I want to open daycare center in New Jersey. What to do first?

Question

i DO NOT leave in NJ yet. I just started to look for a house, but what is the best to do first? Get lisence or house? How many kids I care without lisence?

Answer 1

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. 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 2

Call the city office and apply for a permit. After you get one you will have the opportunity to look for a daycare center. Remeber that moms and dads dont want to drive there kids to a far away center so make sure you chose a good location. Best of Luck!

Answer 3

I suggest you contact the New Jersey Department of Human Services as they are the agency responsible for licensing and regulating daycares in the state

Department of Human Services
Office of Licensing
Quakerbridge Plaza, Building 6
P.O. Box 717
Trenton, NJ 08625-0717
Toll –Free 877-667-9845
Fax: [phone]
Hotline: [phone]
Web site: http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/dyfs/licensing.html

I suggest you check with the NJ manual http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/dyfs/10-122%20cc%20manual%20eff%203-21-05.doc which mentions that child cares caring for 6 or more children needs to get a license. Check with them if that means if you have 5 or less, you don't have to get a license

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Under the laws specified in (a) above, the Department of Human Services is authorized to:
1. License certain public and private child care centers that are maintained for the care, development or supervision of six or more children under 13 years of age for less than 24 hours a day;
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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

Other articles you may want to read:

Starting a Child Day Care Business http://www.libsci.sc.edu/BOB/class/clis748/Studentwebguides/ss02/pollack2.htm
Childcare.net http://childcare.net/indexnew.shtml
How To Start Your Own Day Care Center http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol40/daycare.htm
Starting a child-care services business http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,290241,00.html
HOW TO START A QUALITY CHILD CARE BUSINESS http://www.sba.gov/library/pubs/mp-29.pdf

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

I think your first step would be to look for a house, as the location as well as the costs can impact your proposed daycare business.

Answer 4

Check with the local authorities about location, licenses, number of kids you can keep and the size of the house. Also, how many workers per number of children. They should provide all the paperwork and info. you will need.

Answer 5

call the city office and find out how to get the permit, they should be able to fill you in on the way to go