Let's quickly differentiate between a child care center and a child care program.  A child care center is an actual place, a building where children are cared for.  A child care program is the way the children are cared for, and involves planning age-appropriate activities, use of different teaching methods, etc. Before opening your child care center, you need to think about your child care program. 

In thinking about your program, first you need to decide its PURPOSE, GOALS, and PHILOSOPHY.  The PURPOSE of your program is to establish why you want to operate a child care center. Your GOALS guide your program toward the results you wish to accomplish. The PHILOSOPHY of your program outlines how you will operate your program based on your purpose and goals. 

Now stop and think about your response to WHY, WHAT, and HOW you create your program's foundation. Jot down your ideas and use this as a starting point for your program focus. If you need a starting point, review the goals and philosophies of the competition in your area.

America needs quality child care centers. Of working women, over 75% have children, and over 50% have children under the age of 5 years. Opening a child care center is an excellent investment both for you and your community.  The benefits are two-fold: you benefit by offering a service for which there is a constant demand, and the families in your community benefit by having the services of a high quality child care center available.

However, it's not as simple as renting a building and putting up a sign. Establishing a successful child care program takes money, time, and most of all, organization and planning.  As you begin your journey toward creating your center, it is important to remver that it can be a lengthy process. 

Opening a child care center requires you to think about a lot of things.  Three of the most important are asked in the questions below. Take your time and answer them carefully. Your answers will guide your thinking as you develop your business plan.

1. What is your reason for opening a child care center?
2. What are strengths regarding business knowledge? Early childhood education/child care?
3. What do you know about the child care system in your community?

If you have strengths in these areas, you have a good start toward opening your program. If you have areas that are weak, talk to other professionals in the community who can provide current working information about child care business practices, child care program operations, and what kinds of child care are offered in your area. This will help you formulate a plan based on real experiences of individuals in this field. Infomraiton on the current child care system should assist you in determining what your child care program will offer to the community. If you need additional professional assistance in establishing your program, you may thing about hiring an accountant for the financial component or an early childhood professional to help you create your child care program. As the owner and operator of a child care center, you must educate yourself first with a working knowledge of the business and program aspects of a successful child care program.