| If you are planning on seeking funding or investors | | | | a partnership or a corporation? Include details on |
| for your daycare startup then a solid child care | | | | the daycare licensing process for the state in |
| center business plan will be essential for proving | | | | question as well as other local regulations that |
| the feasibility of your idea to them. There are | | | | must be complied with such as zoning and building |
| also some other compelling reasons why you | | | | safety requirements. What insurance policies will |
| should take the time to prepare this important | | | | be necessary to protect the business and its |
| blueprint for business success. If you are going | | | | owners from property damage or liability claims? |
| into business with a partner, a business plan will | | | | 8) Organization |
| allow both of you to make sure that you are | | | | How will your daycare be managed? Your |
| thinking along the same lines. And even if you are | | | | daycare business plan should include information on |
| going it alone and have nobody to impress, a plan | | | | the ownership structure (if there are other |
| offers you a way of getting all your thoughts and | | | | owners involved). Set out a plan for taking on and |
| research down on paper in one structured report. | | | | managing staff including hiring practices, necessary |
| A business plan allows you to see if your child | | | | qualifications, wages and other policies. Outline job |
| care center is viable and helps you to set goals | | | | descriptions for each position and set out a clear |
| and benchmarks that you can later measure your | | | | hierarchy showing which managers are responsible |
| progress against. Below we offer a child care | | | | for which employees. |
| center business plan template. The ideal way to | | | | 9) Market Analysis |
| put together a plan is to look at a few that have | | | | A good business plan will usually have an analysis |
| been done for other child care centers and then | | | | of the local market. This is where you can |
| make adjustments to suit your unique situation. It | | | | present the findings of any market research that |
| can be an extensive report or something brief | | | | you have undertaken. Your market analysis should |
| that fits onto one page. | | | | include information gained from surveys with |
| What to Include in a Business Plan for a Child Care | | | | prospective daycare clients in the area to find out |
| Center | | | | more about them and about what they are |
| 1) Executive Summary | | | | looking for in a daycare service. You can include |
| This is a summary of your daycare business plan | | | | demographic data about your local market here |
| and it should be written after the plan is complete. | | | | and attempt to establish some typical customer |
| Detail the contents of your plan and declare some | | | | profiles. Discuss your proposed location and why |
| of the conclusions that you have made. | | | | you think its location is strategically significant. |
| 2) Company Mission | | | | Look at a variety of niches within daycare such |
| Put money aside for a minute and write a little | | | | as infant care or after school care and decide on |
| about how you want to fit in with and impact | | | | the niches that you will go after with your set up |
| your community in a positive way. Write about | | | | and your marketing. Give details on all local |
| the importance of child care in society and your | | | | competitors and suggest ways that your daycare |
| personal philosophies on early childhood | | | | could offer unique services that differentiate it |
| development and daycare. What kind of image do | | | | from these other market players. Look at their |
| your want to project? | | | | strengths and weaknesses and try to come up |
| 3) Table of Contents and Introduction | | | | with the ideal service for your market that is an |
| Introduce the reader to your business plan and let | | | | improvement on the services that are already |
| them know what kind of daycare you have in | | | | available. |
| mind. What is the basic concept? What services | | | | 10) Marketing Plan |
| will you offer? What age groups will you care for? | | | | Put forward a marketing plan for gaining new |
| Set out a contents page so that readers can | | | | customers. Outline a branding strategy, a pricing |
| easily navigate their way through the report. | | | | strategy and how you will consistently promote |
| 4) Background | | | | your daycare to local families. Try to identify |
| You should include some background on the child | | | | precisely what advertising and marketing methods |
| care industry to help readers to better | | | | you would use to get leads and what sales |
| understand the present state of the industry and | | | | approach you would use to turn prospective |
| how your business will fit into it. Personal | | | | families into new clients. Write an online marketing |
| backgrounds of yourself and other key players | | | | plan discussing a proposed website for the child |
| should also be included to let readers know who | | | | care center as well as a strategy for bringing |
| you are and what led you to the conclusion that | | | | targeted traffic to the site. |
| you want to enter this industry. What skills, | | | | 11) Financial Plan |
| experience or attributes do you have that make | | | | Lastly, you should include some detailed financial |
| you particularly well suited to setting up and | | | | forecasting. Estimate revenues and expenses |
| managing a child care center? Attach any | | | | over a period of two years and set these out in |
| supporting documents such as your resume to | | | | a spreadsheet. Profit or loss can then be |
| the business plan as an appendix. | | | | projected based on these estimates. Put forward |
| 5) Objectives | | | | several different scenarios where for example |
| Summarize your financial goals as well as any | | | | costs are higher than expected or income is |
| expansion plans that you have for the daycare | | | | slower than expected. Identify the break even |
| over your first two or three years in business. | | | | point or the point that the business becomes |
| 6) Startup Requirements and Financing | | | | profitable. |
| List out all anticipated startup costs and other | | | | A good child care business plan template along the |
| hurdles that must be overcome before you open | | | | lines of the one that we have outlined above will |
| your doors to families. How you propose to | | | | give you a clear direction of where you want to |
| finance the new business? | | | | go, will help you to measure progress along the |
| 7) Business Structure and Legal Considerations | | | | way and ultimately will help you to reach your |
| Will the child care center be a sole proprietorship, | | | | personal and financial goals. |