Keys to Success - Before/After School Care

Hello,

We're exploring the possibility of opening a before and afterschool care facility in Calgary. I'm well aware of the rules and regulations and have begun looking for space, we've yet to decide whether it'll be commercial or residential space. I'd like some feedback from you fine folks about the key factors to success. The demand for before/afterschool care in our region is high and continues to grow. We're interested in provided an excellent, expectation shattering, experience for both parents and children. Essentially, we want people to be lining up to get into our care facility.

Questions:
- How pivotal is location? We're considering choosing a location a few miles away from school and providing transportation services. Whats the general consensus on location? Do parents prefer locations next to schools? Or are they receptive to our transportation service?

- Commercial space or house? Does it really matter?

- We'd like to have something in our facility that really makes it stand out and we're looking for suggestions. We considered things like climbing walk, gymnastics gear and interactive digital gaming. We're not completely sold on any of these options, liability being the issue with gymnastics/climbing walk and from our conversations with parents they aren't interested in their children playing any types of electronic games while in our care.

Your help is greatly appreciated, thank you in advance.

Dave

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Originally Posted by freshd

How pivotal is location?

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Location is everything. Parents have to drop off at your location and pick up at your location. If your location isn't right for them, they will look elsewhere. What makes the right location? Sadly that changes from person to person as some will travel out of their way, some want you on the direct route from their home to work, some want you on the bus/public transport route. But in my experience the biggest two factors in parents choosing care is location and hours. Everything else, they we usually have some flexibility on.

Parents are usually fine with a facility away from the school as long as reliable and safe transport is provided with a vetted and experienced driver. Seatbelts and car seats are obviously important too. Location is more about how the parents get the children to the centre more so then the centers proximity to the school.

Also, if you were choosing location based on proximity to the school, then useless you are just targeting the students from the one school, you'll need transport for students out of that catchment area. It would be foolish to limit a business to client from one school only.

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- Commercial space or house? Does it really matter?

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No. All that matters is how it is set up to facilitate the children.

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We'd like to have something in our facility that really makes it stand out and we're looking for suggestions.

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Working parents often feel guilty about the limited time they get to spend with their children. So when they do pick up their children from care, in an ideal world, they would like to be able to focus on them until bed time.

The reality is very different for most as once home, there's homework and supper and the mundane things that have to happen.

Having a study room with a tutor on hand is something a lot of parents would like. Knowing that once their child is picked up, the homework issues are already crossed of the to do list.

Thank you very much.