| The basic service provided by all day care centers is | | | | business model might be to offer a low price basic |
| to create a safe environment for children when | | | | care package in the hopes of upselling customers to |
| parents cannot be with them. Beyond this foundation, | | | | premium services which are much more profitable. |
| you will have leeway to create your own unique | | | | Some Options to Consider |
| service offering. | | | | Consider service options that would deepen your |
| How to Choose Services | | | | relationships with the customers in your target market. |
| To choose what services you will offer, look at the | | | | This might include special classes for certain age |
| needs and wants of the customers in the community | | | | groups or after school care for the older children of |
| that you seek to serve. "Customers" includes both | | | | parents who have a child in care full-time. Other |
| parents and their children. Consider what age groups | | | | examples are throwing parties for a child's birthday at |
| of children you will be serving and the needs of the | | | | the center or selling learning products or toys. |
| children at those ages. | | | | Also consider service options which are not costly to |
| In a perfect world, every service you offer could be | | | | add because of the existing skills of your staff and |
| priced so that is was just as profitable as every other | | | | infrastructure of your center. An example is classes or |
| service you offer. In reality, some services will cost | | | | support groups for new or expecting parents offered |
| more or less as a percentage of their price. Consider | | | | in the evenings to teach them some basic skills and |
| the cost and profitability of each service, but don't | | | | share your staff's expertise. Not only could this bring in |
| simply discard ideas with higher costs than others. | | | | revenue during off-hours, but it could build the |
| Certain services can be "loss leaders", sold at cost or | | | | reputation and brand of your company as experts in |
| even below cost in order to encourage purchases of | | | | child care and pave the way for those parents to use |
| your day care's other services. One day care | | | | your services at a later date. |