Guide to Starting a Day Care Business in Kenya that Will Make you Ksh 100,000 Per Month

The number of parents looking to wean their babies as early as possible is rising as the middle income earners strive for better jobs and salaries. However, long gone are the days when hiring house helps from the rural areas was cheap and that was the norm and the tradition of the society.

Lately, house helps have become very expensive to maintain owed to the additional burden of employees’ benefits for example NHIF deductions.

Because of all these, parents now prefer to take their infants to day care centers.

A day care business, unlike other business investments will cost you next to nothing. Basically the two most important assets in starting this business are: the knowledge on early childhood development and the love for children. The other important aspect is the trust from the parents so that they can entrust you with taking care of their children.

Here are some basics that you need to know before starting a daycare business:

Step 1: Getting started.

You need to find a good location for this business. This means that the location should be in a good place and a clean environment and mostly important should be spacious.

Even if you choose to operate it from your home or in a commercial leased house, you will need to get a professional determination on whether or not the premises are suitable for a childcare facility.

A spacious house with several rooms in a rural area can cost Ksh 5,000 and a similar one in an urban area can cost up to Ksh 20,000 to around Ksh 50,000 and above for high tier estates.

Step 2: Get the license

Once you have figured out the location of your business, you will need to think about getting a license and insurance. The most important license you will need is the single business permit and fire safety both which is issued by the county government.

The former goes for Ksh 15,000 and the latter for about Ksh 3,000. You will also need to purchase liability insurance cover to protect your facilities, staffs and also children. The cost of this may vary.

Step 3: Prepare the premises and also buy equipment.

You can call in a carpenter and a painter to do the job of converting your into a typical child friendly environment, ask the painter to do bright colors that children love and more attractive to children. At the same time, you can also request the carpenter to help you with making affordable equipment.

These are the basic equipment and appliances you may need:

1. Toys like dolls, water colors, finger paints, markers, and ribbons, plastic blocks, stuffed animals and puzzles.
2. Basic education materials like story books and charts.

• Furniture for example small chairs, tables, couches, nap mats and tools.

1. Appliances like refrigerator, small sufurias, microwave, buckets and cups.
2. Playground equipment like used car tyres, bouncing castle, trampolines etc.

Step 4: Market your business

The best way to market a baby day care business is through referrals. So even if you are setting up the facility remember to network with as many parents as possible: that means that a good reputation is the key and the only way out to be known. Invest in a few flyers and business cards if possible and a bit of social media marketing later on if possible.

Step 5: Hire additional staffs.

Before hiring any additional staff, make sure that they have a Certificate of good conduct and a good knowledge of caring for children. Someone may seek to work with you for their hidden ill agenda.  Some of the staff members you can hire include security personnel, cleaners, cooks, and tutors especially for ECD. And always remember that the smaller the team the better.

Step 6: Invest in documentations.

You can think of keeping a list of parents to sign when they have brought in their babies and the time they took their kids away. Including the acknowledgement that the parents fully understand and accept the rules and policies more so the procedures of your day care center.

Step 7: Determine your pricing.

You should consider the cost of renting your facilities, how much you will pay your staffs per day or month will influence your pricing.  And also compare your prices with the other day care centers in your area.

1. How much to invest: Starting small is the way to build a successful daycare business. Just get what is enough to pay the room if you are renting, buy basic supplies and market your business.
2. How much to expect in return: Parents pay as much as Ksh 30,000 per term that is for a child in the middle to upmarket estates of Nairobi. Using this estimate we as the entrepreneurs, we can project revenue of Ksh 600,000 in 3 months for a small day care center of around 20 children and this could translate to Ksh100,000 net profit per month and after deducting all expenses.

Winding Up

Starting a day care business is a great idea, the energy and determination is what you need. Go ahead and utilize this opportunity to build a business that will make this world a better place to be.