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Feedback on Idea

DaycareDivaDaycareDiva subscriber Posts: 1
edited February 2007 in Business Planning
This is my first post. I am so glad I found the site.
As a full time working mom of a preschooler I know how stressful finding great daycare can be. My idea is to design a "Daycare Resource Guide" for my area.  I live in a large city so there are alot of choices. My thought is to sell ads to the daycares and place the free guides in area where parents would be be ie, Dr. offices, clothing stores etc.
Few Questions:
1. Alot of the GOOD daycares have waiting list...why would the list in my guide? my answer--side by side comparisons to other daycares in the area to enable the parents to see what the offer that others may not
2. How often to put out the Guide? This is not something I think needs to be put out every month..I was thinking 1x a quarter.
3. Do any of you have suggestions on where to have the guides printed?? It would be a large number of them.
So..there you go. Thats my thought. What do you think? Ideas, suggestions?
THANKS!
 
 
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Comments

  • ModJulieModJulie subscriber Posts: 1
    CraigL, as usual, has some terrific points.  As the mother of a preschooler myself, I know that I put a lot more faith in reading consumer ratings, than reading ads in a printed guide.  I picked my son`s first preschool based on my initial visit only.  It was not a good experience.  Once I checked with friends and other mothers, I was able to pick a different school that was much better suited to my needs.
    Daycares can make themselves look terrific in ads and personal visits. It`s the parents that are there every day that have the real, detailed information on these operations.  If I saw a site that was updated frequently and had lots of good, user-provided ratings, I would definitely use the site. 
    For people new to the area, they don`t have a network to access for this information, this is why a website with comments and reviews would be such a great resource.
    ModJulie
     
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  • CollegeCoachCollegeCoach subscriber Posts: 8

    This is my first post. I am so glad I found the site.
    As a full time working mom of a preschooler I know how stressful finding great daycare can be. My idea is to design a "Daycare Resource Guide" for my area.  I live in a large city so there are alot of choices. My thought is to sell ads to the daycares and place the free guides in area where parents would be be ie, Dr. offices, clothing stores etc.
    Few Questions:
    1. Alot of the GOOD daycares have waiting list...why would the list in my guide? my answer--side by side comparisons to other daycares in the area to enable the parents to see what the offer that others may not
    2. How often to put out the Guide? This is not something I think needs to be put out every month..I was thinking 1x a quarter.
    3. Do any of you have suggestions on where to have the guides printed?? It would be a large number of them.
    So..there you go. Thats my thought. What do you think? Ideas, suggestions?
    THANKS!
     
     

    I think it is a wonderful idea, but I agree with CraigL about going the online route with this. I have been on some sites that offer somewhat a similiar service, and it appeared that they were able to sell some type of ad`s to some of the centers because they were highlighted by being placed higher on the list and in a different manner than the other centers, and all the centers had a link with information about them.
    As a mother who was looking for a website that offered this when I moved, I would have LOVED if the sites had included a message board that let parents tell the real deal about different centers. Although nothing beats visiting an actual daycare to get the true story, I know if a center was horrible they want to let the word out. And if the daycare is fabulous they can continue to brag to other parents who are only on the waiting list.
    If you continue to go the hardcopy route I think your idea of placing the list in local cloth stores, play centers like Gymboree, doctor`s offices, libraries, grocery stores, etc. is great. However if you go the online route there are more than plenty online mothering websites you might be able to use to direct local area moms. At least when I visited those types of message boards when I was pregnant there were mothers constantly trying to connect that lived in similiar areas so they could discuss the whole day care situation.
    Good luck on your new venture. I think you are onto something good.
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  • DaycareDivaDaycareDiva subscriber Posts: 1
    Thanks to you all..
    You guys have awesome ideas and totally took this into a direction that I had not thought of--but LOVE!
    As a mom...I would have loved to have parents comments about the various centers..
    Question...
    #1. There will be negative post about some of the centers...will there any "liability or slander" exposure to me??
    #2...I am not in a position of need to earn $$ as I have a full time job. But of course  I would want to...would it be ok to sell spots to the top ranked centers?
    Thanks Again!
     
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  • DaycareDivaDaycareDiva subscriber Posts: 1
    I am here.  I hav been taking notes and trying to put a plan down on paper. I think that the rating system should be based on the standard daycare issued, ie: turn over, child to teacher ratios,cost, facilities, activity variety, etc. Then attach a forum that would allow parents to list their positives and recommendations. My real "hang up" is in this area. I believe that the parent feedback is key. But I have to set it up in a way that any stated negatives are TRUE negatives and not just something that mom was upset about.
    I am really excited about this. No doubt--its going to be alot of work. But I believe this is truely something that can help parents make the difficult decision of who will care for their child.
    Thanks Again..
     
     
     
     
     
     DaycareDiva2007-2-11 18:37:44
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  • OhhBoyOhhBoy subscriber Posts: 5
    You may want to include reviews on Pediatic Physicans and other medical specialities.  My wife and I are trying to find an ENT Dr that is good, that is accessable in weeks not months and fits within our health plan.. what a challenge. 
    BTW and slightly off topic, the font for the little 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 filled balls discussed earlier is called harveyball font. 
    What is your thought on how to moneitize the site to cover costs?
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