Are You Ready to Start Your Own Preschool?

1- Making the decision to create your own preschool

2- Finding a space to hold preschool

3- How to obtain a business license

4- Early marketing

5- Finding a good accountant

6-Setting your price

7-Learn what parents are looking for

8-The importance of self care

9-Setting your hours

10-Getting supplies on the cheap

11-Successful ways of setting up your learning environment

12-Creating a daily class schedule

Step One-Making the Decision to become a preschool founder and owner

During the process of opening your preschool, you are likely to experience some ups and downs. Know that everyone has these feelings. I made it a rule for myself that I couldn’t make any business decisions after the sun went down. I always feel fearful and doubt creeps in during the dark hours. I learned how to not think about things at night and to address them in the morning when I was refreshed and could see hope. I wrote down a quote and put it on my bedside table. It read: “I don’t know how to do this but something inside me does.” If you have a motivational quote that empowers you then I would suggest writing it down and reading it daily. If you do not then you are welcome to borrow mine.

Step Two-Finding a Space to Hold Preschool

Depending on how many children you plan to teach at a time will determine how large you need your space to be. If you have a smaller home, be encouraged. You will be surprised how little space is really needed to operate an at home preschool. With a little creativity you can hold preschool right in your living room if you need to. However, if you have a basement or an addition this may be more comfortable for you and for your students. It is nice to have a space that you can dedicate to preschool activities while still maintaining a normal home for yourself and your family. It is amazing how much fun glitter can be in a preschool space but how maddening it can be in your home.

Other than a dedicated space, it is important to have a restroom near and a way to easily wash hands. It is also important to have an easy access for students to enter and exit the space. Before you do too much by way of remodeling your space. You may want to check with your city’s business licensing requirements.

Obtaining a business license is not as difficult as you might imagine. However, it does require some processing time. Which is why it falls near the top of our list.

In most states a business license is all that is required to operate a preschool from your home IF you are serving less than 8 children for less than 4 hours.

You can call or visit your city office for a Business License Application. They will give you a packet with step by step information about how to obtain the license. In the packet you will also name your school, so pick a good name. My school is named Cleo's Cabin Preschool. Cleo was my fabulous grandmother who loved all her grandchildren as though they were each her favorite one. She loved crafts and glitter and was far before her time. She would have had a huge addition to pinterest. She loved glitter and plants and she loved to learn. She was deaf and I spoke to her using American Sign Language. When I hear the name "Cleo" it embodies everything I wanted my preschool to represent. So for me. Cleo was the perfect name. Soon there will be a Cleo's Cabin Uganda which will spread love and joy to the people in Nakabago, Uganda. Think of a name that works for you.  :)

Every year you will pay a small renewal fee for your business and also a seperate renewal fee for your registered name. You will receive a post card in the mail from your city reminding you to do this each year.

**Please note- If you intend to have a daycare setting with a preschool included in it, you will need to obtain a Child Care Licensure from your state to do this. A business license alone is not enough for a day care setting.

Marketing? Are you sure? But there is nothing to market yet! I was very surprised how long it took me to get the word out about my preschool. Even with social media. I wish I would have marketed much earlier than I did. Which is why I put marketing so high on the “to do” list.

Marketing is a big part in the success of your business and it is best to get a jump start on it. That is why it is so high on the list of our steps.  Here are some ideas:

*Create a Business Facebook page. This is a great place to post pictures of your development as a business, even before you are ready to open. It will spark interest in the community. There are many online services that are easy and affordable. * Social media- About 50% of my students came from Facebook connections. I created a Facebook page and then shared everything to my Istagram account as well. This was a very positive way to me to really feel like I was on my way to achieving my goal. On my Facebook posts I started every post out the same so I could start branding my business. For example,

CLEO’S CABIN PRESCHOOL

ENROLL NOW FOR FALL

AMEE- (000) 000-0000

(WEBSITE ADDRESS)

(A BRIEF POST GOES HERE)

AND I ALWAYS ATTACH A PHOTO.

Since you don’t have your own pictures yet, you can Google photos and attach them to your post.

*Have professional signs made to place in front of your business. Even before you are opened. You can have a sign that states "coming soon" along with your website or your Facebook name so people can start checking you out.

*Networking and word of mouth are also a great way to market. I made my own business cards. As you will see in this video, they are very basic and simple but have really met my needs. Do what works for you.

*Buying an inexpensive stamp can really be a terrific tool. There are many online options that will suit your needs. I have a stamp that states my business name, address and phone number on it. I use this stamp to make my business cards, as my return address stamp and also as my letter head.

Here are some suggestions of how I marketed and what worked well for me.

Announce your preschool as “coming soon.” You can create an event and have an open house. This will help the community see that you are dedicated and professional. Even though your preschool may be within your home, it is best if you always treat it as a true profession because that what it is. No matter what your space looks like when you open, make it the best that you can with your budget. In time you will accumulate more supplies. Parents just want to see a clean, safe space that feels thought out. Be proud of your beautiful beginning.

Post something about your “coming soon” preschool every few days. Use a short and sweet message that starts out the same each time as shown above. Attach different photos of children doing things that you plan to do with the children once open. Examples, art play, outside time, music etc. You could even post progress photos of your developing building and yard. Make sure to always post your information so people can start enrolling their children even before you are open. This way come the day of your open house you can give your new students welcome packets and even do a special activity to mark their preschool experience like letting them put their hand print on your wall or letting each child plant a flower to care for in the garden.

Continue to post frequently even after you open until you are at full capacity. Then maybe still post but maybe once a week to remind people that you are there and that you part of the community.

*Networking- About 35% of my students came from networking. If people call and you cannot accommodate them then you can always start a wait list or you can refer them to another preschool that you trust with the agreement that they will return the favor once they are full. Networking is a great way to connect with your community and to ensure future students. . A couple years before I opened my preschool I had a friend who opened her preschool. Many years earlier I had owned a daycare and preschool in a commercial building. This friend had questions and I was able to encourage her and refer her to where she needed to go to start her preschool. She was very successful and so when I opened my preschool she sent people from her wait list to me. Because I couldn’t repay her with referrals I gave her $20 for every enrolled child that she referred. This small upfront cost paid off big in the end.

*The other 15% of my students came from relatives of current students or random people that I gave information cards. I had a stamp made from an online company. I love this stamp and use it for everything. I use it to make information cards, on letters for my return address and on gifts labels just to name a few. It’s a good idea to keep a handful of these cards in your purse at all times. You never know when a need for preschool will come up in conversation. I prefer my own homemade information cards to business cards because I can easily change information on the card to match what we are currently studying at preschool without having to order 250 business cards or more at a time. Also the information cards can be any size you want. I chose to make mine ¼ of a page on card stock. You can design them on the computer or even by hand. Since I already have a stamp, this has been an easy way for me to have enough on hand.

* Have a professional sign made with your preschool name and logo on it. Place it in your yard or on your home or anyplace that people can easily see as they drive by. Please note: in my city a business sign for your home can only be 24 inches by 24 inches. You may want to check with your city’s planning committee before you spend the time and money on a sign that you are able to post. Posting signs that are larger then what your city approves will result in a fine. Also, you cannot post anything on the patch of grass between the street and the sidewalk. Even though you are required to take care of it, it is technically the city’s property and you cannot post your sign there. Unfair I know! Make sure your sign in on YOUR property. I ordered my signs from www.fiver.com. I have used Fiver for many things and have always been happy with the results, the price and the turn-around time.

Even though your preschool may be small and you may be knowable in using online resources for tax purposes, I would still recommend an accountant to at least get you started. Why? Because accountants know things that we don’t know. Like if you are licensed as an LLC then you are taxed as an employer to yourself and also taxed as an employee to yourself. Double taxed! Ridiculous yes! My accountant understood this and transferred my original LLC to an S-Corp, saving me literally $8,000 in taxes for my first year in business. Once an accountant helps you set your preschool up correctly, you may not need their services for anything else besides your annual tax preparation. If you do plan to have them prepare your taxes, you may want to ask them how they would prefer you keep track of your expenditures. Knowing this ahead of time and keeping up on it monthly will help in a big way come tax time.

Setting your price can feel overwhelming and intimidating. There is a part in all of us that really wants to give our families a great deal while being true to ourselves and getting what we need as well. I priced by preschool based on the other preschools in the area. Some preschools post their prices on their websites. You could Google preschools near you and see what they are charging. I would not find an average. I would recommend pricing on the high end and here is why. Often times when people see a new preschool opening and see that they are charging far less than anyone else they assume it’s because of your lack of experience as a preschool teacher/owner or that you are providing a less valuable service. If some of the preschools near you are charging $99 per month for a 3 day a week program, others are charging $180 per month for a 3 day program and one or two are charging $600 per month for a 3 day program then I would recommend choosing the $180 amount to base your amount off of. The $600 program is likely larger program or even a preschool/daycare that charges more for a variety of reasons. Prices will vary greatly across the United States so make sure you do your research on the city where you live so that you are competitive and are still getting paid what you deserve. Many preschools charge a non refundable enrollment fee so you can pay yourself or someone else to do administrative tasks. Don’t be afraid to raise your tuition if you find you are too low after you begin business. I would recommend keeping current students at the rate in which they signed up at but increasing the amount for new students as needed.

I am currently 95% full for NEXT school year. I still have 6 months before fall begins. I will keep these students at the same rate as they signed up as but the last 5% of the students I will raise my prices. This will be the new baseline for the following fall. I plan to raise my prices every three years. Other professions get raises. You should too.

You may be thinking thing like “I am just a mom. I never got a degree. I am young and just out of high school. I need to fill up quick. I am older and maybe not as up on current things as someone younger. I don’t really have that much to offer so I am going to price lower.” Please do not so this. I can promise you that whatever your fear in your mind is that everyone has some doubt that is hindering them as well. Please know that you are valuable and worthy of a good income. Please know that you have something to offer the children. As long as you are professional, do your best, love the children and teach them anything then YOU ARE OF VALUE. Let me expand a little more on this. In my preschool we focus on certain things throughout the day. Mostly I have these focuses to keep ME on track and to pace out the day. We have a routine, we always do either an art OR a writing assignment so they have something to take home. We have a time where we play educational games, we have story time, we play outside and we eat snack. Those are things that happen for sure. Sometimes we read more than one story. Sometimes a child may have an interest in a topic so we Google it and learn more about what that child was interested in. Sometimes we sing songs and I talk to them about social skills. I have things we always do and then we do addition things to fill in the blanks. These are not pre-planned activities but just things we do as we have an interest. I do this on purpose and it works very well. I know American Sign Language so on a casual basis we learns signs. Think about how you want your day to look. Think about your person interests and talents. Maybe you enjoy music, or cooking, or sewing or speaking another language. These are things that you should do with the children and what you should state anytime you share information about your preschool. Looking organized and having interesting things to teach the children is exactly what will make you look marketable to the parents regardless of your age or education. Price correctly and competitively. YOUR SCHOOL IS WORTH IT AND SO ARE YOU!
*You can choose how to accept payment from parents. I use to accept cash, check and Venmo. Once I filled up it became difficult to keep track of all the payment. I now use a service that automatically takes the payment out of the parents account each month as an automatic payment. Its cost me $100 per month in fees, which I write off. The parent can select which day of the month they want the money withdrawn. This has been very convenient for me and for the parents. Plus it prints out a report that I can give to my account for tax purposes. EASY! 

What are parents looking for?  They are looking for a clean preschool where there child will be safe, happy, stimulated and most of all . . .loved. One way you can help parents understand how much you love their child is by taking photos of them often the first week or two of school. Send the photo via text to the parent with a messaging about the photo. For example: I love how kind Johnny is to the other children. Or, I am really enjoying getting to know your awesome little girl!!  Be sincere and be openly loving to all children equally.
Preschool children are very young. This may be the first time their child is with someone who is not a member of the family. This can be scary for the child and for the parents too. Taking a picture every hour and sending it for the first few days will really put the parents mind at ease. If the parent leaves the child while they are crying, then the parent often assumes that they will cry until they return. This may be the case for the first few visits but usually improves greatly by the 4th visit. It will put the parent mind at ease to see photos of their child having fun while in your care.

I feel that this is the step that is the hardest one to keep true to.  As preschool owners and teachers we are considered "caregivers" in a sense. Making sure that you are taking time out for yourself is very important to your health and very important to the overall success of your business. Having a business at home can feel very isolating. Make sure you are setting aside time for yourself. Something I do daily is have a cup of my Chai Tea in a special mug.  Nobody else is allowed to even tough this mug. IT IS MINE!  As parents and as teacher it can feel that nothing we own belongs to you. You NEED to have somethings that belong just to you. Your mug. Sitting on the porch, drinking your tea and listening to music that YOU want.  These little acts will add up and keep you mentally healthy and you will grow into the best teacher possible.

Setting your own hours may be the number one most beautiful thing about owning your own business. Consider YOUR life and how your really want it to look. For example, if you take your children to school in the morning, allow time return and that might be your ideal start time. Or if you want time to go to the gym every morning but your not necessarily a early bird, maybe staring preschool at 9:00 a.m. is the way to go. The beauty is you get to decide.

Also keep in mind that your business space might be useful to others for rent. For example, maybe a dance teaching might want to rent your space for one night a week. Or and art, yoga instructor, tutor. Etc. This is your space and you get to call the shots. A preschool building can bring in far more money than just what the preschool classes attract.

When beginning a business everyone wants to have all the supplies and needed items right from the start. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. And that's ok. Items will come as your business grows. Starting out with necessity items purchased from thrift stores is a great place to start. A little cleaning and a little paint can turn an ugly old coffee table into the prefect playdough table.
Check yard sales, ask your elementary school if they are getting rid of any kinder products that you might have or purchase for a small fee. Most elementary schools will see your preschool as a huge benefit to the community since most children are not prepared when starting kindergarten. They will likely be happy to help. As time rolls on and your enrollment grows, so will your income. You will then have money to start investing in more items and perishable supplies that you wanted. You can then add to your outdoor playground. Your preschool will ALWAYS be growing. That is one thing that makes being a preschool owner so much fun and so rewarding.

While setting up your environment you may want to keep in mind accessibility for the smallest students.  Ask yourself these questions: Is my environment safe? It is appealing and inviting? Are there activities that the students can do without your constant support? These are all ways to ensure your environment is the teacher and you are the assistant. This will save you so much time and energy each day.
If you are noticing behavior problems arising when there had not been before, you may want to consider if the children are bored and need new toys. I have only bring out a small amount of toys at a time. I have other toys stored in the basement. When I notice behavioral issues I simply rotate the toys.  This usually will solve the behavioral issues. If you are just starting out and have not had time to accumulate very many toys, then another trick is to move toys from one side of the preschool to another. Shifting centers through your school. These are the same exact toys in a different location. You will be surprised how many children think you bough all new toys. :)

Having a written class schedule and posting it on the wall, call really help with behavioral issues with the children and also can help us teachers stay on task.  In preschool, nothing is set in stone. Things can be changed when necessary but it is always very helpful to start out with a clear plan and focuses for the day.

Back to school night is a great time to introduce The Project of the Year. For example, we author, illustrate and publish a class book. We learn so many things while doing this. Literacy, parts of a book, directionality, and the publishing process.

I like to give each child a tic tac toe looking paper with different places to visit within the preschool at Back to School night. One square might say, find the bathroom, find your cubby, can you find the playground. Tasks like this. This is a great way for children can do a self guided tour with their parents.

I like to provide plenty of flower bulbs and tulips. The students and their siblings love to plant the flowers in the garden. We talk about and take very good care of our garden all year long and this is a great introdution to that.

Some ways that you as the teacher can help children feel more at home and more connected with the school is by taking short video clips of yourself doing things you enjoy. Maybe you like to snowboard. Having someone take a 2 or 3 minute video of you snowboarding then you sending it to your student via text with a message that says "I'm just enjoying my weekend doing my favorite activity. Snowboarding! What is your favorite winter time hobby? " The children love to see their teacher snowboarding, they feel remembered and they feel heard when they are asked to share their opinions and hobbies too.

I am in a position where my own children do not use our yard. I have a third of an acre and no one to enjoy it.  I have extended an invitation to my preschool families that they are welcome to use our yard anytime. The parents have expressed their gratitude for this. They can come into the preschool yard with smaller playground toys. Lock the gates to keep the younger children in and just play together. The preschool yard is shaded almost all day long. kids come and visit my yard often and bring picnics and stay awhile. I enjoy hearing them play in the yard and look out to see that it is my students!

• Please feel free to contact me anytime with questions or feedback. I can be reached at ameeables@gmail.com. Please type PRESCHOOL BUSINESS in the subject box. I search daily so I sure to see all emails. Thank you again for taking the time to learn with me. If you were happy with the information you received from me and/or my teaching style, please consider taking other courses by me, Amee Wright. The following list as tutorials that I am currently working on. So stay tuned.

  COMING SOON

  *How to Create a Preschool Summer Camp Curriculum: Designed to prepare your students for kindergarten using Common Core Guidelines. This summer camp with also prepare your student to take the first test taken in kindergarten, the CIA1. We learn together one fun little step at a time. This will be available on or before August 15th, 2020.

  *How to Create a 9 Month Preschool Curriculum: Designed to prepare your students for kindergarten using Common Core Guidelines. We learn appropriate social skills and self help skills. This course will prepare your student for kindergarten assessment. This assessment is conducted in early April PRIOR to the kindergarten fall school year. This will be available on or before August 15, 2020.

  *How to Decorate a Room: This course will help you pinpoint things that you truly love and how to implement them into your home to bring happiness and meaning to your environment. This will be available on or before September 15, 2020.

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  *How to Learn to Love Yourself Again: This course shares tried and proven tips and ideas of how to love yourself again after a damaging break up. Some times we don't properly learn to love ourselves even before we find ourselves exiting a relationship we didn't want to end. This course is based on my own journey of recovering after the loss of my husband to a Crystal Meth Addiction. Maybe I can help you through your journey. . . .I wished someone was there for me who really understood how this felt. This course will be available on or before October 15, 2020.

  *How to Organize Your Daily Outfits, Even if the Rest of Your House is a Mess. Sometimes having a tidy home is just not in the cards due to crazy schedules, young children or so many other variables. But having a clean closet with organized outfits can really start your day off right. Let me show you how. This course will be available on or before October 15, 2020.

  *How to Create a Home of Love in a Really Challenging World. I raised three boys. They are now 20, 21 and 25 years old. I am now in the middle of still raising three more children. Ages 12, 13 and 14 years old. Raising this second set of children has been far more challenging than the first three due to interruptions from our world. Here is how I found balance in our home, even among cell phones and technology that seemed to pulls us from every direction. This course will be available on or before October 15, 2020

  *How to Flip an Investment Property on a Budget. I lost my husband to a Crystal Meth Addiction in 2009. The decade to follow would prove to be very difficult as I was left to raise four of my biological children and two of his children alone. I decided to flip houses to try to make ends meet and even to get ahead. And guess what? IT WORKED. I flipped 4 houses as a single mom with no money. Let me share with you what I did. This course will be ready on or before November 15, 2020.

  *How to Get into Shape When NOTHING else has worked. After my last baby was born in 2008 I never recovered from the delivery. At least that is how it felt. I was really sick. I couldn't find any answers but I search and searched. During my 12 year search I packed on 50 pounds that I could not shed no matter how hard I worked or how little I ate. Finally! I cracked the code that helped me and I found new ways to achieve physical fitness THAT DID WORK! Let me share with you my story and help you through your fitness challenges. This course will be available on or before November 15, 2020.

  *How to Live "Outside the Box." This course will encourage you to find ways to walk to the beat of your own drum and how to fearlessly live Outside the Box. This course will be available on or before January 15, 2021.

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