Families provide a state by state listing of contacts for licensing and regulations governing child care businesses:
http://www.nccic.org/statedata/dirs/regoffic.html

Answer 2

The best routes to take are to research the process of starting a business as well as the industry you're interested in.

I recommend checking out the SBA, Entrepreneur, The Start Up Journal & Nolo. All 4 are great informational resources for the new/small business owner. I posted links for you in the source box.

Associations may be a good avenue to explore as well. These organizations will address many of the thoughts, questions and concerns you'll inevitably have as well as many you haven't anticipated yet. See the source box for some relevant links.

Research, research, research – this cannot be stressed enough. Read as much as you can about the industry. Here are some book titles that are relevant:

* Start & Run a Home Daycare by Catherine M. Pruissen
* Starting a Child Care Center: The Indispensable Guidebook for Starting a Day Care or Child Care Business by Millicent Gray Lownes-Jackson,
* Opening & Operating A Successful Child Care Center by Dorothy June Sciarra
* The Business of Child Care: Management and Financial Strategies by Gail H Jack

There are plenty of free informational resources out there. Check the source box for links to articles.

Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!

Answer 3

Contact your county/city regarding licensing requirements. Take a course of child/adult CPR first aid with the American Red Cross(ARC) - some ARC's offer babysitting courses as well and give certification. Might be a good idea to work in a daycare center for a few months to pick up on good and bad management practices and to see if this is something you really want to do. Contact Child Protective Services and find out where you can take "parenting courses". Attend a SBA(Small Business Administration) seminar (it's free) to learn how you can qualify for an SBA loan. You may want to consider becoming a foster parent - this way, you not only help a child, but many of the licensing requirements are met at no cost to you. For example: fingerprinting and background checks for you and any other adults in the home, a home inspection for safety, ongoing training in dealing with difficult behaviors. You also receive compensation from the county to provide for the children. It sounds overwhelming but just take it one step at a time and understand the process takes time.

Answer 4

I would go to your local library and look for books by Matthew Lesko. He's that guy you've seen on TV with the question mark suits. Anyways, look for books by him or better yet see if your library has a net link. At my local library, I signed up for their net library. I just needed to set up the account with a screen name and a password and then I was able to go home and access thousands of books on line. Check it out. David