Small adult day centre
Run a welcoming daytime centre with meals and activities for older adults or adults with disability.
- A$250k-750k
- Full-time
- Own premises
- Licence or permit needed
Estimates for a small start in Australia, not guarantees.
What it is
A small centre in a leased or owned building where adults who need support spend the day. They share meals, social activities, gentle exercise and outings, with trained staff on hand.
Your first three steps
- Talk to local councils, community health services and aged care or disability providers about local demand and what is missing
- Check which funding programs and registrations apply to you with the relevant federal and state bodies, before you sign a lease
- Shortlist suitable premises and ask the council about approval for use as a day centre, access and fire safety
Who pays
Government-funded aged care or disability programs (check which ones you can access), plus families paying privately. Some clients use plan managers or package providers.
How it makes money
A daily or hourly fee per attendee, paid by a funding program or by the family. Meals, transport and extra activities may be charged separately.
Skills that help
- Patient, warm manner with older or vulnerable people
- Organising staff rosters and activity programs
- Basic paperwork and record keeping
Watch out for
- Registration or approval requirements for government-funded aged care or disability services, which are strict and can take months, so budget to cover running costs while you wait
- Worker screening or police checks for all staff and volunteers, check what your state requires
- Council approval for the building, plus accessibility, fire safety and food safety if you serve meals, as fit-out to meet these can be a major cost
- Public liability and professional indemnity insurance, and workers compensation once you hire
- Duty of care and incident reporting, plan for staffing ratios and first aid training
Deep research report · Australia
Everything you need to start: small adult day centre
Researched with live web search for Australia: real startup prices, the licences and rules, what others charge, a break-even example, how to find your first customers and a 30-day launch plan. With sources.
- Startup costs with real prices
- Licences, registration and rules
- Pricing: what others charge
- Break-even example
- Finding your first customers
- 30-day launch plan
- Risks and how to reduce them
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