The need in your area

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Careers in Childcare
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Setting Up A Nursery
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The need in your area

You need to do some market research to find out if and where there is a demand for your service in your area. You can use different methods to gather information, such as:

Conducting surveys or interviews with potential customers, such as parents, guardians, or employers who might need childcare.

Observing the current supply and demand of childcare in your area, such as the number, type, and quality of childcare providers, the fees they charge, and the waiting lists they have.

Analysing data from existing sources, such as census, statistics, or reports on childcare trends and needs, local childcare sufficiency report.

Comparing your proposed service with the existing ones, such as the location, hours, curriculum, staff qualifications, and safety standards.

By doing market research, you can identify the gaps and opportunities in the childcare market, and tailor your business plan accordingly. You can also use the results to promote your service and attract customers.

Childcare Sufficiency Assessment

The Childcare Act 2006 requires local authorities in England to ensure sufficiency of childcare, so far as is reasonably practicable, for working parents, parents who are studying or training and for disabled children. To meet the needs of families’ childcare, provision should be accessible, affordable and delivered flexibly in a range of high-quality settings.

The Department for Education (DfE) require local authorities to “report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare. This report should be made available and accessible to parents.”

You should contact your local authority as these sufficiency assessments and will provide geographical areas where there is a need of additional early years places within your county or locality.

Think about what type of childcare service you want to offer.

There are different types of childcare businesses, such as nurseries, childminders, childcare on domestic premises, preschools, before and after-school clubs, etc. You may wish to only offer childcare during the school terms or the school holidays, or you may wish to offer childcare all year round. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, as well as legal requirement and regulations. Do your research, consider your skills, qualifications, experience, budget, location, target market, demand and personal preferences.