22
Part 1 Organizing a Quality Child Care Program
influence the required qualifications of the
director. Programs with larger numbers of chil-
dren and staff may be required to have a
director with more education. Each state may
also set different educational requirements for
various types of programs. Currently, there is a
movement in some states supporting the devel-
opment of a director's credential. This credential
would spell out specific educational require-
ments for directors of early childhood care and
education centers.
Qualifications for directors of half-day
nursery school-type programs may be different
than those for directors of full-day child care
programs. Directors of infant/toddler programs
may need different training than individuals
planning to operate large programs with mul-
tiple age groups. You will need to find out what
the specific requirements are in your state in
order to plan your career preparation.
How Do I Open My Own
Center?
You may have a dream of owning and oper-
ating your own child care center. You probably
like the idea of being independent and working
with children. If you plan to start your own
child care business, you will be considered an
entrepreneur. An entrepreneur is a person who
is willing to take the risk that opening a new
business involves. The entrepreneur also
expects the new business venture will be suc-
cessful and earn a profit. In most new busi-
nesses, the owner also works as the manager or
director.
Being an Entrepreneur
There are many successful entrepreneurs in the United States. However, there are
also many individuals who consider opening their own program and decide against
it, at least for a while. They may prefer to work for other private or publicly funded
programs. This is a decision you need to think over carefully. Successful entrepreneurs
typically have a number of characteristics in common, 1-9.
Are You Ready to Be an Entrepreneur?
Successful entrepreneurs have certain
characteristics. Use the following
checklist to help you determine whether
you have those characteristics. Check
those characteristics you feel describe
yourself.*
____ I really want to own my own
business and be my own boss.
____ I like to set goals for myself and
then work toward them.
____ I like to take responsibility for
making things work.
____ I'm not foolhardy, but I am willing
to take a moderate risk to make my
dream happen.
____ By the time I am ready to open
my center, I will have studied child
development, developmentally
appropriate practices, and child care
administration.
____ I am willing to work long hours
and do whatever needs to be done to
make the center a success.
____ By the time I am ready to open
my center, I will have money to invest
in the project.
____ I am sure I can make my center a
success.
____ I have good ideas and want the
chance to give them a try.
*If you answered "yes" to a majority of
these statements, you may have the
characteristics of an entrepreneur.
1-9 Do you have the characteristics of an
entrepreneur?