Your Step-by-Step Guide to a Successful Childcare Business

With more parents seeking flexibility, personal care, and an early educator they can trust, the demand for family day care is growing fast. If you’re a caring, motivated person who loves working with children and wants to work from home, early childhood education could be the perfect fit. 

At Quest Family Day Care, we’re passionate about empowering educators like you to start a family day care in Perth. We’re here to support you at every step, from questions about certification to regulations, home safety, finding your first enrolments, and growing your business.

Is a Family Day Care Business Right for You?

Imagine a career where you’re your own boss, working from home earning $90,000 or more annually, and making a difference in your local community. 

Starting a family day care is more than just a career change. It’s a chance to build a business that works for your lifestyle, your family, and your community.

Why More Perth Families Are Choosing Family Day Care

Family day care (FDC) offers an intimate, home-based alternative to larger day care centres. Parents choose it because:

• Children are cared for in small groups, often forming strong bonds with their educator.
• It’s ideal for children who need a quieter, more personalised environment.
• There’s increasing demand across Perth’s growing suburbs and regional WA.

With trusted childcare centres often at capacity, and many regional or remote communities facing a shortage of quality care options, FDC provides a much-needed, flexible, and high-quality alternative for families throughout Western Australia.

Benefits of Becoming a Family Day Care Educator

Embracing a career in family day care with Quest offers a wealth of personal and professional advantages:

• Work from home during hours that suit your family.
• Create a welcoming space where children aged 0 to 5 feel safe and supported.
• Care for your own children while earning an income.
• Earn $2,000-$4,000+ per week
• Build a business that’s entirely your own.
• Make a real difference in the lives of local families.

What Makes a Great Family Day Care Educator In WA?

You don’t need to have years of experience to start a family day care in Perth. Especially with Quest, because our resources and support mean you’re never in it alone.

That said, there are some key qualities and requirements that are crucial for the family daycare registration process.

Qualifications and Training

To meet the high standards of early childhood education in Western Australia, you’ll need:

• Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC30121), either completed or currently enrolled.
• First aid training including asthma and anaphylaxis (HLTAID012 or equivalent).
• A Working With Children Check (WWCC) valid in WA.
• A National Police Clearance for yourself and any adult household members.

Insurance and Legal Essentials

You’ll also need:

• Public liability insurance.
• An ABN, basic record-keeping setup, and separate banking.
• Local government approvals, if applicable.

For example, some WA councils have different zoning for family day cares, and others require approval to serve food. We’ll guide you through these rules.

Read more: Business Planning Essentials When Starting a Family Day Care.

Beyond Qualifications: The Ideal Quest Educator

At Quest, we’re looking for people who bring genuine enthusiasm and commitment to children’s wellbeing. You’ll fit right in if you love play-based learning and can offer diverse, engaging education experiences (don’t worry, Quest’s learning activities hub has hundreds of little lessons). And you’ll be keen to share your appreciation for Australia’s natural environment by connecting children with the outdoors.

As an educator, you’ll be inquisitive about child development, approach behaviour with a positive mindset, and always be eager to learn something new. Great communication and organisation skills are important, and you’ll need to value excellent hygiene, nutrition, and safety.

Setting Up a Compliant Family Day Care Home

Children in family day care need space for a variety of activities to foster holistic development. You don’t need a huge house, but you do need areas for:

• Messy play like art or water activities.
• Loud, active play such as jumping, rolling, and dancing.
• Quiet play, reading, resting, and relaxation.
• Group and solo play to cater for different moods or exploration styles.
• Eating and sleeping.

Involving children in daily routines like cooking, gardening, or even looking after pets is a big plus.

Expect Some Minor Modifications

Don’t worry if your home isn’t perfect yet. In our experience, most family homes with young children already meet many of the requirements. You might just need small modifications like childproof locks, shady outdoor areas, and organised toy storage.

We offer a free, no-obligation home readiness check to help you meet safety requirements and get your home ready.

Read more: How To Set Up Your Home For Family Day Care.

The Family Day Care Registration Process

If you’ve been searching for tips on how to start a family day care in Perth and are feeling overwhelmed with all the steps, you don’t need to worry. By partnering with a registered family day care service like Quest Family Day Care, all the hard stuff is taken care of.

We are your support network, handling your licensing, ensuring compliance with the National Quality Framework, and providing access to the crucial Child Care Subsidy (CCS) for families. 

We’ll guide you through every step of setting up your business, and continue supporting you as your family day care flourishes.

How Much Does It Cost to Start a Family Day Care?

Like any new business, there are some initial establishment costs, such as training certifications, police clearances, home modifications, and stocking up on toys and equipment. 

However, with Quest, you don’t need to budget for:

• Registration or licensing fees.
• Activities.
• Professional development.

These are all free for our family day care educators across WA. With our comprehensive start-up kit, exclusive Quest Portal, and regular networking and support sessions, your business will grow with minimal money invested. 

Getting Ready for Your First Enrolments

Now that you’re certified, partnered with Quest, and registered as a family day care business, it’s time to prepare for your first little visitors.

Creating a Safe and Engaging Environment

As well as creating separate spaces for loud play, messy work, and downtime, it’s important to establish good hygiene from day one. That looks like:

• Separate storage for your family’s food and day care food.
• Clean areas to eat, and access to clean water.
• Toilet and handwashing systems.
• Regular cleaning using child-friendly products.
• Clean-up kits, including nappies and other essentials, in strategic places.

Download our free family day care home safety checklist to get started.

Establishing Professional Practices: Policies and Procedures

With Quest, you’ll receive:

• Ready-made policies and procedures, including for parent sign-in.
• Hundreds of activity templates.
• Support to comply with National Quality Standards.
• Easy-to-use documentation systems.

You can find it all in our educator portal, which we’ll walk you through after you register.

We also encourage you to develop record-keeping and reflection methods. Note down any challenges, unexpected successes, or inspiring lessons – you can share these with your peers in our networking sessions.

Attracting Families to Your Family Day Care

Demand is high for trusted family day care educators in Perth. It’s even higher in regional and remote areas. 

Still, we know it can be tricky to build your brand at first. We support you by:

• Helping you get the word out in your community and online.
• Paid social media advertising is provided at no cost for all new educators to help boost occupancy before opening.
• Providing promotional material like brochures and pop-up banners for community events.
• Referring clients through our website and social channels.
• Supplying business cards to hand out in your community.

If your day care doesn’t start with a full cohort of kids, you’ll get there very soon!

Take the First Step with Quest

Whether you’re just exploring how to start a family day care in Perth, or deep in the weeds of registrations and regulations, you don’t need to figure it all out alone. Quest can help you start strong and grow with confidence.

Book your free home readiness check today. No pressure, no obligation – just personalised advice from family day care educators who want to help your business thrive.