Learn how to start a successful daycare center in 9 steps in Nigeria if you are interested in the business.
Childcare is a rewarding profession. However, to run a successful daycare, you must adhere to strict regulations and remain focused on providing high-quality care. A quality daycare business requires patience, organization, attention to detail, and the ability to meet the demands of the children.
So, starting a daycare center in Nigeria is one of the easiest and fastest ways to start a small business in Nigeria and also one of the fast moving small scale businesses in Nigeria currently.
This article will provide specific information, tools to help you succeed, and steps needed to do this.
6 Regulatory Requirements for Starting a Profitable Daycare Center in Nigeria
- Licensing fees: After paying the licensing fee, you can get the certification and pay other fees to the Ministry of women affairs because they are the body in charge. They will offer a certificate after one year of inspection.
- CAC Registration: You need to register your business with CAC in Nigeria before you can officially get your CAC certificate and operate. Other requirements includes:
- Liability insurance
- CPR certification/first aid
- Health insurance fees
What certifications do I need to open a Profitable daycare
Educational Requirements for Starting a Daycare business in Nigeria
- Owner’s qualifications
- Teachers/staff qualifications
- Training certifications
How to Start a Successful Daycare Center/Business in Nigeria in 9 Steps
Starting a daycare center, pre-school, or kindergarten in Nigeria is not as difficult as it seems. Many people are doing it in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.
If you are planning to start a daycare center, here are 9 things that you need to put into consideration if you want your business venture to be successful.
- Write out the business plan
- Look out for the right location
- Know what the law requires
- Get the Regulatory Requirements
- Source the equipment for activities/fun
- Furnish the location, develop the curriculum and get passionate staff
- Make plans of setting up a sick bay
- Market your daycare center
- Continue to create the right tools on how to identify your target market even after marketing your daycare center
Step 1: Write a Business Plan
Writing the business plan is one of the first steps you will have to take to get your daycare center up and running.
Check out a sample business plan online that gives you all the details on how to write your own business plan, what to include in it, as well as tips on how to use it.
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Step 2: Look out for the Right Location
The second step in learning how to start a successful daycare in 9 steps in Nigeria is choosing the right location for the business. There are many things you should take into consideration when looking for a location, such as how much space is available?
Is the location close enough to residential areas? Is it safe? Once you have found the right place, you can start looking out for what the law requires and finding the regulatory requirements and licenses.
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Step 3: Know what the Law Requires
When planning a daycare center business, it is important to familiarize yourself with the process and get to know what the law requires and permits. The law may require you to be certified and licensed by a professional association.
Most of these laws and rules may frown against child abuse and maltreatment. Get to know these laws at your tip. Some of these regulations may also specify the space, types of toys to use, staffing, and the number of children admitted within a particular space.
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Step 4: Go ahead to get the Regulatory Requirements
Requirements which include the licenses and Permits from the right organization.
To open a daycare center, it is important to follow a few essential steps. These include:
- Familiarizing yourself with the process
- Getting licenses, regulatory documents, and permits.
The regulatory requirements for starting a creche
- Licenses: You as the business owner needs to apply for the basic licenses needed with the appropriate authority
- Business registration: You must register your daycare center business with the Corporate Affairs Commission in Nigeria to be certified
- Get the Permit: The ministry of women affairs offers you a certificate after a year of inspection of your daycare center business. They have the responsibility to certify your creche but first, you need to pay to get the form. The fee for the form varies based on your business location. Daycare Center Business in rural areas pays less than the ones in the urban areas.
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Step 5: Source the equipment for activities/fun
Getting the children’s play equipment ready is one of the ways on how to start a successful daycare center in 9 steps in Nigeria. You can set up a daycare center in Nigeria.
Start by putting together the resources, equipment, and tools needed to run a low-cost daycare center that is affordable and accessible to all parents irrespective of their status in society.
These fun equipment also boosts the activities of the children and always keeps them happy and smiling. Children love to have fun, especially younger children. To find the right equipment to keep them busy always and at all times.
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Step 6: Furnish the location, Develop a curriculum and hire passionate staff
A daycare business requires more than just a thorough understanding of child development, the right equipment, basic first aid, and liability insurance.
You will need to find the right location, furnish the space, develop a curriculum and hire passionate staff to help you deliver quality care.
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Step 7: Make plans in setting up a Sickbay
Opening a daycare center is easier than you think. Just set the required structure that will take care of their health in times of emergency.
If you are planning to run a full-time or part-time center, you will need child development training as well as sickbay and health insurance coverage for the children and staff members.
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Step 8: Market your Daycare Center
In order to start a daycare center in Nigeria, you need to be willing to market your brand to everyone, especially parents. Use the right media both offline and online to tell parents what you are into and how your brand is unique from others who have the same business as you.
This will include doing a background check on your competitors and seeing how they market and then taking a step ahead of them to show the world your business. After that, you will be ready to accept children and hopefully earn some money.
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Step 9: Continue to create the right tools even after marketing your products
Caring for children takes a unique set of skills that must be blended with flexibility, patience, and creativity. With the right tools and information, you can create an inviting and fun learning environment that parents and children love.
A continuous process on this will keep you abreast with the newest trends in the business.
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Understanding Daycare Center Business in Nigeria
In Learning how to start a successful daycare center in 9 steps in Nigeria, you need to understand the business. Every day, family child care providers support parents as they go back to work, climb the professional ladder and keep their careers on track.
Without this support, many employees would be unable or unwilling to go back to work after having children, which would cause lost income for families and lost productivity for companies.
This is where those who love children come in. So if you love children, willing to help and support nursing parents who work, you can start a daycare center in Nigeria. If you have got the certifications and licenses to do this, you will enjoy the business.
Quality daycare is important to any family. By offering an inviting and educational space for children, you are providing a service that is in high demand. Your job will be to make sure every child feels a welcoming environment that is also fun to play in.
Turn your passion for childcare into a thriving business. In just nine easy steps listed in this article, you can establish a successful daycare business by identifying your target market, creating an action plan, and setting up your business.
How do I register my crèche/Daycare Center in Nigeria?
To register your crèche or daycare center, you do it with a recognized regulatory body in Nigeria. They are the Corporate Affairs Commission and your state’s Ministry of Women Affairs.
Registration most times start from #30,000 for CAC in Nigeria.
Pros and Cons of Starting a Daycare Center in Nigeria
A daycare center is a great option for entrepreneurs who want to work with children. The best part of owning a daycare center is that you can mold it in any way you like.
It can also serve as one of the high paying side hustle business. But there are the good and the downsides to this business. Before you make the decision, take this into account:
| Pros | Cons |
| The daycare center business is one of the fast moving small scale businesses in Nigeria. | There are emergencies, behavioral issues, and problems bound to happen when you are dealing with kids |
| Daycare center business is a lucrative business idea with small capital and it has straightforward strategies. | There is always a high expectation from parents and when not met, issues might come up. |
| The more the children are increasing, the more the gain is increasing. | There is always a lot of money to spend on child care. |
| You can make money from different sources by selling snacks and fun children’s books. | The business requires keen attention to detail, patience, and organizational skills. When you don’t have these skills, the business will collapse easily. |
| Implementing different fun activities will keep the children relaxed and would make the parents refer you to other parents. | The owner is in charge of everything, but when you want to transfer the duty, you will spend more money on labour and employee recruitment. |
Daycare Business Plan
Daycare business plan is a document that defines your daycare center objectives, roadmaps, and how you plan to achieve your goals and objectives.
There is a lot of material online or blogs online that can help you write your daycare center business plan within a few hours. You can even do it yourself by using different resources online to come up with a standard business plan for your daycare center.
In writing your daycare business plan in Nigeria, it is pertinent you in touch the various features of business plan which are:
- Executive summary
- Introduction
- Business venture (Daycare) description
- How the business will solve humanity problem
- Competitive advantage
- Marketing research
- Competitor analysis
- Sales and marketing plan
- Operational plan
- Cost of the business
- Business venture (Daycare) risks
- Management and structure
- Financial plan and projections
15 pieces of Equipment Needed to Start a Daycare Center Business in Nigeria
Starting your own daycare business is easy and affordable. With the right tools and information, you can create an inviting and fun learning environment that parents and children love. The equipment needed for the business includes:
- Table
- Chairs
- Toys
- Beddings
- Computer
- Safety devices
- Books
- First aid kits
- Food
- Diapers
- Wipes
- Mats
- Portable cribs or playpens
- Booster seats
- High chairs
- Low chairs
Cost of Starting a Daycare Center in Nigeria
Starting a daycare center in Nigeria would cost you from 100,000 to 500,000 or even more. This is the essence of writing a business plan and the cost of all you need to begin the business.
Daycare Fees in Nigeria
Owners of daycare centers in Nigeria charge from 10,000 to 70,000 depending on the location or state in Nigeria.
Parents in some daycare centers pay an amount ranging from #30,000 to #60,000, so it all depends.
7 Daycare Services
The list below are the 7 Daycare Services in Nigeria:
- Serves as a first hand learning centre for your child
- Helps develop the child’s sense of reasoning
- Brings an environment where the child mingles with other children of the same age or year.
- Give your family greater work flexibility
- Substitute as a second family home to the child
- Gives parents convenience
- Daycare is a safe and secure center where experienced staff nurse and handle children.
Is owning a daycare Profitable
Yes, owning a daycare center in Nigeria is profitable depending on how the owner manages it. Proper management and good bookkeeping will yield more income.
Things needed to start a daycare at home
The most important things needed to start a daycare at home are:
- Toys
- Papers
- Cleaning materials and equipment
- Mats
- First aid box
- Maker
- Food
- Playing kits
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Conclusion
Starting your own daycare business can be an even better experience if you remember the 9 key steps listed in this post. The most important thing is to remain positive and enjoy it. That doesn’t mean you should shy away from hard work.
Remember that some of the best-run businesses are also the hardest-working ones. If you love this business, implement the steps in this post and tell me how the journey was.
