To operate a
sustainable daycare, you need to understand that it is equally important to know how to market and promote your daycare services
to your target audience.
Scan the daycare environment
You need to understand
your environment. Find out what are the legal issues that can impact your day care business operations such as licenses and
safety regulations. In some instances, there are regulations on the maximum number of children you can provide care for as
well as mandatory certifications which the owner would have to possess such as Degree/Diploma in Early Childhood Development
or First Aid CPR. In addition, you should conduct a competitive study of your competitors.
Gather as much information as
possible about your competitors; find how many day care facilities are there within a 500 meters from you, know what are their
charges and preferably how many children they are caring for. Remember to include home day care as well as you will be competing
for the same customers.
Understand your target daycare business customers
It
is important to know who your target audience are. Are you targeting at parents living within the vicinity of your daycare or parents working near your day care.
Decide on a strategy to differentiate your daycare
You
will need to decide how you intend to differentiate your daycare from your competitors and ensure that whichever strategy you decide upon, it must be sustainable and preferably not
easily duplicated. Will it be based on fees charged or additional services provided such as new daycare facilities, longer
operating hours, better quality meals, better quality curriculum, low daycare caregiver to child ratio, etc. This should be
done even if you are operating a home day care
Pricing your daycare services
Price
is the value on which your customer places on a product/service. The value is determined by the strength of the need as well
as the purchasing power of the target audience. By understanding your competitors, you will be able to determine the level
of demand for your daycare services. In addition, you need to have a clear understanding of the financial demographics of
your target audience as that will determine if they are willing / able to pay for your services.
Promoting
your daycare business
Finally, you need to decide how you can promote your daycare services to them. That is determined by the demographics of your target audience. Should you use flyers, posters, internet or even
take up an classified advertisement in a community newsletter / newspaper.Drawing up a business plan for your day care business
is mandatory, even if you intend to operate a home daycare. It may sound like a mammoth task but if you were to break it down
into smaller parts, it is actually fairly simple. In addition, there are starter's kits available such as How to Start a Daycare to help you along.
