Day care centers- what parents look for

A lot of day care center owners have found the secret in making their businesses a success – the secret is in knowing what parents look for in a day care center. Strictly speaking, day care center clientele are not the children, but their parents.

In setting up your own day care centers, you should consider the following criteria parents use in choosing the center they send their kids to.

1. Location
Although there are other more important things than this, most parents would try to find a daycare center close to home or close to where they work. It is a question of convenience, and your facility should respond to this primary need. The parents want a convenient location so that they can easily pick up their children in cases of emergency. Put your daycare center near residential spots or very accessible to business centers and you are sure to fin d a large market.

2. Reputation
It is not necessary that you achieve this before you start your own child care facility, but having a good personal relationship with moms and dads could be your ticket to having a steady stream of clients on your opening day. This first batch would determine how you will be received in the community so make sure that you take care of them. Always be professional and courteous and make sure that your daycare facility meets their requirements.

3. Price
Inexpensive child care is very tempting that is true. However many parents also believe that a good competitive price is okay because they need to be certain of the quality of your service too. Research on how much reputable daycare centers charge, take a look into their facilities, services and equipment and you are sure to find out how much you can charge for your own day care center.

4. Rich and Caring Environment
It is not hard to fall in love with children so when the parents come in to take a look around your facility, make sure that they can see your natural and sincere concern for children. You should also make sure that your facility caters to an overall development of the child’s skills and needs.

5. Personnel
Your staff should all mirror your sincerity in taking care of children. Some parents develop a strong bond with one particular day care facilitator and this would not be good if that employee transfers. Try to build a loyalty between the parent and the facility, not just with individuals.

6. “Nurturing friendships” atmosphere
Parents tend to take their children where their playmates go to. So instead of just relying on tight knit circles, encourage play dates among the kids in your class that have just started to get to know each other. Children make friends easily. The parents would be more comfortable in letting their children attend a daycare facility that nurtures social skills in their kids too.

These are just some of the characteristics that parents look for in a day care center. Make sure that you consider your children’s parents requirements aside from taking care of your children’s needs.

See: How to start a day care center