All of my moves were completely out of the city and in some cases out of province too so kids coming with me was not a possibility.

I always kept the kids as long as I could because it was best for my own kids to maintain normalcy as long as possible and not have them stressing for several months before the move. At the same time I needed to recognize the need for some families to leave as soon as they had found a replacement caregivers - and yes there were always lots of tears when we moved all around.

I usually told the families about the same time as the for sale sign was going up although it had been speculated on for months as we usually found in January that it was a possibility and then in March/April the where and when part - not of our choosing (military). Then the date was normally for July so everyone could finish out the school year. That was a good time for families and some simply used a high school student for the summer while they made new arrangements for Sept.

If you think it is possible that some families will be able to move with you then you might want to start by preparing a moving package for each one - give a picture and map of the new house with the access streets clearly visible to show how easy it will be to get there. Explain the new daycare layout and why it will be so much more wonderful than now, parks in the vicinity, etc. Let them know the approximate timeline for moving but also that it will depend on the sale of your current home. Give them the plan for doing daycare while house is up for sale and what that will mean for the daycare - like lots of walks around the block during showings. Also make sure they know the amount of time you will be taking off for the move such as your two week vacation period or whatever you plan to do. The least amount of time you can have between closing one daycare and opening the other even if it is just ok guys here are some boxes of toys to play with for the first few weeks the more likely families will continue with you.

The biggest thing is not to take it personally if a family decides to leave care when you move or to leave soon after you announce the move. Although the more notice we give to familiess that more likely they are to leave early it also gives you more time to advertise in your new area saying that you will be moving there and when you will open and how many spaces etc. Possibly if it is that close you would be able to interview families in your current daycare where they can see what you have now and then know it will be even bigger and better in the new place.

Congratulations on the move. Always nice when the move is for positive reasons.