David Friedland
You love working with children, so you’ve decided to open a childcare center. You already know what you’re going to call it, and you even know people need your help. While babysitting in your home is pretty straightforward, running a licensed center is completely different. Here’s everything you need to do to open your own childcare center.
Step Up Your Education
Opening a childcare center is no different than any other business. You need to know what to expect and have the proper education, especially when it comes to managing little children. The degree you’ll need is at least a BA in early childhood education (ECE). This degree will help you understand how to teach young children as well as be a positive role model in their growth. Furthermore, displaying your degree shows you’re knowledgeable in the field and parents can trust their children’s wellbeing with you.
ECE degrees can help you hone skills such as effective communication, being more creative and planning. The degree itself can cost as much as $65,000 depending on your circumstances. And while you might want to take out a student loan to cover it, applying for a scholarship is a much better option. Scholarships are what help students broaden their education by eliminating the worry of debt payments. It’s essentially free money that covers the costs of your educational needs. Having Going Merry scholarships as an available tool allow applicants to find eligible opportunities by filtering based on your degree and strengths.
Get Licensed
After you’ve finished your degree program, your next step is to look into what licensing you need. Childcare is one of those careers where it’s absolutely mandatory to have the appropriate licensing. Below is a list of the necessary forms of licensing and certification every childcare worker needs:·
- Child development association (CDA)·
- First aid and CPR certification·
- Water safety·
- Newborn care specialist association
This list is to give you an idea of what you need. Although they’re mandatory, every state has their own regulations in how they handle certification. Be sure to review your state’s guidelines, so you know what to apply for.
Advertise Yourself
We cannot stress enough how important it is for you to advertise your services. Advertising isn’t what it used to be back when people used newspapers and billboards to market their business. These days, it’s all digital. Take advantage of social media advertising as well as Facebook and Google ads.
Separate Yourself from Your Competition
Childcare centers may all share the same goal of taking care of young children. However, each have their own little quirks that make them unique, and innovation is important to business, especially in a saturated niche. It’s these that help create a form of identity that parents and children alike can associate with. To give you an example, you can choose to have your childcare center operate at different hours than the typical schedule. Another thing you can do is offer a different, but appealing curriculum for the children. Or, you can offer an all-natural lunch menu. Try to think of a certain niche that can give you an edge over your competition.
