Opening a New Center

[PreciousGems]

Hey everyone! I have big dreams of opening a childcare center in my area. This has been in the works for years now. I tried doing in home, and I just was not a fan of having no adult contact during the day. I was always nervous to do anything like going to the bathroom, making meals, etc because I didn't want the kiddos out of sight. So I am back at the drawing board and continuing my planning of a center of up to potentially 60-75 children infant-preschool aged.

Give me all the details and advice for operating a center and also being the director. Thank you!

[Michael]

Welcome to the forum. Here are some threads on Center Directors. https://www.daycare.com/forum/tags.p...enter+director

[flying_babyb]

Oh that a smaller center! those are the best. I work at a 4 classroom center (infants, 1s,2s, and preschool). Its nice. Make sure you think out your layout ahead of tine. Our center was bought THEN thought through. They added sinks (that are plumbed badly). Another thing we learned. Having to go through another classroom to go to the bathroom also stinks. I would suggest you go tour a few daycares and see what you like and hate, take notes! Good luck!

[gumdrops]

This has been a dream of mine also! I currently do in home and would love to be a director...I love paperwork and rules (I'm being for real) I almost bought a very small daycare in our town but the money, or lack thereof, scared me away. My daughter has since started working at a daycare center and that has been the biggest blessing and I'm so glad I waited! The experiences that she has are so different than how I do things in my home and how I would have thought to do things in a center. I have learned so much from her. Now, we both want to open a daycare if any real estate comes up for rent in our area. My advice would be to work at a daycare center for a bit to see what you like/don't like about it.

[PreciousGems]

Thank you to those of you that have responded. I have worked at 2 of the 3 centers in my town, as well as toured 2 different centers in 2 different towns. I was required to help the directors with some stuff when employed, but I was only allowed to do so much. I will continue to do research and hopefully meet with the centers in my town again for mild discussion. Again, thank you.