Found a daycare center: how to open a kindergarten

firma.de updated on November 8, 2019 to read 13 minutes

If you are unsatisfied with your child’s childcare situation or would like to develop further in the course of your educational career, you can easily set up a kindergarten yourself. The demand for daycare places is high in almost all federal states; often it even exceeds the offer. Here, new founders can find out everything they need to know about setting up a daycare center, operating license and business plan.

Create business and finance plan

So that parents trust in you to get, you first need a convincing educational concept. Of course, your plan must also be financially secure. So we have some suggestions for you, like you a future-proof business plan and draw up a financial plan.

Business plan for a day care center

What is your educational concept?

Some day-care centers set up special programs for imparting knowledge, build a “little researchers’ house” or take regular trips to exciting educational institutions such as observatories or similar. Foreign language courses are often even offered in the crèche.

Have free space to play?

Children should generally spend a lot of time outdoors. You should take this into account when choosing the premises. Hardly any kindergarten can do without its own courtyard or playground.

Who are the educators?

Of course, the people behind the concept are also important. Do you work with trained educators? Interns and assistants are also employed?

How is the food supply regulated??

Many households are increasingly health-conscious. Therefore, many parents value fresh, self-cooked food for their children. Think about integrating your own food supply into your daycare or look for good delivery services in your city.

Establishing a daycare center: This is important for your financial plan

Capital is required to start a company. If you want to set up your own daycare center, you may even have state funding available. An important prerequisite for this is that you have already been included in the needs plan by the youth welfare office. The youth welfare office is also your point of contact if you want to find out about state support programs for start-ups that have been made available by the states and municipalities. Plan the following costs in your financial plan:

Capital required for the start-up phase
Consulting and bureaucracy costs / lawyer costs in the start-up phase
Capital requirements for the establishment of the day care center building (furniture, toys, sanitary facilities)
Running costs (rent, electricity, heating, EDP)
Taxes and insurance
Financial reserves for unforeseen events

Kita as gGmbH or association: Choose legal form

In order to fulfill your dream of having your own daycare center, you first have to decide which legal form is suitable for your company. Common legal forms for business start-ups are the gGmbH or the association. Find out more about founding a non-profit corporation here.

In principle, of course, other legal forms are available to you.

Registration requirements for your business

Commercial register entry as day care center

As a public directory, the commercial register documents entries about the registered merchants in the area of a responsible register court. The company forms GmbH and gGmbH require an entry in the commercial register.

Establishing a daycare center: registration of the trade

Whichever type of company you choose, you must register your daycare with the trade office in your city. After registering with the trade office, the tax office will automatically contact you for tax registration. As soon as your documents have been viewed and checked by the tax office, you will receive your tax number and may issue invoices. If you set up your daycare center as an association, a business registration is only required if you generate so much sales that a sales tax liability arises. Inquire about this with a tax advisor.

Professional association for day care centers

Professional associations are responsible for statutory accident insurance for companies and their employees. If you are setting up a kindergarten, please register yourself with the trade association. The BG responsible for you is the professional association for health service and welfare care. If you have any further questions, the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) will help you on 0800 60 50 40 4. A clear list of the responsibilities of the professional associations can be found here.

Professional associations at daycare centers

We recommend membership in the Federal Association for Day Care for Children. V.

Permits and applications to start a day care center

Caring for small children is a responsible task. Therefore, you need some permits before starting the company. First of all you have to obtain an operating license and provide proof that the care of the children is taken over by suitable specialist staff. The responsible youth welfare office in your city will issue you with this permit if all requirements have been met. For the application you need a detailed concept in which, among other things, you outline your educational goals, your professional suitability and exemplary daily routines. In addition to the operating license, you must also find a suitable building that is designed for commercial use. Of course, a meaningful financial plan is also part of the company foundation. In order to found a daycare center as a gGmbH or as an association, an application for charitable status must be submitted. Take out the most important insurance such as commercial insurance, public liability insurance and content insurance.

The care concept for your new daycare center

Anyone who wants to found a daycare center has to work out a specific childcare concept. To do this, define the following points:

What is the goal of your educational work?
Who are the supervisors??
What learning opportunities do you want to create for the children?
There are places for inclusion children?
How big are the groups??
What are the parents’ say??
Which age groups do you want to look after??
How are childcare and vacation times regulated??
How do you get used to it??
Which special regulations are made (e.g. mandatory vaccination)?
How is the daily routine regulated??

Find a suitable property for your daycare foundation

The right premises are of central importance for the foundation of a daycare center. The legal provisions are very strict here, because security in the house must be guaranteed, especially for crib children. It starts with the presence of unsecured stairs. There must be group rooms where children can play safely. As a rule, an open area or at least the presence of a playground near the facility is also mandatory. In addition, sufficient washrooms and toilets must be available for the number of children. Sleeping facilities and a storage room for prams are also minimum requirements.

How high is the need for employees in my daycare center??

The care key for the care of children and toddlers is precisely regulated by law. The relationship between children and Educators are defined in such a way that sufficient individual support and security can be guaranteed for each child. Each federal state has different requirements for the care key. At daycare age, the key averages 1: 6 between caregivers and children.

In addition, responsible care may only be provided by appropriately trained specialists, i.e. H. Educators or educators.

Kindergarten open even without pedagogical training

As a founder, you are not obliged to provide proof of pedagogical training. Nevertheless, for your operating permit, you have to prove to the youth welfare office that you are hiring suitable specialist staff. Often daycare centers are founded by a group of parents who recognize the need for crèche places and want to create another way of day care for their children.

For which children and age groups do you offer daycare places?

As with any other company foundation speak You also target a specific target group when setting up a daycare center. Define the following points:

For which age groups do I offer daycare places?
There will also be integrative places?
Use a concept to address families that are particularly close to nature?

Marketing for your newly founded day care center

Since the need for childcare places is greater than the offer in most of the federal states, you will generally not have much difficulty in quickly filling vacant childcare places. After official registration you will be included in the list of the youth welfare office. For most parents, this list is the first point of contact after the birth of their child or if childcare can no longer be covered privately after parental leave. In addition, many cities have a daycare planner, in which all daycare centers are listed and through which the places are allocated. So that parents can get a first impression of your facility, it makes sense to set up their own website and present the daycare there.

The information published on our site is all written and checked by experts with the greatest care. However, we cannot guarantee the accuracy, as laws and regulations are subject to constant change. Therefore, always consult a specialist in a specific case – we will be happy to establish contact.