If you are the type that has this natural love for having children around you, but cannot meet your needs due to limited resources, this is your season to make more money.
The day care business is an opportunity you can now tap into, especially as children are on their second term holiday. Perhaps, you have children of your own and the idea of taking care of a few more for some parts of the day appeals to you, why not make a business out of this.
While setting your house as a daycare centre, you must always have it at the back of your mind that you need to create an atmosphere that appeals to parents and makes children happy and comfortable
The number of full-time housewives in Nigeria’s urban areas is on a rapid decline. Unlike any other time in history, more women are picking up paid jobs or running their own small businesses. This is why child-care needs continue to soar as the challenges of professional careers become more demanding.
As a result of this trend, there is a growing opportunity for convenience services like daycare centre business. More middle class families can now afford these services and appreciate the value it brings to their children’s early mental and emotional development. So, instead of looking for where to put their kids or begging relations to help to look after their kids while at work, the day care centre serves as a drop-off centre for many parents, while they have peace of mind at work.
If you are living in at least a two or 3-bedroom apartment and there is an unoccupied extra room, you can actually take advantage of this, talk to friends in your neighborhood who may need such services; with simple handbills and short message service advertisements, you can surely earn some extra cash in addition to having these lovely kids around you.
Founder of Cribs To Crayon Childcare Centre, Mrs. Ada Tobeana, explained that the good thing about running a day care services is that the child or children will be brought to your location during specific period of the day.
RECALL
• No need to rent a space or building as you can start in your house
• Little capital is required as start-up
• Materials to use are readily available
Tobeana added that children between the ages of three are thirteen are the usual candidates for your services. She explained that potential owners of day care centres would need facilities such as different types of toys, depending on their ages, story books and educational r e a d i n g books that will keep the children busy, when they are not taking a nap.
Tobeana said, “Make sure that the ideal situation for your daycare centre is safe, clean, accessible and close to the homes or offices of parents who can afford your services.
“Your apartment must be clean, the space you are using for your daycare should have all the necessary facilities like kitchen, toilets (and maybe bathrooms), beds, blankets, toys and outdoor playground. It is very important to ensure that all the potential dangers that could affect your business are reduced to the barest minimum.
So, try as much as possible to remove sharp or pointed objects from the kids play area. “While setting your house as a daycare centre, you must always keep have it at the back of your mind that you need to create an atmosphere that appeals to parents and makes children happy and comfortable. If the parents or kids do not like the feel of your house, they’re not going to use your services or recommend it to other people.”
In the course of running your daycare centre, try to develop a valuable curriculum and routine because parents always expect good value for the fees you charge for your day care services. If parents can observe an improvement in the mental, emotional and physical development of their kids, they will continue to hire your services and gladly recommend you to their family, friends, neighbours and colleagues. So, to help the kids develop mentally, work out a routine that encourages and engages their curiosity.
Teaching simple rhymes, songs, numbers and alphabets helps to develop the memory of children and aid their language learning ability. Puzzles and games are very popular with young kids and help them to learn shapes and colours.
Dancing is another great way to hold their attention while they learn. An interesting day care experience allows kids to bond, make friends and look forward to coming back the next day. You’re very likely to retain the parent’s interest if their children continue to demonstrate interest. Physical health and wellbeing of all children in your daycare centre is also very important.
If you decide to serve meals, you must ensure that high standards of hygiene is always maintained and the food has to be nourishing, tasty and contain a well-balanced diet that will support child growth. And in case a child contracts any contagious disease such as chicken pox and cough, it is important that you find a way to stop such a child from attending the daycare until he has fully recovered. You must display and maintain an empathetic, sensitive and patient attitude, as well as also have a natural energy and love for children.
Above all, your attitude and disposition towards the children and their parents will determine the success of your business; which means you need to build and maintain good reputation as it is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to advertise yourself and get new clients.
