In many urban areas converting an empty building into a day care center can be a very safe and conservative investment. Especially in areas where property value has fallen and is now beginning to rise, many existing buildings can be purchased for far less than the cost of building.

Here are some elements of this type of project to be aware of:

Cost: Total project cost for this type of investment can vary greatly depending upon the type, size, and the cost of building you purchase. Often investors will buy a building that is much larger than the space needed for their day care investment. The remaining space can then be converted to leased space and provide additional income. Former public and private schools and former churches are ideal for this type of investment since they require very little conversion.

Time: Conversion time for these projects will vary greatly depending upon what the building was and the condition it is in.

Asbestos: One of the most common problems encountered in the retrofit of old buildings is the possibility of having to abate asbestos. Asbestos was used as insulation in many older buildings and it is often in the mastic used beneath the floor tiles. While it should always be a consideration, the presence of asbestos does not always mean that a building is unsuitable for use. Many abatement projects can be taken on with little expense, and in many cases the asbestos can simply be encapsulated and left in place.

Location: Location is a prime factor in any day care investment. Simply finding a building in the right price range will not make it suitable for conversion into a day care. My Doctorate degree dealt very heavily the study of demography and I personally conduct the demographic analysis used to place each school.

Design: The redesign of existing buildings is especially critical to their success. Most older buildings will have interior load bearing walls that cannot easily be removed. I redesign each building individually, using their strengths to create a unique and functional day care.

Furnishing & Equipping: Furnishing and equipping a large child care center is a major project. There are only a few large scale provides for this type of furniture and there are frequent delays associated with receiving all of the material. Decisions to be made include: quality and expense of material, color coding versus not color coding, quantities of items per room, stations versus open room, etc.. Furnishing & equipping your school should cost between $50,000.00 to just over $100,000.00.

Staffing: Large day care centers are also large scale employers. It is not uncommon for a large center to have 20 to 30 employees or more. Some investors utilize mostly full time employees and provide incentives for long tenure. Others focus on a work force of mostly part-time employees. Efficient designs exist for both staffing patterns.

Security: Security in the day care industry is becoming a hot topic. I can guide you in creating several different security features for your center.