As more families shift to both parents working outside the home, the demand for high-quality child care continues to rise, creating ample opportunity for entrepreneurs like you. Now that you’ve identified the market need, what’s next? How do you set up something as complicated as a child-care center?

The Basics of Starting a Child-Care Business, the first book in The Business of Child Care series, walks readers through each step of planning, developing, and launching their own child-care business. Regardless of the scale—joining an established franchise, creating an on-site center at your office, or hosting a program in your home—entrepreneurial expert Marnie Forestieri, CDA, will guide you from start to finish:

Understand the economics of the child-care business
Write a comprehensive business plan
Prepare a thorough financial plan
Develop efficient operations for smooth day-to-day functioning
Master marketing to promote your business to potential customers
Provide excellent quality control and customer service

“I found The Basics of Starting a Child-Care Business to be a fresh, thorough introduction to starting an early learning center, and a must-read for anyone entering this challenging industry. Informative, with real world examples, the book breaks down the basic steps of starting a business, all the way from dreaming of a concept to the actual nuts and bolts of getting a facility open for business. While many "how to" business books tend to touch on big picture matters and brush over the specifics, Ms. Forestieri provides the reader with a series of tools to help lead them down the path to success. ”

Paul Morris
STNL Development, Vice President, Real Estate Development

“I love this book! It is very well written and offers so much good information. I have been employed in childcare for several years and have always wanted to start my own business. I’m so happy I found this book. I strongly recommend it to anyone in this line of work or anyone looking into starting a child care business. ”

Julie Millar

“The childcare industry and the pressures that a director faces has changed drastically in the last ten years and is more challenging than ever. With the growing numbers in our childcare system and more parental demands for quality programs, this book is a must read for directors, owners and those in administrative roles. This book provides valuable insights to the operational side of a successful business. If childcare center can be run more efficiently and effectively all of our children benefit. ”

Debby Mitchell
Retired faculty, University of Central Florida

“This is the best book ever!! It has wonderful tips and thoroughly explains all of the in and outs for anyone wanting to open their own childcare business . ”

Erika Pinedo-Seger
Chief of Empowerment, Young Innovators Academy Technologies