How to Start a Daycare in Nigeria -12+ Steps to Success

Have you ever had the urge to work some magic on small children? Yes, that’s where we’ve all been. Constructing a fortress from cushions, performing rather off-key versions of “Wheels on the Bus,” and becoming an expert in stain cleaning — in other words, turning into a rock star childcare operator. Looking to turn your passion to profit? Then start a daycare in Nigeria.

I guess you’re here because you are looking for how to start your daycare business too. You won’t need to look much further, this article will walk you through this process step-by-step.

But first, what is a daycare center?

Definition of a Daycare Center

As the name suggests, a daycare center—also referred to as a pre-school or child care facility—is a place where newborns, toddlers, and young children can get supervision and care during the day.

How then does a daycare facility operate? When you use a childcare service, you often take your child somewhere other than your house—to an institution that looks after young people.

When returning from their workday, parents typically drop off their kids in the morning and pick them up later in the evening. A daycare is not the same as babysitting because the latter involves caring for a child while they are at home with their parents. The typical age range of children brought to a daycare center is 6months to 5 years old.

Why should you start a childcare center?

Although starting a daycare can be scary, it can also be quite fulfilling. Despite the fact that there is no set path to success, many operators of child care centers enjoy the process. Thus, there are plenty of good reasons to create a daycare, whether it’s your love of children or your desire to assist local parents.

It’s crucial that you think about your own special motivations for wanting to start a daycare since these will spur you on to fulfill your ambition. Opening a daycare will definitely pay dividends, despite the challenges you will encounter along the way.

Can you start a daycare from home in Nigeria?

Yes, it is possible to establish a care center from home, and it can even be the more cost-effective choice. This is a result of the various alternatives available to in-home daycare centers at the local, state, and federal levels for grants and funding.

Benefits of opening a childcare center in Nigeria

There are several benefits to opening your own daycare center. Starting your own care center from the ground up can provide you with a great deal of personal fulfillment. Then there’s the delight of bonding with kids and picking up lessons that will last a lifetime.

If you’re still debating opening your own daycare, take into account these possible benefits:

Financial independence: Starting a daycare gives you control over your earnings as opposed to depending on a regular paycheck. You can invest back into your own company and make the most of your earning potential.
Emotionally fulfilling: Having children in your care teaches you to be patient and appreciate the small things in life. Additionally, you’ll be free to pursue your own business instead of being restricted to a regular day job.
Extra cash: If your initial goal was to be a stay-at-home parent, why not earn some extra cash by simultaneously providing child care for other people, as opposed to staying at home and taking care of your own children for free?
Ongoing education: Starting a daycare might lead to new prospects in the child care industry. You can be offered a different career or decide on your own to continue your study.
Personal child care: You can look after your own child(ren) while managing your daycare. You’ll save money and provide your children with opportunity to socialize with other children.

How Much Does It Cost to Start a Daycare?

A daycare center’s average start up cost ranges from N200,000 to N3,000,000. Whether you’re starting a daycare from home or renting a different space for your care center will determine how this varies greatly. The kind of quality and standard of comfort and service you want to provide will all have a role to play in your start up cost.

Let’s get right to the important stuff: a step-by-step guide on launching your own daycare business in Nigeria!

12+ Steps to Start a Successful Daycare Business in Nigeria

Step 1: Earnings or passion?(Discover your “why!”).

It takes more than cupcakes and naps to start a daycare, even though those are great benefits. It’s about nourishing young brains, fostering parent-child trust, and establishing a secure environment where smiles outweigh tantrums. What is the purpose of your actions? Is it the fulfilling sense of having a positive impact? or the burning desire to create something amazing that is part of your entrepreneurial spirit? Discover your “why”; trust us, spilled juice gets nasty, and it will serve as your compass.

Step 2: Do a good Feasibility study

Planning is essential to the success of any business and should not be disregarded. Before starting a daycare service business, make sure you thoroughly plan every step of the process. To determine the size of your target market, you must ascertain the number of working class moms and infants in your immediate vicinity. An effective feasibility study will assist you in;

a) Choose which market to aim for.
b) Be aware of the entire startup costs and equipment needed;
c) understand the business’s profitability; and so on.

Step 3: Write your business plan

Why is a business plan necessary for a daycare service, one may wonder? The truth is every company needs a blueprint to serve as its operational manual.

Additionally, you must decide on the kind of daycare facility you want to open and design a plan around it. Montessori daycare, religious daycare, at-work daycare, and other sorts of daycare institutions are among them.

A business plan is usually a comprehensive document that outlines the long-term aims and objectives of your new company as well as your intended strategy for achieving them.

The following details should typically be included in your business plan:

An overview of your childcare company
Executive Summary
General Overview of the company
A SWOT analysis
Market research and analysis
Your strategy
An operational plan
A marketing plan
The Team
Financial forecast or projection
An appendix

Despite popular belief, a business plan is not a large, complicated document. If you can force yourself to write one page per day, you’ll have your business plan finished in a matter of days.

Step 4: Find Out More About Daycare Licensing Requirements

Even if you may have begun as a nanny or babysitter, you must obtain the necessary licenses in order to legally open a full-fledged childcare center. In this manner, you can be sure that your daycare is legal and that taking in children into your care won’t put you in legal hot water.

To obtain the necessary licenses and permits to operate a daycare center, travel to the closest local government office in the vicinity of your selected business location. Advanced nations have implemented laws and regulations that prohibit the maltreatment of children.

Certain regulations outline the necessary space and staff, types of toys, the maximum number of kids that can enter at once, and other details. If such laws exist in Nigeria, they are not, however, enforced.

In actuality, you can launch the company without worrying about legal issues. The certification of a creche is the responsibility of the Ministry of Women Affairs. Visit their office that is closest to you. The proprietor of the creche will receive a certificate following a year-long inspection by a representative of the Women Affairs Commission.

If you have the means, we always advice that you take all necessary permissions before you start so that you won’t run into any trouble whatsoever.

Step 5: Think About Enrolling in Early Childhood Education Programs

Establishing a daycare does not need you to have professional child care expertise, but it is strongly advised that you have some knowledge of early childhood development. Since you will be taking care of young people, you must be able to give them the proper support and attention.

A smart place to start is with a degree in early childhood education. Classes are usually offered online or in person at your neighborhood community college. You can get free training in platforms like Alison. You will have a deeper understanding of children’s thought processes, behaviors, and needs for appropriate care by completing this degree.

Beyond that, you’ll possess the abilities to differentiate your company from rivals. You’ll be more equipped to provide the services parents need and entice them to return time and time again.

Step 6: Choose a Location for Your Daycare

This stage should be very simple if your daycare will be operated out of your house. If not, you’ll have to decide where to put your daycare center.

There is room available to hold a daycare in many local businesses, churches, recreation centers, and even schools; the space is usually charged on a monthly or yearly basis. To find possibilities in your area, conduct searches on the internet, in your local newspaper, and within your network.

Once you’ve determined that a location works well for you, you should verify that it complies with your city’s licensing requirements and zoning restrictions. In this manner, future legal issues can be avoided.

Finding a place that is conveniently placed, kid-friendly, and quickly accessible is ideal.

Your employees are your superheroes—sans the spandex, perhaps get some cozy sneakers instead. Seek out nannies who are imaginative, patient, and truly love children. Background checks are essential, and don’t undervalue the value of a good laugh—a group that laughs together learns together and gets things cleaned up together.

Step 7: Seek out Funding:

As we’ve already discussed, there are costs involved in starting a daycare. If you don’t have the money to cover these costs, you’ll need to come up with some other creative ways to get funding.
You can seek for financial assistance from family and friends to assist with startup costs, and you may also want to consider organizing community fundraising. Remember that the purpose of these funds is to be used as an investment that will yield profitable returns in your business.

Costs Associated with Starting a Daycare:
There are a number of items you’ll need to purchase or lease in order to open for business on day one. These costs include but are not limited to:

Renting a daycare facility
Play things for both indoor and outdoor use
Toys
Art supplies
supplies for cleaning
supplies for child care (such as wipes and diapers)
Work laptop
Fees for licenses
Vehicle or dependable mode of transportation (optional)

You may come up with a list of other things you’d want to see in your daycare. With time, you can use the income you receive to partially offset these costs and make an investment in better tools or supplies. It’s acceptable to start small and work your way up.

Step 8: Get Your Daycare Facility Ready

It’s time to set up your daycare center after you’ve found a space and acquired the necessary supplies and machinery.

Start by thoroughly cleaning your space and sanitizing it with a powerful disinfectant.

After that, make the necessary preparations to childproof your daycare based on the ages of the kids you will be looking after.

Lastly, arrange toys and play equipment. You may choose to keep things organized by using storage boxes. Your layout can always be rearranged to suit your needs.

Is your childcare center ready to take in kids? After giving it one more review, you’re prepared to open for business on the first day!

Step 9: Write a Contract

It is usually a good idea to have a contract as a small business owner. Since the parents that visit your facility are effectively your clients, you should have a strong contract in place to safeguard yourself against any legal problems.

We advise finding a reputable contract attorney to design a contract that meets your demands and particular business rules. Next, you will use your contract to set forth your expectations for your clients and their kids.

When drafting your contract, keep the following points in mind:

How do you anticipate getting paid?
What will you do about payments that are late?
When should parents pick up their kids from school?
Is there a penalty for arriving late for pick-up?
Which services are you going to offer?
How do you handle ill children in your policy?
Are refunds available? If so, in what circumstances?
In the event that a kid gets hurt at your facility, what happens?

Step 10: Create policies and procedures.

Establish guidelines and procedures for both your employees and the families whose children visit your daycare. An emergency plan, safety guidelines, privacy policies, and facility rules are a few examples of these procedures.

Establishing these protocols will assist you in ensuring the children’s safety and shielding yourself from potential legal consequences. To ensure compliance, make sure to verify your local child care licensing regulations while creating your policies.

Step 11: Employ Workers When Needed

You might operate as a one-person operation when you initially start out since you might wish to avoid paying for superfluous help. However, eventually you might have to employ someone to watch the kids during the day.

This is particularly true if you are having trouble maintaining the staff-to-child ratio that your local daycare licensing rules specify. Make sure you have enough workers for the number of children you intend to care for by reviewing these.

To further guarantee the children’s protection, make sure all child care providers submit to criminal background checks and offer references. Carefully consider your recruiting choices to preserve the safety of your facility and uphold its excellent reputation.

Step 12: Get the word out

It’s time to announce your availability for business! Use originality in your marketing. Consider neighborhood fliers, social media magic (imagine cute child photos instead of endless talks about organic kale), and perhaps even a memorable song (hum it to yourself, please don’t criticize!). To spread the word about your brand, collaborate with community centers, playgroups, and schools. Recall that positive parent referrals are like gold dust, so make sure every exchange is memorable!

Step 13: Manage the Finances of Your Company

Money management errors cause a lot of small businesses to fail. You will need to manage your spending and have a rudimentary understanding of business accounting if you want your business to prosper.

There’s more to managing your company’s finances than merely keeping tabs on income and expenditures. You will need to budget for taxes, which are normally about thirty percent of your income after costs, and make wise financial judgments.

Expert daycare accounting software may assist you with managing expenses, tracking income, sending invoices, and much more. It can even effortlessly collect credit card payments and inform parents when payments are due.

Step 14: Give Excellent Service

Your ability to give your families the best care possible is essential to the success of your daycare. More referral business is likely to come in if the children at your daycare are well-cared for and, even better, enjoy attending.

Gaining new customers can be greatly aided by favorable feedback. To enhance the reputation of your daycare in the neighborhood, ask families to leave reviews on Facebook, Google, Yelp, and other review websites.

Always try to find methods to make your childcare better. Get input from families, make extra educational investments, and attract outstanding employees to establish your daycare as the top option for local families.

Conclusion

Accept the unanticipated! Managing a daycare involves a rollercoaster of emotions and many shocks, both good and bad. Remember that a good chuckle can turn any awkward circumstance into a time for connecting, so keep your cool and be adaptable. Put on your glitter boots, and get ready to become a childcare rock star! Your magic is needed in the world, one little human masterpiece at a time.

There you have it, then! Your road map to dominating childcare (the nice type, with cuddles and cookies instead of robots and laser beams). Recall that it’s a voyage rather than a race. So go slow, enjoy yourself, and don’t be afraid to show off your passion.

Go ahead and construct the most amazing daycare that Nigeria has ever seen! (And remember to email us pictures of the mud pies!)

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