Getting Started
Assessing the Need
Child Care Aware
Needs Assessment
Before you invest money in a child care business, you need to spend time to find out if your community needs another child care center or family child care home. The needs assessment is a list of questions for you to consider…
Building Child Care
Development Checklists
Estimate the number of families demanding services in your area at the rate to be charged…
Child Care Finders Resource and Referral
Planning Guide for Starting a Child Care Center
It will be helpful to survey potential client families regarding their needs relative to child
care facilities in the area…
U.S. Small Business Administration
How to Start a Quality
Child Care Business
The demand for child care services steadily increases as more and more women enter the work force, giving up the traditional role of full-time mother and homemaker…
Finding a Location
Child Care Aware
There are many factors to consider before you decide on a location for your child care business. Before you decide to use your home for a family child care business or commit to a building for a child care center, you will need to look at indoor and outdoor space for health and safety issues. You will also need to check zoning and homeowner association covenants…
U.S. Small Business Administration
How to Start a Quality Child Care Business
The cost of the center itself, especially for a location outside your home, will be one of your major start-up expenses. Many child care providers operate from their homes, but you may want to build, buy or rent space for your center…
Licensing
Mississippi State Department of Health
A license is required if you care for six or more children less than thirteen years of age, for any part of the twenty-four- hour day, who are not related (children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, brothers/sisters, nieces/nephews) to you. This includes day care centers, day nurseries, and any other facilities that fall within the scope of the above description…
Child Care Aware
Child Care licensing standards set the minimum acceptable health, safety and program standards for the legal operation of programs required to be licensed. Licensing, or in some states, regulated care, is a baseline below which it is illegal to operate.
Mississippi State Department of Health
Regulations Governing Licensure of Child Care Facilities
The purpose of these regulations is to protect and promote the health and safety of children in this state by providing for the licensing of child care facilities as defined herein to assure that certain minimum standards are maintained in such facilities…
U.S. Small Business Administration
How to Start a Quality Child Care Business
Lending
Child Care Aware
Preparing a Budget
Before starting your child care center, know the many regulatory systems that will affect your
program…
Mississippi Small Business Development Center
How will You Finance Your Business?
The need for capital is common to all businesses, both large and small. However, small businesses often have a more difficult time attracting investment capital. A major cause of business failure is inadequate financing. It is important that the business owner look carefully at the needs of his/her business and develop the documents necessary to convey these needs to investors or a commercial lender…
Mississippi Development Authority-Minority Business Enterprise Loan Program
The Minority Business Enterprise Loan Program provides loans to socially and economically disadvantaged minority and women owned businesses as designated by the Minority and Small Business Development Division of the Mississippi Development Authority…
U.S. Small Business Administration
How to Start a Quality
Child Care Business
The most active and expert lenders qualify for the SBA's Certified and Preferred Lenders program. Certified lenders receive a partial delegation of authority to approve loans. Preferred lenders enjoy full delegation of lending authority…