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Ever wondered how to start a day care business? With help of these 5 steps, you will find out how to start a day care centre in India!
Parenthood is a beautiful experience.
Until the reality starts creeping in. The practical world demands that the parent(s) start working, again, after a brief period of leave. But this demand comes without the realization and consideration of parental responsibilities on behalf of the organizations.
Before going to day care, my friend’s sister tried hiring nannies who would take care of her infant. But the house was more of an exhibition of amusing ones, rather than one stable, trusting one. No Mary Poppins turned up! But, she was saved by a newly opened day care service in her locality.
In today’s age, on one hand, we encourage women to go out into more professional roles. But at the same time, we also, expect them to fulfil their traditional primary roles like birth giving, child-rearing, etc.
In most scenarios, this double responsibility results in the women choosing the latter to maintain familial or societal peace, thereby, regressing to traditional gender roles. Hence, we find more women at the entry-level, but the number lessens as they go up the ladder.
But since the concept of day care is on the rise, it enables several women to continue working while not worrying about their children.
Day care is a concept where working parent(s) can leave their toddlers for a set number of hours while they are at their work. The tots are not only just looked after by a small team, but also in certain ways, prepare them for their educational training at school.
Just like Montessori used to be the pre-cursor of KG in school, day cares are the same. It is a concept that is set to expand more in the Indian setting, hence, if you are interested in opening a child day care centre, now is a good time.
Before proceeding with such a decision, do remember. It is not easy to take care of a single child, let alone a few more. Responsibility increases multifold the moment the helpless parents turn to you for support. It might be another kid to you, but for them, they are their whole world.
Day cares are not another way of earning money. So, only if you feel you could live up to the responsibility, do go ahead.
For your day care business to succeed, you will need to do market thorough market research at the very beginning. Though this business does not involve large lump sum capital amount or major risks, it is important to understand the demography of your market.
Parents would prefer day care centres that are available in the immediate vicinity or are near their residence or workplace so that no time gets wasted en route. Try to find out if the parents in and around your area are in need of a day care centre. If there are one or more centres present in that area, look into how they are performing.
If parents are satisfied with it, then maybe setting up your day care may not be as profitable as once deemed to be. But if they are not, you do have a golden opportunity to get a customer base served on a platter.
For your day care centre to be successful, there has to be a strong business plan in place. Chalk out the age group of the children that you want to cater to. Select your niche, and your USP, and then plan out your marketing strategy.
Figure out the finances, the advantages and disadvantages, and potential risks. Your business plan should also include an approximate estimate of the revenues and expenses of the business.
This business plan will offer you the foundation on which your day care centre will thrive. Alongside this, this plan will also help you in the long run to acquire licences, etc. This line is one of those businesses that need strong planning. Make sure you have that.
Setting up a day care centre involves multiple expenses, including hiring an adequate number of trained employees, acquiring licences, rent for space, marketing campaigns, daily expenses, etc. The establishment cost ends up being quite a sum.
However, these days, most banking or financial organizations provide loans at low rates of interest to women to set up such small-scale businesses. Research and find out the appropriate funding schemes that you think would best suit your purpose. Keep your business plan and research handy, since it will better your chances of loan approval.
Moreover, a lot of costs are saved if one can spare a considerable amount of space in their own home. Maybe the ground floor, or upon renovating the garage. But be mindful of the number of students the space can accommodate.
It is always advantageous to know more about the market that you are working with. Hence, intensive knowledge about the area is expected. Good educational institutions offer either a diploma degree or a certificate course in early childhood development or child care. Look for a suitable course and enrol yourself.
Not only will the knowledge acquired help you in the field, but the degree acquired too will better your chances of being noticed. Once the parents are assured that they have entrusted their kid in the hands of someone who has some knowledge of the field, it becomes easier on both sides— the parents are at peace, while your business thrives!
Also, while increasing your work staff, please be extra mindful of the applicants that you are considering. Choose only the ones who you think are either experienced and capable, have good feedback from multiple organizations, or the ones who are aware of the responsibilities that they would be entrusted with.
A background check is a must in all cases. Child safety should be your primary concern, and none of your staff should be compromising on such.
The Ministry of Women and Child Welfare released their guidelines for setting up a day care centre in 2017. It lays down the mandatory rules and guidelines that an individual or an organization needs to follow before opening their day care centre to the public. It involves who can, the location, precautions, safety measurements etc.
Furthermore, it also lays down the worker-child ratio, the types of furniture needed to be bought, the hiring of the workers, etc. Likewise, it is advised that these guidelines are followed word for word to get an approval for the establishment.
One does not have to particularly acquire a licence to open a day care, but the official agreement, wherein you undertake and confirm the guidelines of your day care, is the only paper that validates your day care centre. The entire details and the undertaking can be found in the Maternity Benefit Act, 2017.
In an Indian context, the idea of a day care centre is a slightly tabooed one, wherein the parent(s), especially the mothers, are criticized for choosing professional commitments over their children. At the same time, it is somewhat also normal for grandparent(s) to assume the role of a carer so that the return to work is normal.
Most grandparents would love to take the responsibility willingly, but there are also present households where such an option is not viable.
Hence, parents have to turn to options such as day care centres. Hence, the more we start normalizing this idea, the easier we will be making the lives of new parent(s) who are jumbled up with life anyway. Isn’t that desirable?
Image source for how to start a day care centre in India : Idina Risk via pexels free on CanvaPro
The author is a Gen-Z kid who resorts to writing to vent out about the problematic ways of the world. Having majored in Theatre, English, and Psychology, I take a guilty pleasure in complex read more...
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