Home-Based licensed preschool group

Local parents who want a small, homelike setting for children aged about 2.5 to 5, sometimes with fees reduced by provincial childcare funding.

Monthly or daily fees per child. With only a few spaces, income is limited by your licensed capacity, and fee caps in funded programmes may apply.

• Patience and warmth with young children
• Early childhood education or childcare training
• Planning daily routines and activities
• Organised record keeping

• Licensing rules, child limits and qualifications differ by province, and Quebec has its own rules and French-language requirements
• Home inspections for fire safety, health and child safety may mean changes to your home
• Commercial general liability insurance, and check that your home insurer allows the business
• Police and vulnerable sector checks for you and other adults in the household
• Long days and little time off: plan backup care for illness and holidays

Estimates for this idea are typically around $2,000 to $10,000 to start, depending on any changes your home needs for inspections, plus equipment and supplies. Inspections for fire safety, health and child safety may require changes.

Estimates suggest monthly revenue of typically around $3,000 to $9,000, depending on how many children you can license for and any provincial childcare funding. That is revenue, not profit. Plan backup care for illness and holidays.

Check your province's licensing rules, child limits and qualifications, including whether a home can be a licensed preschool. Also check Quebec's rules, home inspections, whether your home insurer allows the business, and police checks for adults in the household.