Starting a business, especially one that deals with other people’s children, is one of the bravest and scariest things you could have done. But you did it anyway. You did your homework, got your business license, and now you’re running a day care.
We want you to succeed. After all, you’re a (literal) boss for taking a chance on this. Below are a few tips to make your day care stand out from the crowd.
1.Spend Money On Advertizing
The fact is, there are dozens of day cares and extracurricular programs in your area alone. With so many two-income households nowadays, child care during the gaps in the school schedule is an urgent need that is being met by entrepreneurs like you. What’s more, you’re probably all decent, servicable day cares. The key isn’t always who is best; it’s who is loudest. We recommend taking a multi-pronged approach to advertizing via word of mouth, a strong social media presence, and compelling graphics for all your signage. If you think of it, it’s probably best in the beginning to do it.
2. Offer Something No One Else Offers
Research the other outfits in your area and see if you can under cut them in price or offer an activity they don’t provide. Maybe you can scare up a smaller supervisor-to-child ratio, or provide a pick up and drop off service. It’s important to build a strong brand and differentiate yourself in some way, no matter how small.
3.Hire Excellent Help
Contrary to popular belief, good help doesn’t always cost an arm and a leg. We feel that there is an entire untapped resouce of affordable labor out there for outfits like yours–namely, college students. Often, liberal arts majors will have a few art classes under their belts which can come in great handy when working with kids. Sports education majors can probably start a kickball game no problem and are usually CPR trained. And then of course there are the education majors out there just itching for some hands-on experience. Finally, the most important way to attract good help:
4. Look Into A Cleaning Service
If you were an actual school, janitorial services might come included with your employment. Sadly, you’re a private outfit, and so should probably invest in commercial office cleaning services if you want to be viewed as professional and safe. Fully two thirds of employees believe that they’ve gotten sick at work in the past, so providing a clean place of employment where all the mouses and keyboards get wiped down is essential to attracting quality help, not to mention parents who worry about their children catching something.
Believe it or not, cleaning services can get very niche. When searching, we recommend finding a company that specializes in school cleaning. School cleaning is a whole different animal from gym cleaning or medical office cleaing as it probably involves a lot more vomit, tears, and spills. An agency that does school cleaning will most likely be up for the big messes. Just make sure to ask about what cleaning products they use; thanks to Frankenstein-like chemical cleaning compounds, indoor air pollution is becoming a real problem. The greener the product the better! (And this can give you extra boasting rights to prosepctive clients).
We hope these suggestions help you launch your exciting new business! Be sure to check back and tell us how you’re doing in the comments.