Childcare Opening Cash Estimator

Know what opening your childcare center could actually cost before you sign.

Start Here

What are you opening?

This estimator is built for a licensed child care center in a commercial building.

Home Daycare Route

This calculator is built for commercial centers.

If you are opening or growing a home daycare, Shay's book is the better starting point.

Answer six questions and get a personalized opening cash estimate, your potential funding gap, and the money risk you should look at first.

6 questions Personalized estimate Commercial childcare centers

Planning estimate only. No credit card required.

Shay Davis · Founder of Anything4Childcare · Owner of Wellborn Learning Center

Your opening cash numberSee a planning estimate based on your building, capacity, rent, and operating runway.

Your funding gapCompare the estimate with the money you already have set aside.

Your biggest money riskSee the area most likely to put pressure on your opening plan.

Why Shay Built This

$130,057

Shay originally budgeted $100,000 to open her center and ultimately spent $130,057.

Real Experience Behind The Numbers

Opening costs are more than the buildout.

Rent before opening, staffing, licensing delays, utilities, equipment, and the first few months after launch all affect how much cash you actually need.

Shay built this estimator around the questions aspiring childcare owners should be asking before committing to a commercial space.

What Your Estimate Covers

Get a clearer picture before you commit to a building.

Your estimate combines the major pieces that can affect how much cash you need before your center begins paying for itself.

01Estimated buildout based on building type and planned capacity.

02Pre-opening costs such as rent, director payroll, utilities, and operating expenses.

03A cushion for the first few months after opening.

Your Personalized Snapshot

Your number, gap, and top money risk.

The estimator above gives you a planning snapshot based on the answers you provide.

Return To Estimator

Real Feedback

What people say about working with Shay.

The roadmap gave me clarity and helped me research the right things without feeling like I was missing something.

Childcare owner

Shay's knowledge and experience stood out. I left the conversation with a lot to think about and apply.

Sentrell Cunningham

She put me in different rooms, gave me game, pushed me, coached me, and always gave me the real whether I liked it or not. She poured into me and my kids, and I tell her almost every week, “Thank you.”

Childcare entrepreneur

Before You Sign

Know the number first.

Six questions can give you a clearer picture of the cash your childcare center may need before opening day.

Calculate My Opening Cash