How to Start a Daycare

Today the vast majority of parents work full-time in addition to raising their children. Roughly four in five parents utilize some form of child care as they struggle to balance the responsibilities of their jobs alongside being a parent. Daycares provide a valuable service to these parents. Furthermore, by engaging children in fun and educational activities with peers, day care centers allow children to develop some independence from their parents, as they learn how to play cooperatively with kids their own age.

You may also be interested in additional home business ideas.

Learn how to start your own Daycare and whether it is the right fit for you.

Ready to form your LLC? Check out the Top LLC Formation Services.

Start a daycare by following these 10 steps:

  1. Plan your Daycare
  2. Form your Daycare into a Legal Entity
  3. Register your Daycare for Taxes
  4. Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
  5. Set up Accounting for your Daycare
  6. Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Daycare
  7. Get Daycare Insurance
  8. Define your Daycare Brand
  9. Create your Daycare Website
  10. Set up your Business Phone System

We have put together this simple guide to starting your daycare. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.

Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.

STEP 1: Plan your business

A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:

Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.

What will you name your business?

Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Daycare Name Generator

If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.

When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:

  • Your state's business records
  • Federal and state trademark records
  • Social media platforms
  • Web domain availability.

It's very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.

Want some help naming your daycare?

Business Name Generator

What are the costs involved in opening a daycare?

The cheapest business model for a start-up daycare is to run your daycare out of your own home. In this scenario, you could accommodate up to four or five children without having to pay rent for a separate facility, and your only monthly expenses would be food, toys, and other educational materials. Expect a one-time cost of up to $300 or $400 per child for general supplies, and an additional $80 to $100 a month for food. You may require different devices, like a child lock gate, and other safety locks for drawers and cabinets. In total this shouldn’t cost much more than $100.

In addition, you will also likely want to invest in some small-scale local advertising, and a custom-built sign for the front of your home.

The final major start-up cost for your business will be the legal fees associated with registering your business and drawing up contracts to protect your business from liability claims.

Total start-up costs for a home daycare could range anywhere from $1000 to $4000.

However, these costs will be much more if you plan to open your own daycare center. Whether you plan to purchase or lease the property, what kind of renovations the space needs, and how many staff members you will need to hire are some of the key considerations when determining your start-up costs.

What are the ongoing expenses for a daycare?

For a home daycare, monthly costs could be as little as $50 per child for basic food items and other supplies. Bigger daycare facilities will need to pay rent and utilities, as well as insurance costs, depending on the number of children they accommodate.

Staffing expenses will likely be the greatest monthly cost, as most states require several adults to be present at any given time when group sizes go beyond a certain amount of kids.

Annual salaries for a daycare worker and daycare teacher are approximately $20,000 and $25,000 respectively, depending on experience

Who is the target market?

Your main clientele will be working parents who have young children and who need someone to help watch their kids during the day. Depending on your location and the specific needs of your local community, you may also wish to cater your services to a certain demographic. The kinds of clients you attract will also largely depend on how much you charge and the quality of care you are able to provide.

How does a daycare make money?

Day care providers are paid either an hourly rate per child or a fixed monthly or annual rate.

How much can you charge customers?

Childcare rates are adjusted according to the following four factors:

  • Whether your business is located in an urban, suburban, or rural setting
  • What kind of childcare you provide, and what special services you offer
  • The age of the child
  • The number of hours the child will spend at your center each week

Daycare centers throughout the United States charge anywhere from $350 to over $1,000 per month per child for full-time care. Average expenses vary state-by-state, with states like Massachusetts, New York, and Minnesota tending to be the most costly, and states like Mississippi, Kentucky, and Louisiana tending to be the cheapest.

How much profit can a daycare make?

In a smaller center that can accommodate thirty kids, with six full-time staff, annual profit could reach $40,000 to $60,000. This is based on a monthly rate of $800 per child, and allows for a generous budget of $180,000 to cover employee expenses.

Net profit for your business will change according to your unique business model.

How can you make your business more profitable?

While in some industries cutting costs is a good way to increase profit, the childcare business is not one of them. Quality care is what all parents are seeking, and in general, your business will thrive to the degree that you are able to surpass parents’ expectations and keep their children happy.

One way to increase revenue is to offer optional extras for parents, like kids classes in music, yoga, or dance. You could also hire a full-time cook to prepare nutritious and tasty meals for your kids, and factor the costs of ingredients and labor into the monthly rate your business charges per child, thus saving parents the time it takes to prepare a daily meal for their children.

Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC's free Small Business Startup Guide - a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!

STEP 2: Form a legal entity

The most common business structure types are the sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), and corporation.

Establishing a legal business entity such as an LLC or corporation protects you from being held personally liable if your daycare is sued.

Form Your LLC

Read our Guide to Form Your Own LLC

Have a Professional Service Form your LLC for You

Two such reliable services:

You can form an LLC yourself and pay only the minimal state LLC costs or hire one of the Best LLC Services for a small, additional fee.

Recommended: You will need to elect a registered agent for your LLC. LLC formation packages usually include a free year of registered agent services. You can choose to hire a registered agent or act as your own.

STEP 3: Register for taxes

You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.

In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It's really easy and free!

You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website. If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?

There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.

STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card

Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.

When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.

Open a business bank account

Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:

  • Separates your personal assets from your company's assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
  • Makes accounting and tax filing easier.

Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.

Get a business credit card

Getting a business credit card helps you:

  • Separate personal and business expenses by putting your business' expenses all in one place.
  • Build your company's credit history, which can be useful to raise money later on.

Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.

STEP 5: Set up business accounting

Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.

Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.

STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses

Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.

State & Local Business Licensing Requirements

Each state has its own regulations regarding childcare licensing. Check out your state’s information and make sure your daycare center is operating according to state law.

If you are serving food at your daycare center, you will likely need to pass a health inspection with your local health department. Here are some tips for faring well on a health inspection.

Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.

Service Agreement

Daycare businesses should consider requiring clients to sign a service agreement before starting a new project. This agreement should clarify client expectations and minimize risk of legal disputes by setting out payment terms and conditions, service level expectations, and intellectual property ownership. Here is an example service agreement.

Recommended: Rocket Lawyer makes it easy to create a professional service agreement for your daycare business when you sign up for their premium membership. For $39.95 per month, members receive access to hundreds of legal agreements and on call attorneys to get complimentary legal advice.

Release of Liability and Medical Waiver

Childcare providers will also need to obtain written consent from parents to protect them from lawsuits should children have any injuries or accidents while under their care. Here is an example of such a liability form.

However, it is important to know your responsibilities as a care provider and when you may nevertheless be held legally accountable for a child’s injuries at your home or center. This site offers an informative overview of several court cases that give a broader understanding of the topic.

Certificate of Occupancy

Businesses operating out of a physical location typically require a Certificate of Occupancy (CO). A CO confirms that all building codes, zoning laws and government regulations have been met.

  • If you plan to lease a location:
    • It is generally the landlord’s responsibility to obtain a CO.
    • Before leasing, confirm that your landlord has or can obtain a valid CO that is applicable to a daycare business.
    • After a major renovation, a new CO often needs to be issued. If your place of business will be renovated before opening, it is recommended to include language in your lease agreement stating that lease payments will not commence until a valid CO is issued.
  • If you plan to purchase or build a location:
    • You will be responsible for obtaining a valid CO from a local government authority.
    • Review all building codes and zoning requirements for you business’ location to ensure your daycare business will be in compliance and able to obtain a CO.

STEP 7: Get business insurance

Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.

There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.

Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers' Compensation Coverage.

FInd out what types of insurance your Daycare needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for Daycare.

STEP 8: Define your brand

Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.

If you aren't feeling confident about designing your small business logo, then check out our Design Guides for Beginners, we'll give you helpful tips and advice for creating the best unique logo for your business.

Recommended: Get a logo using Truic's free logo Generator no email or sign up required, or use a Premium Logo Maker.

If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.

How to promote & market a daycare

The scope of your marketing strategy will depend on the size of your daycare business. If you are just starting and plan to operate out of your own home, taking on three or four full-time children, you probably don’t need to hire a web development team or a graphic designer for a billboard ad. However, as your business expands, and if you decide to lease or purchase space for a physical center that can accommodate a dozen or more kids, you will at least need a website. This allows parents, who are your prospective clients, to find your business on the Internet, learn about your personality, your childcare center’s core values, the types of activities you have available for your kids, and also a little about the people you have on staff working with you. Making this information attractive and easily accessible will help new parents feel comfortable bringing you their children. Also, you can include testimonials from past or current clients whose kids loved spending time with you.

How to keep customers coming back

It is important to know your target market and develop a unique brand for your daycare center. For example, some daycare centers succeed by catering to wealthier families who wish to provide their children with specialized educational opportunities early on. This daycare center offers kids an immersion-learning experience in Mandarin Chinese. While this kind of childcare may not appeal to you, try to find something unique that you have to offer which will attract clients to your center. Of course, nothing beats having genuine affection for kids and a sincere desire to provide them with a safe space to play and learn.

STEP 9: Create your business website

After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.

While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.

Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:

  • All legitimate businesses have websites - full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
  • Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
  • Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.

Recommended: Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders.

Other popular website builders are: WordPress, WIX, Weebly, Squarespace, and Shopify.

STEP 10: Set up your business phone system

Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.

There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2023 to find the best phone service for your small business.

Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com

Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it's fair pricing.

Is this Business Right For You?

Do you like playing with kids? Do you have children of your own? A day care is an excellent business for parents who wish to spend more time with their own children, while at the same time helping other parents by providing high quality child care.

Child care providers are responsible, friendly, patient, and good communicators. Taking care of multiple children is a real challenge; it takes a special person who can give adequate attention to every child in his or her care.

Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?

Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!

Entrepreneurship Quiz

What happens during a typical day at a daycare?

A child care provider typically works during normal working hours, while parents are at work and are unable to watch their children. Depending on the arrangement made with clients, a daycare owner may prepare meals for kids, or offer them snacks to eat throughout the day. Normal activities for children include playtime, reading aloud, watching educational videos, solving children’s puzzles, and other fun and wholesome ways to pass the time. If you are caring for infants and small children, you may also need to change diapers, and clean up after any unexpected accidents. You will also have to make sure your kids are following their scheduled naptime. As a daycare provider, you will need to be present with the children at all times, or have someone on your staff with them. Every state has a different requirement for the ratio of care providers to children at any given time.

In addition to the work of caring for children, you will need to allocate time for communicating with parents, marketing your day care business, and possibly hiring and training staff, depending on the size and scope of your day care.

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful daycare?

Most parents want to give their children the best childcare they can afford. As a prospective care provider, it is your job to assure parents that their children will be safe with you, and that their children will have an educational experience at your home or day care center.

Creativity, strong communication skills, and a talent for the arts are some abilities that will help you create a fun and warm atmosphere for your kids.

This article suggests ten qualities all child care providers should have, as well as how each relates to the day-to-day activities of caring for children.

What is the growth potential for a daycare?

As high quality childcare is a basic need for most American families, the childcare industry will always have a steady stream of clientele. The growth potential for your day care business will depend largely on the demographics of your area. Find out the age breakdown of your local population. How many young people are there? How many are married or in a long-term partnership? The average age women have their first child is 26, although this number varies considerably depending on the unique circumstances of each person.

How much your business expands largely depends on how ambitious you are. To give an example, Anne and Robert Kennedy, owners of Annie’s Children’s Center, started their first center in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1995. By 2005 they had expanded to three different centers in the greater Detroit area.

Should you consider joining a franchise?

Joining a daycare franchise can be a good option for entrepreneurs who prefer to use a proven model rather than start from scratch. While joining one can mean slightly higher initial costs and less control, a quality franchise offers great benefits such as initial and ongoing support, marketing assistance, and brand recognition.

Opening a daycare franchise typically requires $90,000-$4,000,000. Larger daycare franchises typically cost more, while more niche favorites often have lower startup costs.

Interested in joining a daycare franchise? Check out our favorites.

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Take the Next Step

Find a business mentor

One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.

Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.

Learn from other business owners

Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.

Resources to Help Women in Business

There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:

  • Funding
  • Events
  • Guides
  • Support

If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.

How and when to build a team

Each state has its own requirements for how many adults must be present given a certain number of infants, toddlers, and children. Here is one state’s requirements, to give you an idea of what this entails:

Growing Your Daycare business

Be sure to check your own state’s requirements to make sure your business is compliant with state law.

The size of your team will depend on how many children you have and what kinds of activities you wish to offer. Typical hourly pay for a daycare worker is $9 to $10, and for a daycare teacher it is anywhere between $11 to $14.

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