Understanding the Community
Determining Need
The first step in starting a new center or family day care home is learning if there is need in the community for child care. First, find out what types of child care are currently available in your community, by talking with Parent Line, as well as town or city government offices. Informally, you can check your local Yellow Pages, parents' newspapers, and other publications for advertisements that will give you an idea of how many child care facilities are already in business.
When gathering this information, you should focus on:
- Total number of licensed facilities in the community, and ages of children being offered care
- Hours offered by other facilities whether early morning or evening care is offered, and availability of part-time or flexible care
- Whether child care providers have waiting lists or a lot of vacancies
- Geographic location of licensed facilities
Community Demographics
You can get a good overview of your community from talking with us, by looking at recent census data, and/or by surveying local parents. Demographic information can help you estimate the number of working families with young children in the community, where they live, and their likely income and child care rates
Options in a Competitive Environment
If you discover that other licensed providers have many vacancies — or, conversely, are experiencing difficulty in hiring qualified staff — you may then revise your business plan to address the competitive environment.
Some options to differentiate your program include:
- Providing non-traditional hours of care not offered by other licensed facilities (e.g., evening/weekend care)
- Offering a type of program or service not presently offered in the community (e.g., a Montessori or mildly-ill child care)
- Including infants and toddlers in your enrollment plan
