The Daycare business has really caught on in Kenya judging by the number of people who (want to) set up. But what is the motive? what drives people into the daycare business? Is the objective to run it as a serious business or a side hustle?

Evidently, the need for daycare services is ever there and its always a relief to see a new daycare come up where the need outweighs availability. However, the availability of daycare does not always reflect a presence of need and that begs the question of intention to set up.

When a new daycare comes up, the kind of set up and quality of service offered sets the pace for the rest of its operational years. There are things that set daycares apart and some are pretty obvious while others aren’t. All the same as a parent you should be able to tell whether a daycare is serious about their business or not – there is a difference between hungry and starving!

How do you identify the difference!

Side hustle daycares can collapse any time and their owners almost always do not put in 100%.

• some are not licensed
• possible high employee turnover
• clients undercharged to take in one and all
• they are not aware of the competition
• no market analysis
• unfocused on growth
• they lack a competitive edge
• there’s no business plan
• untrained or unprofessional staff

On the other hand, the hungry ones are more realistic and they are in it for the foreseeable future

• licensed and safety measures considered
• determine reasonable pricing and stick to it with no compromise
• professionally managed facility
• there’s consistency in habits and reporting to parents
• concrete business plan with regular reviews of business performance
• focus on satisfying customer needs

Daycare needs might change overtime and a good daycare should be able to keep up, identify market change and adjust accordingly.