Deal Breakers

So as i venture into this business, I was wondering what you found to be deal breakers...

are parents put off by size of your area?
driving kids around?
pets in the house?
smoking?
curriculum vs no curriculum
expectations about outdoor time?

what do you find parents are looking for and not looking for?

thanks!

Hmmm ~ I approached this the opposite ways ... determined what I needed to offer in my program to feel passion, pride and pleasure in what I do and than attracted clients who shared those values ;)

I have no trouble attracting clients who are looking for a play based child focused learning curriculum with regular access to creative art, sensory, science, baking and other fun experiences, weekly field trips and outings via my vehicle, city bus or by foot or having their children engage in outdoor learning year round ~ these are all selling features to most clients and allow me to charge a bit 'more' than others in my area.

Smoking free home is something that majority of prospective clients inquire about ~ is not an issue for me and when I was with the licensed agency this was a requirement I had to put up no smoking signs on my property as per the bi-laws of business for my area

Pets in the house are a deal breaker for some while a selling feature for others.

Perhaps this is going to come off as a bit cynical but.....largely the truth..... I have found parents are looking for no tv as "they get enough at home already", semi structured program to teach letters numbers colors shapes ect ....cause after a long day at work parents dont have time for that and they need their down time ..... nutritious meals so the parents can continue to feed them junk, daily outside time cause once again parents don't have time for that, most leave potty training up to you as well and they want you to correct any behavoiural issues too! So they want you to be everything they are not.....I have been reading this forum for over a year now and as well as been doing daycare for about 15 yrs (with a few breaks in between) and this basically sums it up. I love doing this otherwise I would have quit a long time ago but you have to have a contract and a policybook and stick to it cause otherwise parents will walk all over you. Things like non smoking and first aid / CPR are generally a given, pets can go both ways ... I've had people choose me because of my dog and not choose me cause of my dog, same with traveling in your vehicle ... Some parents are ok with it and some are not. I don't travel with my dcks. And most parents ask for references half of them don't actually check them out though ...... Good luck in your new venture and keep us updated !

The parents who have signed with me have told me it's because of my themes, learning & crafting, which is obvious in the pictures on my website with the captions. I have a ton of pics on my website which shows the parents how much I teach the children.

They also like the fact that all my food is home-cooked, mostly certified organically grown, with a bare minimum of prepacked food.

But I live in a huge apartment in an old home so I share my daycare space with my living space, so the people who are with me like the cozy atmosphere as opposed to those who are looking for the daycares with the dedicated spaces with lots of shelves full of pretty toys all around.

You have to find your niche, then play it up and use it in your advertising and the families who are like-minded will come to you. For me, it's great nutrition and great learning opportunities and a lot of travelling to parks and the library, splashpads and other things like firehall & ambulance tour for safety week and even art galleries.

Also, I have all my current families & alumni families on my resume and my newest family who just signed on told me that they called them and I received the highest praise from all of them. :o