Oh boy! Deciding whether or not to go back to working in a centre or opening your home daycare can be a difficult decision! I feel for you!

I too am from an area that has an over abundance of home daycare and centres. There are a minimum of 8 daycares on my crescent ALONE with 2 daycare centres in walking distance! Let alone the many other home daycares in the area. I moved here 4 years ago and up until December I had a waiting list of children waiting to get into my daycare. All of a sudden in January the inquiries dropped and finding children has been more of a struggle for the caregivers in my area.

My suggestion would be to network with caregivers in your area before you give up (if finances will allow). Through networking you can receive some advertising tips, possibly some referals, and determine if it is a mistake or two you are making during the interview process or if there are several caregivers in your area also struggling to find children.

I agree that you need to advertise that you are ECE, have a website (if you need help I might be able to give you a few pointers), develop a program, your schedule, etc. As an ECE I believe you should have a structured circle time with learning, have a meal plan etc. All these things will help make your daycare 'stand out' a little.

Another thing I would suggest especially when starting and you want to make a professional presentation during your interviews is to have a portfolio. I had many families who were impressed by my portfolio and it helped me during my interviews.