Working your way through all of the legal requirements to starting a daycare can be pretty intimidating. Even for those who aren't intimidated by the process, putting all of the pieces together to start your program is often very time-consuming. Here are a couple of places that can help you figure out where to start:

You can find your state's requirements for starting a daycare at: http://nrckids.org/STATES/states.htm Along with the actual regulations, you can also find your state's Child Care Licensing Agency's website. This is often a good place to start as many of these sites have a "FAQ" or "How to Start a Daycare" section. This can often give you the information you need without you having to scour the actual regulations to find it.

Most areas have a child care Resource and Referral agency that can help you with starting or improving your daycare. You can find your R&R at http://www.naccrra.org Give them a call and see what resources, workshops, etc. they offer. (They can also refer your daycare to parents looking for care for their children.)

Let us help you. If you're still not sure how to get started or just need help with a piece or two, give us a call or send us an e-mail. We can provide consulting services for things like:

• Helping with the daycare licensing process (or completing it for you)
• Setting up your daycare Policies and Procedures
• Planning your staffing needs--Including job descriptions, compensation and scheduling
• Curriculum / activity planning and daily scheduling
• Developing a Daycare Parent Handbook
• Helping with planning your budget
• Ordering materials and planning the arrangement of your daycare environment
• Planning your food service arrangements--help you understand meal and snack scheduling requirements, what needs to be included in each meal and snack, and setting up weekly menus