Setting up a Childcare Business

Guardian Childcare Alliance has been operating in the childcare industry for many years and is recognised as one of the leaders in the childcare business sector

Managing a childcare business is not child’s play and it can be a daunting task if you have decided to launch a childcare centre from scratch or build one from the ground up. Guardian Childcare Alliance offers professional child care centre management services Australia-wide to help owners of childcare businesses. There are several government regulations, and safety issues to consider when opening a childcare centre.

Licensing

Before you can start operating a child care business, you need to be licensed. Each state and territory Government is responsible for legislation under which child care services are licensed covering aspects of a service’s operation such as:

• the carer to child ratio;
• the size of rooms and playgrounds;
• the number of staff and their qualifications;
• requirements for the building and the equipment;
• health and safety requirements.

Check the relevant government department in your state or territory for the laws that applies to your respective state. These websites can be found on the National Council Accreditation Council’s website. Guardian Childcare Alliance can also give you more information about the registration of your child care business.

Accreditation

The National Childcare Accreditation Council Inc (NCAC) is responsible for the administering child care quality assurance systems for Australian child care centres. Child care centres must register under the Quality Improvement and Accreditation System (QIAS). The QIAS is based on 7 Quality Areas and 33 Principles that the NCAS feels summarise and define long day care. The 7 Quality Areas are:

1. Staff Relationships with Children and Peers
2. Partnerships with Families
3. Programming and Evaluation
4. Children’s Experiences and Learning
5. Protective Care and Safety
6. Health, Nutrition and Wellbeing
7. Managing to Support Quality

Visit the NCAC website to find more about the QIAS accreditation process or contact the Guardian Childcare Alliance about how we can help you with compliance and accreditation.

Qualifications

As well as being licensed, the owner of a childcare business and staff members have to obtain certain qualifications and checks before working with children. The qualification you require may differ from state or territory and depend on what responsibility of care you hold. However, you will require the following listed below:

• Police or criminal records check
• Current First Aid certificate
• Current Working With Children’s Check
• Current anaphylaxis training

Check with your relevant department in your state or territory to find out what qualification you require to work in a childcare centre or contact the Guardian Childcare Alliance for more information.

Insurance

The very nature of the childcare management means that it has unique insurance requirements. You may want to be covered for the following:

• professional indemnity;
• public liability;
• products liability;
• motor insurance;
• cover for participation at special events such as fund raising, fetes and excursions.

Guardian Childcare Alliance will be able to advise you in regards to what type of insurance and what level you will require.

Occupational health and safety

The safety and health of children is your number one priority. There are guidelines and standards in place to ensure that your home and garden are safe for children. Things to consider include the following list below:

• Keeping a record of all staff and child hours and also recording and reporting any injuries.
• If the centre cooks lunches or meals, the cook needs to be certified and documentation on orders needs to be kept in order as this can also affect accreditation.
• Safe fencing, gates and childproof furniture and locks on cupboards.
• Fire equipment such as extinguishers, blankets and smoke alarms.

To find out more about occupational, health and safety guidelines, contact the Guardian Childcare Alliance.

Marketing

Marketing is an important part of launching a successful childcare business. Your marketing strategy may include the following:

• sending a media release to your local newspaper;
• advertising in local newspapers and radio;
• distributing fliers around the local area;
• adding the childcare centre to relevant directories and
• creating a website to promote your centre.

Guardian Childcare Alliance offers a full childcare management plan where we also market your centre through our centre website.

Guardian Childcare Alliance offers professional child care centre management services Australia-wide to help owners of childcare centres with accreditation procedures and compliance procedures and establish and maintain standards of best practice in the childcare industry. Contact us and find out how we can help you achieve your childhood dream of running your own childcare business.

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