If you are thinking about starting up a childcare center, one of the first steps is to evaluate the need for childcare in your community. You can do this in many ways, from interviewing local families to researching census demographics. You can start your assessment by connecting with families in your community about their daycare needs and qualities they would look for in a daycare center. This is often done through speaking with families, developing a questionnaire which folks can complete through the mail, or through conducting a phone survey.
Another excellent way to determine the need for daycare services in your community is to study local census data for your city or town. You can look at demographic information such as number of families with youngsters ages 0-6 years, number of recent marriages, and the geographic concentrations of families. This data can be found through getting in touch with your nearby city or town hall, or the U.S. Census Bureau. You may be able to search for the data online through the U.S. Census Bureau's site.You can use the census data to determine the prevailing need for childcare in your town or city, as well as predict if the requirements for childcare will increase in the near future.
A very important step in this assessment process is reaching out to your local childcare resource and referral agency to help identify existing childcare businesses in your city or town. You can then learn more about your competitors, and what types of care and services they're providing to families close by. You may have to create a unique strategy for your own childcare service, for example offering more flexible hours, services for children of different ages, or providing an after-school daycare service for older kids.
Before you get in touch with your nearby childcare resource and referral agency, come up with a list of things you wish to ask about daycare services in your area. These can include questions about hours, kinds of childcare, ages of children in childcare, services competitors provide for families and the total number of childcare centers which are near to your area.
It is crucial for you to evaluate the needs for childcare in your community before building your business. This will help you to set some clear objectives for your business plan, and get ahead of the competition by providing niche services.
Another excellent way to determine the need for daycare services in your community is to study local census data for your city or town. You can look at demographic information such as number of families with youngsters ages 0-6 years, number of recent marriages, and the geographic concentrations of families. This data can be found through getting in touch with your nearby city or town hall, or the U.S. Census Bureau. You may be able to search for the data online through the U.S. Census Bureau's site.You can use the census data to determine the prevailing need for childcare in your town or city, as well as predict if the requirements for childcare will increase in the near future.
A very important step in this assessment process is reaching out to your local childcare resource and referral agency to help identify existing childcare businesses in your city or town. You can then learn more about your competitors, and what types of care and services they're providing to families close by. You may have to create a unique strategy for your own childcare service, for example offering more flexible hours, services for children of different ages, or providing an after-school daycare service for older kids.
Before you get in touch with your nearby childcare resource and referral agency, come up with a list of things you wish to ask about daycare services in your area. These can include questions about hours, kinds of childcare, ages of children in childcare, services competitors provide for families and the total number of childcare centers which are near to your area.
It is crucial for you to evaluate the needs for childcare in your community before building your business. This will help you to set some clear objectives for your business plan, and get ahead of the competition by providing niche services.
About the Author:
Jennifer Dilwortz is a writer for Childcare Training Info, the most comprehensive childcare training resource on the web. This piece of writing on assessing community needs for day care is part of our series on starting up a childcare business.
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