Expert: Rich Mihalic - 1/14/2008

Question
Hi
I would like to know if there is any federal grants available for black female to open a child daycare center and if so what do i need to do to get started. Thanks Bev

Answer
Hi, Bev: Thanks for the question.  The first thing you need to do is to "justify the need" for a child daycare center in your area.  In other words, what is the demand for the center and can you get various companies and/or businesses to support your center. I would suggest getting a business plan done.  You can contact the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office nearest to you for assistance with this.  You can also contact a Small Business Development Center (SBDC).  These are generally located in a college or university and their job is to assist folks with developing their business plans.  Once you have support for your center and a plan in hand, SBA may be able to guide you to any available grants.  Your local Chamber of Commerce may also know of the need for such a center and might be helpful in garnering monetary support from chamber members for your project.  You might also want to contact both your state and federal representative's district offices to see if they know of and can be of assitance with finding any grant monies at the state and federal levels.  Best of Luck!

RM