This post may contain affiliate links, which means I'll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.

If you already have a daycare OR you are considering starting a childcare business, you will want to read this blog post! I have compiled a list of 17 things I wish I knew before starting my daycare.

Before we get started, If you're new here, My name is Dena, and I have been a center director for 21 years and love what I do, but it is WORK! My goal is to help other providers with their child care programs and help relieve the stress that the daycare world brings.

Don't forget to snag my FREE Interview Guide to hire the right staff for your daycare or child care center! Reduce turnover with my 12-page Interview Guide with Questions and Job Position Descriptions designed for child care hiring!

Now, read on to discover the 17 things I wish I knew before starting a daycare.

1. Dealing with the parents and staff is more challenging than caring for the children.

When I tell someone that I am a Daycare Director/Owner, their response is always, "It must be hard dealing with so many kids!" and my response is, "Nope! it's the staff and parents that are the most challenging!"

The high-maintenance parents and staff drama is more difficult than caring for adorable tiny humans.

For this reason, you must have concrete policies in place for your parents and a blueprint for hiring, training, and retaining your staff.

2. Licensing is exhausting.

Getting licensed in the beginning can be a considerable stressor with all the required rules and regulations, not to mention the regular monitoring visits from your state's licensing department.

So what is the trick to overcoming licensing? Please research, know your state's regulations, and follow them! Give great care! There's no easy solution.

It helps to remember that the rules and regulations are to make us better! Imagine the child care that some programs would provide without guidelines.

3. Parents and staff will call the state and report the most ridiculous things.

No matter how great your program and care are, you will always have an occasional disgruntled parent or staff member who will make a false report or claim to trigger a licensing inspection. Unfortunately, this is part of the business.

To help make these situations easier, document everything! Document every ouch report, every behavior issue, every call-in, every write-up, every difficult conversation. Keeping records and proper documentation will be a lifesaver!

4. Daycare management software will make your life much easier, especially if you have a center or preschool.

Procare is a childcare or daycare management software for managing your childcare business. It can help you track attendance, and enrollment, handle payments and communicate with parents.

I am a huge Procare fan and have used Procare for the last 21 years; however, there are several other management software options. You can get more information on other childcare management software companies here.

5. Daycares are less profitable than you would think.

To make a profit, you need to maximize space, charge premium rates, and monitor expenses closely.

To maximize your profitability, start by knowing your break-even point. For example, you may be licensed for 110, but need the tuition from 70 children to pay your staff and all of your expenses.

In this example, your break-even point would be 70 children meaning any tuition coming in over 70 children is profit.  

6. Playground mulch is high maintenance!

Wood chips must be replaced yearly or sooner due to decomposition and rain. They are messy and get in the children's hair and clothing. Mulch must also be raked and filled in regularly to maintain the required fall zones.

So what is my dream playground surface? A poured rubber playground. A poured playground can be costly upfront, but it's virtually maintenance-free, mess-free, and beautiful!

7. Buy quality furniture.

It's better to spend more and invest in quality furniture and equipment. Buying cheap furniture is a temptation when you are on a tight budget, but you will find yourself replacing broken equipment far more often, costing you a lot more money in the long run.

8. Diaper genies don't work with six infants.

The diaper genies don’t completely hide the dirty diaper smell. The room still stinks, and the genie replacements are too expensive. You're better off using grocery store bags to double bag the diapers and discard them in your standard trash can. You will need to take out the trash often, but it beats a stinky room and an empty wallet.

If having a diaper pail is a must for you, try the Dekor Plus Diaper Pail. It has great reviews and won’t break the bank.

9. Clean with bleach and water.

A spray bottle of bleach and water solution is a powerful cleaner that can disinfect and sanitize all surfaces. It does the job and is so much cheaper than using expensive cleaners.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends using a sanitizing solution of ¼ cup of household liquid chlorine bleach in one gallon of water or one tablespoon in one quart of water.

10. Some parents will still pick up late, although there is a late pick-up fee.

To combat this, make your late pick-up fee hefty and consider having a policy that states you will terminate care after three late pick-ups within 30 days.

An example late fee policy may look like this: The charge will be $15 for the first 5 minutes and $2 per minute thereafter. If we have not been in contact with a parent or guardian and the child has not been picked up within 1 hour, we are obligated to inform the Division of Family and Children Services and the appropriate local authorities. Any family with more than three late pick-ups within 30 days will be subject to termination. 

11. You will be chasing down payments.

Unless you implement auto-draft or have parents pay in advance, you will be chasing down tuition payments. Consider automatic bank withdrawal from your parent's checking account.

Using a childcare management system such as Procare, you can require tuition to automatically be deducted from your parents' bank account weekly or monthly.

Another way to prevent chasing down payments is to require tuition to be paid the Friday before. Your policy may look like this: Tuition must be paid by the close of business on Friday for the upcoming week. If payment is received after such day, a late fee of $35 is added to your account. 

12. You cannot be friends with your staff.

You can and should love and support your team, but you should be their leader, not their friend. You are there to lead and inspire your team. Your job is to create a positive, nurturing culture where people feel loved and supported.

This is done by great leadership, not friendship. You must be ok with not being asked to hang out on the weekends but love being available to advise those who highly respect you.

13. You need a "separated parents" policy.

Parents going through a separation or divorce will sometimes cause frustration by making last-minute demands that the other parent cannot pick up, visit, etc.

To prevent this, have a "parent access" policy or a "separated parents" policy stating that you will not restrict access or deny pick-up to any one parent unless you have court documentation on file.

Your policy may read like this: A parent of a child in care shall be permitted access, without prior notice, throughout the center. No parent will be denied center access or pick-up authorization without court documentation. Viewing of recorded video will only be allowed when the privacy of ALL Children and families can be protected. In cases where Family Court or other legal entities have established visitation or custody rights, a copy of the orders must be provided to the center. The orders of the court will be strictly followed unless the custodial parent requests a more liberal variation of the order in writing. 

14. You will need to dismiss a child and/or parent, and it's not easy.

There will inevitably be a time that a family or child is not the right fit for your program. It may be a behavior challenge, failure to abide by policies or simply incompatible personalities.

Whatever the reason, dismissing a family is difficult but sometimes necessary. Click here to download free child termination letter templates.

15. You need very clear policies and procedures.

Your parent handbook should be very thorough and cover your policies in detail. A parent handbook with clearly defined sick policies, late policies, drop-off, pick-up policies, payment policies, etc., is a MUST.

Your parents should know what is expected of them BEFORE enrolling in your program. Policies will prevent them from setting their own guidelines of how they feel you should run your center or program.

16. Being a daycare director is TOUGH.

The long hours, staff drama and shortages, parent issues, and challenging child behavior can be stressful and exhausting.

Here are three tips to help you thrive as a director in the ECE industry.

1. Create systems and processes to ensure everything runs more smoothly and efficiently.

2. Delegate tasks. Give everyone assigned responsibilities so your program will run independently without requiring you to be there every second of the day. Hire an assistant to help take the load off.

3. Self-care. Fuel your body with the right foods, move your body, and do things that bring you joy!

17. You will love your kiddos so much!

Nothing is more fulfilling than being a HUGE part of a child's life as they grow, learn, and develop.

You will absolutely love giving snuggles in the morning and high fives at the end of the day, comforting a hurting child, laughing at the cute things they say, watching their eyes light up when they learn something new, having those little arms wrapped tightly around your neck, hearing those sweet words "I love you," and having the high school graduate you cared for 18 years ago come back to visit because you are family!

Before starting a daycare, I had no idea that THESE things would keep me going and make it worth it all!

What do you wish you knew before starting your child care center or daycare? We want to know. We'd love to hear your feedback in the comments section below too.

Here are some other articles packed with valuable content you are sure to enjoy:

Important Forms You Need For Your New Daycare

How To Deal With Parents Who Consistently Pay Tuition Late!

The 12 Most Common Child Care Business Mistakes

One Surefire Way to Boost ECE Staff Retention

How To Avoid Burnout in Childcare