Creating a business- What are parents looking for in a day care?
February 1, 2010 by
Filed under business group activities
Hi, this semester for school I’m taking business. I’m hoping every parent can help me. The teacher divided us into groups and he let each group choose the business of his choices. Well my group chose “Kids Community College Day Care” … I don’t really like the name but we aren’t allowed to change it =). Well I am a parent and I know what my expectations and what I look for a day care. But I wanted to know the different opinions on expectations of other parents (what are you looking for in a day care-what type of learning, pricing, activities, sports, etc..). We are trying to create a day care that offers something new that will help your child in the future. From the ages 4 months to 12 years old. Thanks in advance.
well the reason we wanted to set the ages from 4 months-12 years old is because it is very difficult for me to find a day care that would take care of my child while at I’m at school or work. Especially trying to find a day care that I trust and has a reasonable price..
They always said my child is too young. Ofcourse we wont put them all together. We want to create age groups. Thanks for posting =)
Keep the ideas coming..
I’ve worked at 2 day cares…and have hated them both. I am now a nanny so I can be the nurturing person that children want and need. For infants- a daycare needs to have extremely nurturing and loving staff. Not only should the staff feed and change the baby, but interact with it also. Read to it, sing to it, show it colorful things..etc…Toddlers-They need the same nurturing/loving people…Sing ABC’s, colors, other songs…play with different kinds of toys, sign language is HUGE these days–i taught it to my 2 year old class room!…Same goes for the older age groups up to school age. School age & up I’m not that experienced with…But learning activities are definitely a must.
Good luck!
First of all, 12 year olds should not mix with 4 month olds.
So restrict the ages more tightly. I’d say nothing over 5-6 years old.
Second, appeal directly to a lifestyle. Offer a Christian day care that encourages biblical story time, non-violent games, and Christian lessons.
Or perhaps a progressive day care that emphasizes the environment, liberal philosophy, and breaking down stereotypes. (I feel dirty just typing that idea out…yuck).
Although you’ve limited your customer base by making these specifications, you’ve created a brand and a unique product. And that is much more important for a low volume business with much direct competition. It’ll also give you a much better idea of what kind of activities you can offer.
Finally, make sure your services are standardized, broken down by cost and given a healthy profit margin. In other words, don’t vary your services too much. Provide 2 programs…a half day, and a full day. And try to keep your age brackets as broad as possible. Any overtime is charged by the hour. A snack is provided in the morning, and a small lunch is available in the afternoons. Diaper changing is available. Try to keep all your services included in the main price. People hate having to purchase additional services.
Some innovative ideas.
-Projects designed to take home
-Web-cams that allow working parents to view their children.
-Recorded play time or little presentations (singing, skits, ect)
These are all designed to leave the parents with evidence that you are doing your job. That is the most important product you can return to your customers.
i wud a daycare that was reasonable for my three children ages 8, 11, 13 help with their homework, activities, provide a meal and be able to pick my children from their sports activities…but that’s dream because daycare do not offer all that at reasonable prices