The decision to open a child care center in a church is one that will have a long-term impact on your congregation. There are many regulations that daycares must follow and opening one takes a big commitment, both in time and financial investment.

If your church is considering entering the child care industry, read on for some helpful tips on getting a daycare off the ground. 

A Church-Based Center With a Long Record of Success

Before we dive into the logistics of opening such a center, let’s take a look at a successful church-based child care program in Parker, Colorado, a suburb of Denver. 

The Parker Evangelical Presbyterian Church Early Learning Center has been teaching and caring for children for decades inside its church widely known as PEPC (pronounced like the soda Pepsi).

The church’s child care program has grown through the years, with 221 kids enrolled for this fall.

“We offer a Christian curriculum and we have the ability to help parents in need,” said Jennifer Tucker, the child care center director. PEPC offers scholarships and financial help to families who send their kids to the church’s daycare.  

The center uses the Orange Bible Curriculum in all of its classrooms. The curriculum’s message is simple: church + home = greater impact. It combines the light of the church (yellow) with the heart of home (red) to create orange.  

The curriculum’s offerings include a monthly theme, a memory verse and interactive songs to help children memorize important messages in the classroom. Each week, the children learn a different Bible story, as well as crafts and activities to go along with the story. Kids also attend chapel twice a month and the worship service is broadcast live over its Facebook page so parents can participate. 

When deciding whether to open a church daycare center, think carefully about how much space you have to support it, said Holly Sprague, the PEPC child care program’s assistant director. Most churches already have classrooms being used for Sunday School and other children’s ministries that could serve as daycare rooms. 

Six years ago, PEPC had to reconfigure its building to accommodate more kids. Before that, the center didn’t have infant rooms. It added them to fit the needs of the families they serve.  

And Jennifer said they could use four more classrooms now. 

When asked what advice they have for churches considering opening a child care center, Jennifer and Holly said not to make it a separate entity from the church.

“Don’t break away from the church,” Jennifer said. 

Both stressed the importance of finding great staff. PEPC focuses on finding staff from within its congregation, or who attend a church with similar core values.

“Staff is what keeps this program doing. And without good staff, a program will fail very quickly,” Jennifer said.

PEPC doesn’t do much advertising and gets new families by word of mouth. And it’s frequently recommended on Facebook by happy families. 

That kind of name recognition is something every new child care center must earn. If your church is considering taking the leap into daycare, check out these tips and questions you should ask yourself before opening your own.

Create a Church Daycare Business Plan

Once you’ve decided that it’s time to start a daycare business, the first thing you’ll want to do is create a business plan. 

A business plan is a written document that explains the goals of your business and how you plan to achieve them while turning a profit. 

Here’s what to include in your child care business plan:

• Create a mission statement for your child care.
• Outline your child care philosophy and values.
• Decide what kind of child care to open – will you operate in a center, or in your family home?
• Research other child care businesses in your community – what can you learn from them? What will you do differently?
• Create a budget for launching your daycare operation.
• Decide what services you will offer and how much you plan to charge.
• Create a plan to market your business in the community.
• Set financial goals for your business.

Creating a daycare business plan helps you establish a vision for how your business will earn money by providing services to your community. It also allows you to clarify details about your business, including where you will operate, what services you will provide and how much you will charge.

Find a Great Location for Your Daycare

Location plays a major role in the success of your child care operation.

You’ll want to pick a location that’s easy for families in your community to access. Setting up your child care in a neighborhood with schools, or near a big employment center, is a great way to make your child care services more convenient for parents. 

You can also check out this digital map of American child care deserts, which could help you identify an underserved community with high demand for child care services.

Once you’ve chosen a location, you’ll need to consult with your local and state zoning offices to find out whether the location you want is properly zoned for a child care center.

Read Child Care Rules and Regulations

Once you’ve settled on a location, it’s time to get familiar with the child care rules and regulations that apply in your area.

As a daycare operator, you’ll need to fully understand and comply with the child care rules and regulations in your state to obtain your child care license and remain in good standing with your state regulatory agency. 

You’ll learn about things like:

• Staff-to-child ratios and group size requirements
• State learning and curriculum guidelines
• Required health and safety training for child care providers in your state
• Recordkeeping requirements for daycares

Taking the Plunge

Should you decide to open a church daycare, you’ll need to apply for a child care license (requirements vary from state to state). You’ll also need to complete background checks, obtain a health evaluation and complete required training for child care providers as part of the application process.

Then you’ll need to create a detailed floor plan so you can purchase furniture, equipment and supplies.

And as Jennifer and Holly of PEPC said, staffing is critical. Check within your congregation, and also search online job boards and confer with local colleges with early childhood learning programs for referrals of recent graduates. 

And you’ll need to do marketing. Here’s how to get started:

• Get in touch with schools near your daycare and ask them to refer parents in your neighborhood who are looking for child care services.
• Add your daycare to Google My Business and you’ll start appearing in local search results and on Google Maps, making your business more visible to families in your area.
• Create a Facebook page for your business and ask friends to share it with families in your community who may be looking for child care services.
• Set up a simple website for your child care center. Make sure to include pictures, highlight what makes your center different, and make it easy for parents to contact you.

Opening a daycare in your church could be an incredibly fulfilling way to serve your community. If you think it’s a good fit, don’t be afraid to reach out for help to start on this new path for your congregation!

Procare provides trustworthy, modern and easy-to-use software that helps you successfully market and manage your child care business or youth organization, including giving you the tools to digitize the child care enrollment process.

Procare’s online registration software includes simple solutions for child care billing, capacity management/waitlisting and a customizable registration form so you can collect the information you need to comply with state recordkeeping requirements.

Our years of experience and expert community give us the wisdom to know what your child care center needs to succeed, and with live support available on demand, we’re here to support you every step of the way.

Ready to get started?