The present day economy has given rise to the need for establishment of various businesses. Beyond the economy and all, starting a ‘children’s daycare center’ is a great idea and has proven to be lucrative with the right management. A lot of parents are tied up at work most of the day giving rise to the need for caretakers for their little children. Most have lost trust in their nannies or house-helps (even relatives are not to be trusted given the rising number of abuse cases related to relatives today) and would rather entrust the safety and well being to an institution with great reputation.
Starting up a daycare center is no child’s play and requires a lot of work, commitment and dedication. To ease your worries here is a business plan outline that will guide you for the most effective business plan.
Business plan outline;
Executive summary; this takes the form of objectives and vision/mission statement.
Product and services; here you present the services you tend to offer. It has to be as unique and catchy as possible. Consider adding something that other daycare centers don’t offer.
Customer and market analysis; this contains your target market and customers. Some daycare centers have age restrictions. Who is your center for? This should guide you.
Marketing and sales; how do you intend to reach out to your target market? What’s your marketing strategy? What are your plans for exposure?
Management summary; how do you intend to run the center? Would you be enlisting help in the form of staff? What role will the staff play (especially management staff)?
Strategy and implementation; after all is said and done, what’s your strategy and how do you plan on implementing it?
Financial statements: clearly state the financial implications based on concrete analysis. Also state your financial standpoint as of now.
Financial plan; what are your plans towards money going forward? How do you intend to maintain the center financially?
With this outline and the few pointers attached you should be able to put a solid business plan together. Now here are some tips you might need to make the business successful.
- The center should be situated in a quiet environment free from environmental pollutants. Try to avoid areas where there are manufacturing industries, poultry farms, fuel stations and beer parlors.
- it should be far enough from the bustling and hustling town but close enough so that parents and guardians can easily reach their wards without traffic or nay other issues
- You should get all legal documentations and certification to avoid having problems with the law.
- The building you propose to use should be child friendly; have a playground, no sharp edges, railings on steps and other safety measures that you can think of.
- (Optional) you can offer services even during school vacations seeing as parents will be dealing with a handful of the bigger kids. Some parents might send the bigger kids on vacation lesson programmes and might as such still need your services.
- (Optional) instead of the regular 8-3 sessions you should consider 7-6 sessions considering parents who need to get tow work early but get off work late.
- Set up a security system that works especially with regards to the children’s commute t and fro the center. Also set up cameras in the premises so you can see what your staffs get up to with the children. The video coverage could also come in handy when parents want to blame you for something you didn’t do.
While setting up a daycare center might seem ambiguous at first, it gets easier with time. The plus side is that parents are willing to pay for better services when it comes to their children. Bottom-line; offer the best and make the most.
