5 Steps to Opening a Daycare (After You Ace Your Training)

If taking care of wee ones, empowering parents as they navigate being the best they can be and offering a community of support to the next generation sparks your passion, early childhood education could be your future. Getting your early childcare assistant diploma can open a world of opportunities. But if you’ve got an entrepreneurial spirit, cherish autonomy and dream of owning your own business, opening a daycare is a career track that can lead to you living that vision. Whether operating out of your home or starting a daycare centre on a larger scale, there are a series of considerations and requirements necessary to get you launched. We thought a breakdown and some key links may be helpful as you plan your pathway forward.

5 Steps to Train and Launch Your Daycare Dream in Ontario

1. Study & Train for Success

Your business success truly depends on the quality of the child daycare courses/daycare programs, and childcare courses you engage in, and the professionalism of the training program you choose. You want to ensure you select a diploma program that is taught by industry experts, allows for you to gain practical knowledge and hands-on experience.

The daycare course, and daycare courses online that Anderson College offers are designed to equip childcare workers with the essential knowledge, skills, and experience to provide positive and professional interactions with parents, guardians, team members, and children. It includes two practicum sessions: one with infants and one with toddlers where you will be able to incorporate classroom theory into a real work situation. Anderson’s ECA program gets you career ready and in demand in 40 weeks and includes a 14-week practicum with on-the-job training, offsite with potential employers. You can find all the details here.

Wherever you choose to study, you’ll want to make sure you have both a rich learning environment and a community of support to encourage you every step along the way.

Take the “Early Childhood Educator Career Discovery Quiz”

2. Develop a Vision & Plan

Consider the type of daycare you want to provide and where you will operate from. Develop a mission, name, the type of services you’ll offer, who your target audience is and how you will market your business. Creating a list of responsibilities and steps you’ll need to take, and a timeline for how and when you’ll tackle what needs to be done will ensure you have realistic goals and improves your ability to be successful.

3. Set the Stage and Take First Steps

Recognizing that your decision to care for the children of others is a huge responsibility that obviously needs to follow strict guidelines and regulations, you’ll need to know the laws and what is required.

Licensing can take approximately four to six months, and you’ll also need to take into account what other requirements take time such as, incorporating your business, any renovations that need to be made, recruiting and hiring of staff, police record checks, and applying for and receiving approvals such as health and/or fire.

According to the government of Ontario, there are 3 basic steps to getting started:

• Find out what licences and regulations apply to your type of business
• Choose a business structure and register or incorporate your business
• Determine if you will need to collect and remit HST

4. Review Regulations & Apply for Licencing

You’ve got your vision, are prepared to do whatever it takes to create a safe, supportive and fun environment for children, but before licencing you need to know exactly what the regulations are so that you’re prepared on all levels.

– Review the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (CCEYA) and Ontario Regulation 137/15 to understand the licensing requirements

– Review other resources, such as the:

• Childcare licensing manual
• Home childcare licensing manual
• Before and after school program licensing guideline

These bullet points and links above are provided by the Ontario government, and you can learn more about approvals, codes, and more here.

5. Consider Funding & Financial Requirements

Of course, any dream worth having is worth investing in. And so, you will want to have a clear understanding of the fees and financial commitments to prepare for the short and long-term needs of your new business. You can find a helpful chart outlining fees here.

If you’re looking for financial support, there may be funding options for you. “Grants, contributions, subsidies and loan guarantees are available from various government sources. Use Innovation Canada’s online search tool to look for programs and services that may apply to your business. Search online: Business Benefits Finder.”

While there are many steps in opening your own daycare in Ontario, for the Early Childcare Assistant graduate with ambition and a desire to make an impact on the lives of others, there is incredible opportunity for you here. The information above can help you dream and plan. But if you want a community of support to help you explore your education and training options, we’re here for you too. Contact one of our Admissions Advisors so we can talk about your future as an early childcare assistant or find the perfect fit with one of our other 30+ leading-edge programs. Book your express appointment today!

Quick Links to Fuel Your Success!

We want to make sure you have what you need to succeed! Check out these reference links:

• Early Childcare Assistant – Child Care Assistant Courses at Anderson College
• How to Start a Daycare in Ontario (canada.ca)
• Start a child care program | ontario.ca
• Home child care licensing manual | Ontario.ca