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zosim 10:08 AM 01-29-2008
Hi All,

I'm happy I encountered this forum. Thanks to all for the great info. I am planning on starting a daycare as well (in South NJ). Almost all of the resources I've looked at pretty much say the same thing... read the licensing requirements of the state first. But what seems to be missing for me is the fact that like in NJ, the first thing the licensing agency requires you to do is to find a location and then get a certificate of occupancy from that location.

How do you do that? If you need to find a location first, does that mean I need to:

1. Find a location
2. Have it inspected if it is feasible to be a daycare center
3. Talk to the municipal zoning board to see if it's zoned for childcare. if not, try to meet the requirements to get the zoning class you need.
4. To get the zone class changed, you'd need to hire an architect to design a plan for your daycare. The plan should meet all state regulation requirements.
5. Once you have an architectural plan, do you submit that first to the licensing board to get it approved, or do you go to the municipal board to get it approved?
6. While all of these are happening, will the landlord be patient enough to let you do all of this? I'm assuming there will be a clause in the lease contract that committing to the lease is dependent on whether a license will be issued by the state.

These are what I've understood as what needs to be done to even get to a point of getting the state to look into your request to get a license. Am I missing anything or have made some incorrect assumptions?

I hope those who have successfully opened a commercial daycare center can provide some insights.

Thanks!
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