30
Part 1 Organizing a Quality Child Care Program
program. You will need to consider
geography, the area’s economic factors, and
family characteristics.
Geography
Geographically, there are several factors you
should investigate about your community. Start
with a detailed map. Using your knowledge of
the area, locate sites that will influence the
demand for child care. Create a color key and
use felt-tip markers. Identify the areas and sites
discussed below.
Location of Major Employers
Mark the location of the main business areas
and other major employers. Ask yourself the
following questions:
• Where are the shopping districts or malls?
• Where are the large factories or office
buildings?
• Where are the hospitals or nursing homes?
• Where are the grocery stores and schools?
These are the areas in a community where
people will be working. Consider the hours when the sites will be open or in opera-
tion. Any child care service you start will have to match the hourly needs of the
working people who will use your program. Check with your local chamber of com-
merce for facts about businesses and agencies in your community. That office may be
able to supply you with additional information that would be helpful. Information
such as population data, spending patterns, current and anticipated business activity,
and local census data can give you useful infor-
mation about your community.
Try to identify sections of your community
that are growing or where new businesses are
choosing to locate. These new businesses will be
hiring people. Areas that are growing rapidly
often attract young families. Young families often
have child care needs.
Housing Areas
Locate the main housing areas on your map.
Determine which areas are attracting young fami-
lies. Homes priced for first-time buyers will attract
families with young children, 2-2.
2-1 Most centers must be open for at least 10
hours a day to meet the needs of
working parents.
Director’s Dilemma
You are the operator of several
successful child care centers. The
manager of a large office building has
asked you to start a new center in
the building for the people who work
there. Many of the current employees
are getting older. As they retire, the
company wants to be able to attract
and hire new, younger staff. What
information do you need to collect
before making a commitment to start
this center?