I know what you mean. I had the experience of looking at many daycares when I was looking for care for my son 2 years before I opened my own daycare, so I had an idea, but it would have been great to see a bunch of daycares when I was opening. I think it would have given me confidence when I was begining as I didn't know for sure if others had better set-ups etc. Now I am very confident as I hear from parents that many of the daycares they have been to are nothing like mine...so with time, I am sure you will learn from parents as well as this forum and you will figure out whether you are worse, similar or far better than other daycares in your area. I think if you offer a daycare program and set-up that you are truly proud of and a place you would feel great about putting your own child in, then you will be great! When I started my daycare, I thought about all the things I would have loved to have in a daycare when I was looking and I implemented all of these things. It worked for me Good luck to you!