Parents&Owners Can u help..?

country_gurl

Hi
i'm thinking of setting up my own creche and i was just wondering what parents see as the ideal rate to pay per week for their child. It seems to me that the general feedback from parents is that they are hard done by. Or maybe you could tell me what you love about your creche or what you would like done differently. any thoughts appreciated
Also am i mad to set up a business in this recession? Has anyone any experience with opening up a creche?
Don't know if this is right forum as it's a mixture of everything?!

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

You have come to the right place. Now I don't know a lot about creches, but do you have much experience working with children other than your own?

If you can start up a business that doesn't cost too much then you are on to something.

Two ways to gain market share:

Pricing

Undercut all your competitors in the area. Offer prices that are affordable, but you will need to make a profit also.

Differentiating

Offer something that your competitors don't. Look at imagionosity in sandyford. That place is mad. It would be difficult to achieve as you would need a lot of capital. To differntiate from your competitors will be difficult but would be more benificial than a pricing strategy.

Are there many creches in your area? Are there many working mothers in your area?

A recession is on of the best times to start up a business, if you can get through the recession there is nothing stopping you.

Listen to advice that people give you, constructive criticism but ignore the begrudgers... they can be hard to spot at times

Hope this helped a little.

Bandara

country_gurl wrote: »

Hi
i'm thinking of setting up my own creche and i was just wondering what parents see as the ideal rate to pay per week for their child. It seems to me that the general feedback from parents is that they are hard done by. Or maybe you could tell me what you love about your creche or what you would like done differently. any thoughts appreciated
Also am i mad to set up a business in this recession? Has anyone any experience with opening up a creche?
Don't know if this is right forum as it's a mixture of everything?!

Hello,

I am well under way into opening a Montessori in Dublin (expected to be opening in late summer), I'm deadly serious when I say the legislation is absolutely headmelting and the hoops they make you jump through are endless. (Even after becoming certified and taking the recommended courses with the Society you then have to ungo the accreditation process).

Seriously, you really need to check out what your getting yourself into just so your fully informed.

I thought it would be tricky enough, but if I'd known now what it involved I'd have thought twice. I've had a person employed for close to 7 months now as there was so many holdups and fu*k ups by the authorities we will, by the time we open, have missed our planned opening date by 5 months.

I'd very wary of advice pointing you towards undercutting the opposition as selling point, people are not keen on having their childrens welfare being sold to them based on how cheap it is, my research (and its been reflected in the bookings we have already taken) is that the cost is not at all high on the list of criteria of parents. They ask the cost questions well down the list. Its about the quality of the fit out and the layout of the place, followed by the qualifications and experience of the staff (who they want to meet in person -and essentially interview them), a clarity in the procedures in place in the event of anything happening to their child, and the additional differentiators that you can offer, foreign language lessons etc. etc.

Saying this its a profitable business but the setup costs long before you actually open really are quite large and on a ongoing basis you need to watch things like a hawk.

Good luck with it.

DubTony

The most important thing for me and my wife is the standard of childcare. It's a no brainer. I couldn't care less about how I can look at my kids online any time I want, or the quality of the toys that they have, or any of that padding. Show me a staff that care for the kids, WANT to be there, and genuinely love their job (it's actually more of a vocation) and I'll show you the best sort of day care centre.

My kids and 4 years old and 18 months old. When we moved out of Dublin, we found the most convenient centre to us. It was full of toys, swings and slides, a huge outdoor play area and even an indoor one like they have in those play centres. However it became apparent to us that the care wasn't there. The day our eldest boy told us that he heard his brother crying when he went out to play, during an hours play and later when he passed by after finishing play was the day we took them out. He also had the most awful rash under his brand new nappy that hadn't been there that morning (we added 2 and 2). Add to that, they hired a girl I had just fired, (because she was a freakin' nut-job) who's only childcare experience was looking after her niece on a Saturday morning, and then didn't do anything at all for 2 weeks, except to tell us that she was just an assistant. We took the kids out one Friday evening and simply never went back. There wasn't so much as a phone call. We felt justified. We put them in a place that costs a little bit more, has damn all bells and whistles but a caring staff and a wonderful atmosphere where the kids come first.

My wife's sister was "something big" in the IPPA for years while running her own creche. So I've been listening to this stuff for years. It's about the kids.

The first creche we put the eldest guy in was in Dublin. It's a converted house and is run by 2 great woman. And his start was the best we could have hoped for. When we moved out of the smoke and put him in the "fancy" place, we noticed a change in him after a couple of months. He was angry, sullen, and wide awake every day at bedtime. We thought his was some sort of adjustment after moving house but after we put them in the new place, he became happier, had none of that anger at all, and was tired at bedtime (very important )

Creches can be a good business, I think the Giraffe people have proven that. But if you want a thriving business that will grow and grow for years to come, you need people who really do give a damn. And they need the support from their bosses to be able to do a good job. If they aren't qualified, don't hire them. If they seem to have an attitude of "it's just a job" fire them. The most important thing here is that your employees will be raising people kids. Don't f*ck around with that. Get it right first time and you'll reap the rewards. It's all about the kids.

Hammertime, a word of advice if I may be so bold. Let the person whose job is running the centre, run the centre. Let them be the ones who show leadership to the other staff members through their caring and attention to the kids. It's all about the kids. Sure, they've got to watch the finances, and organise the staff, but at the end of the day it's all about the kids. Have I said that already? Well in case anyone missed it .

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE KIDS

I admire and respect anyone who takes a leap into that business. I'd never do it; for me it's just too much responsibility. Fair play and good luck to you both.

www.ippa.ie

country_gurl

Thank you so much for your replies, it has been a great help as yesterday afternoon i was ready to throw the towel in as all i heard people talking about was the recession and was i crazy (begrudgers!)
I agree totally DubTony it is all about the kids, i have recently had a baby and i'm dreading going back to work - not to the actual place but leaving him - so i was thinking it was the best way around it - i want to provide a place for kids that run in the door every day and the parents are happy leaving them there.
If you don't mind me asking Hammertime what have your set up costs come to ... you can answer me in pm or you don't have to answer at all as it is quite a private question!! Was it easy to get your grant and if you did, does it take time?
Wow i never even knew that place existed IamXavier, it looks ace, I'd love to go there myself! There is quite a few creches alright that makes me think is there enough for all of us with people losing jobs as childcare would be one of the first to go off their lists, naturally. I have worked in a creche for about 5 years now and just want to take it to the next level!

CallieO

Remember the reputation is everything. Mothers all talk to each other at the school gates at the creche.....siblings report back - as you heard above.

Location is also a factor, albeit a minor one. If you can find premises near the national school, then the convenience factor will give you a head start. If a parent is dropping other children off at the school it is convenient.

Network with other mothers and ask what they want from a creche and listen to them.

Carolanne2x4

have u set this creche up yet?? I'm looking for one for my daughter at the moment