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So, you're biting the bullet, quitting the 9 - 5 and starting your day care however, you're only now realizing what you've let yourself in for. You sigh as you survey the growing to do list and decisions to be made e.g. are daycare franchises for you, should you have a montessori day care as opposed to other curriculums and numerous other weighty questions.

A day care franchise can be a great, no fuss, instant business way to go. First off you'll get the benefit of instant brand recognition thus making it easier for you to gain customer loyalty. Generally there will be a development process in place to help with funding acquisition, unit selection, the construction process, getting licensed, training and launching your business.

Ongoing direction and support for staff may be included in the package along with a proprietary curriculum and building design templates. Operations manuals will make hitting the ground running a breeze and having the use of a recognized brand for advertising may well mean a busy opening day. Home office support can be part of come franchises also.

Sounds like a great, turnkey deal huh? All this convenience comes with a high price tag (and that's before you start collecting fees!) plus you often need to prove a substantial net worth before a franchise will touch you. Better hope to win the lottery!Sounds like a great, turnkey deal huh? However, franchises are extremely pricey and require an upfront financial commitment plus proof of a healthy net worth (and that's before you even open your doors). Better hope to win lots of cash somewhere!

Onwards to the curriculum consideration. There are many, excellent programs to choose from so you really need to do some thorough research to establish which method might best suit your day care (or you could just draw straws :-)). Ever thoughtful, I've compiled a list of the better known programs with a short synopsis to help you on your way:

- Play based - children learn through focused play - Montessori - development is observed by the teacher, who neither interfere nor get in the way but support the child - Waldorf Method - based on the concept that the children must love to learn therefore they learn through play, imitation and imagination. - High/Scope - teachers are facilitators as children have responsibility for their work and learn through doing - Reggio Emilio - focuses on the natural development of the child in relation to their environment - Piaget - interaction based * Steiner - based on the belief that education should be designed to meet the changing needs of children as they develop

Should you have extra money but not a lot of spare time then daycare franchises will have definite appeal for you. The program you choose is also extremely important and while I find my Montessori day care to be a fantastic method only you can decide which is the best fit for your day care.