A quick guide to daycare grants resources
Let's begin with a word of caution. Yes, there are daycare grants available in some situations to help people get started. But, too many people go too far down the path to building a business on the sometimes mistaken notion that it won't cost anything to get started, only to be disappointed later. (The people in TV ads and e-mail spam aren't really lying about availability, "GET FREE MONEY TO START YOUR Daycare Business!!! CALL 555-1212 AND FOR JUST $19.99 WE"LL TELL YOU HOW!, it's just a whole lot more complicated than they tell you.)
Let's talk about the types of resources available, such as daycare grants
, and who is qualified to receive them. First and foremost, if you are planning to start a daycare operation as a business to make money, it will be a for-profit venture and that means that you will probably not be eligible for any private foundation daycare grants. Private foundations almost always support not-for-profit organizations such as churches and social service agencies, not private entrepreneurs. Occasionally, if you have an innovative program, private money in the form of daycare grants can be available, but it is the exception, not the rule.
The kind of daycare grants available to the private entrepreneur typically comes from the state and they are provided for one or more of the following reasons:
* Specifically to encourage the development of more daycare in specific parts of the state;
* Specifically to encourage a particular type of daycare, such as centers, evening hour programs, sick childcare, infant childcare;
* As incentives to support small business owners;
* As a way to help particular types of people such as veterans, women, minorities or people with low incomes.
You need to go to explore your state's resources to see what's available for daycare grants. Go to your state's website (New York, for example, is www.state.ny.us) and search for daycare grants.
It is sometimes also true that daycare grants can come in the form of small business grants so explore the small business part of your state's site for grant availability. It's also a good idea to call you local Chamber of Commerce; they are frequently aware of grant programs for entrepreneurs. Finally, if you belong to a minority or disadvantaged group, call advocacy groups who may be able to point you in the right direction for grants.
Remember that daycare grants require grant applications. In most cases, if you have developed a good business plan, the grant application will be just a fill-in-the-blank exercise for you. If you have not created a business plan, read our related article on the daycare business
and write a plan right now!
