Q: How much money can I expect to make?
A: That depends on how much you charge and how many children you're able to care for based on your experience and education. If you live in the urban center of a large metropolitan area you can charge upwards of $20,000 per year per child or more. Government regulates how many kids you can have. One home daycare in San Francisco makes almost $400,000 a year. Suburban areas would be less, with rural areas at the smallest amount. This amount will vary from city-to-city depending on supply-and-demand. We'll help you calculate what you'd make after you begin the application process.
To give you a better idea. Our first daycare, the Green Monkey Campus, is in a suburban area at almost the southern most end of Austin. It is by no means convenient to get to our location. We're able to charge $215 per week per kid. So with 10 kids at our school, you'd earn $2,150 per week. If you have 12 kids, and offer food, you'd make a little more. Find a daycare center in your area and do the math to get an idea of how much income is possible. Remember - you don't have large facilities to pay for so you're income will always be a great livable wage. We can always help you with this calculation once we begin the application process.
Q: What is this? Some sort of franchise?
A: Nope. It is a coordinated effort. By all of us being under the same umbrella we can utilize economy of scale to get better visibility. The founders, Ruby and Adrian, own the business name, so you have to get their permission to use it, but you'll also name your campus whatever you want, this way if a meteor strikes us down you'd still have a viable business. What holds us together is the 5 principles. We all agree to follow it. Also, with the monthly fee we can afford to support each daycare with business services like collecting money from the parents, doing the bookkeeping, and even helping dispute resolution. If later on we want to finance some research on early childhood education, or run a TV or radio advertisement, the cost would be extremely cheap divided up between the campuses of those areas.
Without coordinating we lose a key competitive advantage that large corporate daycares have - credibility. The bane of home-based programs is they lack credibility in the eyes of most consumers. Even on websites that help folks decide between home daycares or centers; the home daycare are described as unprofessional or amateur. As you come to learn the industry, you'd be amazed that the opposite is actually true: the most unprofessional and amateur of all childcare operations are the large corporate daycares that can only operate by paying unskilled people extremely low unlivable wages.
What we're doing, getting people into opportunities to earn a great income, is what is necessary to change the paradigm of early childhood education and improve outcomes for young children. We're also not a non-for-profit. For this to be sustainable and capable of growing and making a big difference in the world, we need to earn at least a small income. Without profitability it could never grow.
Q: Do I need to open a home daycare, or can it be a center?
A: The core principles that guide our organisation include building a village for the families who's children are in our care. Children need to feel like they are raised by the village, at home, with the smell of food and the support of a strong community. When parents know each other, and can sit down and have a bite to eat with their kid and their kid's friends, it's magical. The experience is totally different than a check-in desk, a scanner with a glowing computer screen, echos of children screaming, where every parent is a stranger to one another and daycare workers cannot make a livable wage- all for the parent to pay more tuition for the privilege of a cold-loveless "play space".
By using residential space instead of commercial space, costs drop dramatically and tuition collected can go towards giving the providers a livable wage as well as decreasing cost for parents significantly.
On the news we hear often about how expensive childcare is. This is because home daycares have been closing and big corporate conglomerates with government advantages have been taking their place, charging an arm and a leg to make a board of directors rich. So no, we strictly invite home-daycares under our umbrella. We're a husband and wife team, with sole providers as our village partners. No soul-less corporation here.
There is an exception, that is if you want to live someplace else than where you work. This is possible, but the daycare must be located out of a residence-like structure to be under our umbrella.
Q: How much space do I need to dedicate?
A: As little as none or as much as your whole house can be used for the daycare. Up to you. All you need to do is make the areas the kids are allowed to be in, be "8 hours safe". Which means if you suddenly went into a coma, is the area safe for the kids to be 8 hours unattended? It's a high standard, our favorite kind.
In terms of dedicated space, if you choose to have work stations or play areas many folks have been very creative about this process. Some convert small dens, others convert their garages. One woman took half her large living room and divided it with a curtain. Like Japanese walls? We've put them up. You can even make your daycare 100% outdoors and just have a space inside for the kids to nap and have stowed away toys to play with if it is raining. This is the case with the kindergarten program under our umbrella.
Our main daycare, the Green Monkey Campus, dedicates the entire home except for one bedroom. Even then, the kids are largely outside 90% of their waking hours. This set-up is NOT recommended unless your whole family is on-board and you're totally-excited about what you do. We're totally excited, so it's not a sacrifice.
Governments do have some requirements of required space, when it comes to that time, we'll coach you through it if you're in Texas, but if you already have kids, you'll quickly see this isn't an issue at all.
Q: I want to run my own teaching method like Montesorri, Reggio, Waldorf, etc... Do I need to follow your method?
A: So long as you honor the 5 principles you will fit right in. Our approach to pedagogy can be integrated into any program that respects children as individuals. If you do not have a pedagogy that you're sold-on, we'll give you one that you can shape to best fit your personality and style.
Q: I don't get any benefits or health insurance?
A: The benefits are whatever you want them to be. Obviously with a large pay-raise you can invest it however you want. We don't buy traditional health insurance, we buy insurance for our health emergencies. This is much cheaper and runs our family of 3 about $95 a month. When our son broke his arm, it actually over-paid us for his medical expenses. We can talk more about it once you're setting up your business, or, you can always buy traditional health insurance.
Q: What experience or education do I need to have?
A: Depends. Every government has some different rules on who is qualified or not. In Texas, those rules are positively wonky! We select people based on the content of their character. People who are guided by love, who are teachable, excited, and have a sense of humor. Before you pay any sort of application fee we have a phone conversation and we'll disclose to you your options depending on your level of experience and education.
If you have zero education and experience, you can indeed start a limited daycare, and with your experience in that small enterprise grow into a more robust license. If that's the case, you'll need extra support from us, and it would be an honor to help you.
Q: How does licensing work?
A: Licensing is a nightmare for most people with labyrinthine rules and exceptions, and hundreds of pages of paperwork. It is our opinion it is the licensing obstacle that has caused the dramatic decline of home daycares over the years and the rise of huge corporate conglomerates. Of course, with experience and an understanding about licensing from the inside, it's very easy. We're experts and will help you get set up. Generally, licensing ultimately depends on your education, experience, and criminal background. Before you fill out an application we'll have a chat and discuss your situation and we'll be able to determine how the licensing process will look like for you.
Q: Is Licensing an expensive or long process?
Licensing for home daycares is one of the cheapest occupational licenses you can acquire. The most expensive part is the fingerprinting at roughly $45. We do recommend buying a DBA for your campus. Which is $24 here in Travis county.
Licensing can take up to 2 months. Maybe 3 depending where you are. But while you go through that process you can certainly begin recruiting for your program and begin giving tours and enrolling students for a future start date. Also during this time you can be learning how to run your program by our standards. But no rush! You can learn as you go so long as you are safe and believe children deserve the same respect as any adult.
Q: Do I have to supply food?
A: Nope. But if you do, recruitment and retention of families is easier. Depending on where you live you can get reimbursed for your food expenses. We'll help you with this. If you live near our main campus, or one who is already cooking, we may be able to supply the food for you! Either way, we'll teach you easy and healthy recipes that parents will brag about to their co-workers. If you elect not to serve food, that's okay too. Most daycares don't serve food, so it's no big deal.
Q: What sort of hours will I need to work?
A: That is a question to ask yourself, not us. Generally speaking, daycares with very limited hours will only attract stay-at-home parents in "mommy day out" type settings. Anyone working a full-time job will not be able to enroll. In this way, if you want to maximize your potential you'd want to increase your availability. After you apply we can discuss what your financial goals are and we'd recommend which hours to choose.
Q: How does the monthly fee work?
A: While you grow your business you only pay 10% of your income with a ceiling that caps out at $250 a month. That means if you make $10,000 in one month you're not over-paying us. We do this to keep your costs low and your income high. Our colleagues say we're "throwing money out the window". But the point isn't about money, it's about creating villages with amazing providers at the center, bringing families together. It's beautiful and we hope you stay with us by keeping the price low.
Q: Do I pay a monthly fee while I wait to get my license from the government?
A: Nope, you only pay 10% of the money you collect maxing out at $250. So if you're not collecting any money because you're waiting for your license - you don't pay anything!
Q: When do I quit my job?
A: As you wait for your license from the government and go through your training with us you'll also be recruiting families to enroll their children. When to quit your job will depend on how many students you need to enroll to meet your financial goals. The more money you need, the more kids you'd need to be lined up to begin care.
Q: Am I obligated to keep paying if I decide to quit?
A: Nope. We can't give you back any money you spent, since we have a staff to be paid but if you decide to retire from your journey, or take a different direction, you certainly can. No obligations.
Q: What if I want to do it on my own and don't want to be under your umbrella anymore?
A: Technically, you can have us help set up your business and get you running and then fire us once you start making money and just do it on your own. Of course, that would be terrible for our business, but we hope that you'll stay. A bookkeeper alone can cost you more than our entire system will. Our philosophy is simple. We can afford to take a risk on you if you're willing to take a risk at a whole new career. It is an honor for you to do this with us and we could not be more thankful that you're considering being our partner on this journey.
Q: Can I open up in my state?
A: Yes! But we're not yet familiar with the regulatory environment of every state. If you're outside of Texas we will be unable to give you full support with the licensing process which may be easier or more difficult in your state.
Q: I rent an apartment, can I do this?
A: Maybe. Certainly some daycares operate out of apartments with smaller operations. However, the flexibility of a privately owned residence is superior. Planning to eventually own your own home is the ideal situation. You can get started early out of your apartment however and we'll coach you on what to say to the landlord. There is a way to word it brilliantly so that the owners of the apartment complex see your daycare as an asset. By positioning yourself correctly the apartment complex can offer "Special discounts for on-site childcare services" to attract new tenants. Tenants with kids rent longer and better maintain the property: So it's an incentive for the apartment complex to have you there at no additional cost to them.
Q: I rent my house, will my landlord have a problem it?
A: Maybe. Depends on the landlord. Generally most landlords don't care if the request is worded correctly. We'd help you with this. Worse case scenario: Offering to pay extra usually does the trick if it's privately owned.
Q: My home is in an HOA that doesn't allow home businesses, can I still do this?
A: Maybe, If you're creating commercial traffic in a neighborhood under the jurisdiction of an HOA, this can prevent you from running a full-blown program. Generally speaking most HOAs allow it so long as commercial traffic doesn't exceed 5 cars a day, but you still should ask. Even then, they may still reject it. In some cases you may be able to appeal or ask for special permission if residents of the HOA get a special discount; doing this adds more value to a neighborhood like a swimming pool or park would, so they may agree to this venture if approached correctly. We'll help you with this.
Q: Can I get exclusive territory?
A: We do not guarantee territorial exclusivity for many reasons. The main reason is that we're not in competition for each other. Our competition are large corporate McDaycares. Matter-of-fact, if we could buy 5 houses right next to each other in our neighborhood, and turn them into daycares it still would not create competition and they all would be full. It would create collaboration. It would help with marketing. There are so many benefits to being next to another daycare. To put this into perspective. There are centers with hundreds of children.
If all the daycare centers are out of business in your area and you're the only child-care operation and you are NOT full what would be the result of prohibiting someone from being under our umbrella? Nothing, they would simply open up a daycare anyway outside of our umbrella.
Since we cannot control competition, we won't. We will instead teach you how to collaborate and help each other out.