Child Care Franchise

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So you want to own a child care franchise.

Commercial child care is a relatively new concept that started in the mid-1980s when women began joining the workforce. The idea soon boomed and the child care franchise took off throughout the 90s. Today, with more households relying on two incomes and more single parents balancing work and kids, commercial child care is a profitable industry. It might sound lucrative, but if you're looking into owning your own child care franchise, be sure to research the matter further.

The cost of setting up a child care franchise depends on a number of factors: the individual franchise, the complexity of your operation, any training, licensing or fees, and whether or not the franchisee has to build a site. Sometimes hiring staff requires performing background checks and drug tests. Instituting appropriate security and safety measures is an integral part of running a child care franchise; any mishaps can lead to legal action and the revoking of your license.

Sunbrook Academy is one of the pricier franchises and requires an investment of $271,200 to $2.1 million. Sunbrook boasts that it offers 'state-of-the-art early childhood development centers,' which increases the cost of their franchises. Franchisees must build the franchise, for Sunbrook requires a 'meticulously designed' center to provide the right environment.

Child care franchises such as Kiddie Academy Child Care Learning Centers and Rainbow Station are priced more moderately, around $233,300 to $924,200. These types of child care franchises offer learning programs along with child care.

If you want to pursue a career with a child care franchise, but are not ready to commit to a full-scale center, other options are available. Child Care Choices is a child care referral network, and costs $23,500 to $46,600 to franchise. This service matches up parents with caregivers and commercial child care in their neighborhood.

The pluses to running your own child care franchise:

The market is increasing as more mothers join the workforce and need care for their children
Commercial child care is less expensive than private or home-based care
More than four million babies are born every year, keeping the need for child care consistent
The increase in single parent families makes child care a necessity for many households

And the negatives:

Hiring and training the appropriate staff and conducting the necessary background checks
Fees, licensing and insurance can be expensive
Implementing security and safety measures; your business is responsible