This is a print-friendly version of www.whitehutchinson.com/children/feasibility.shtml

White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group, Kansas City, MO, USA

Feasibility Studies for Child Care Centers

Many factors need to be carefully assessed to determine the feasibility for development of a child care center or expansion of an existing one. A number of key factors include:

1. The geographic market area that the center will serve. Factors that influence its size include drive times, patterns of travel to work, competition, psychological barriers, and nodes of employment.
2. The demographic and socio-economic composition and number of children of market area resident and worker families.
3. Competition.
4. Market rates for child care in the area.
5. Available assistance for families.
6. The target market's family socio-economics.
7. Market demand for child care by age and socio-economics.
8. The quality of care to be offered.
9. The cost of development.
10. Operational costs.

The White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group has extensive experience in conducting market and economic feasibility studies, including for child care facilities. Our child care feasibility studies combine the expertise of Randy White, or CEO, with over 25 years experience in conducting market and economic feasibility studies, with Vicki Stoecklin, our Education & Child Development Director, who has over 25 years hands-on experience in early childhood education, administration and development.

Our recent child care feasibility experience includes:

Pikes Peak Community College, Centennial Campus Child Development Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.

The Centennial Campus currently operates a campus laboratory, child development center for 53 children. Since the center does not currently meet the demand from students and college staff and faculty, the college foundation retained White Hutchinson to:

• project current and future demand for child care from students, staff and faculty
• evaluate the existing center,
• recommend a development program, including quality of care standards,
• examine development options,
• project development costs, and
• examine the cost of care and needed subsidies to make it affordable.

Pikes Peak Community College, Rampart Range Campus, Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.

This new college campus opened in 1998 and does not currently have on-site child care. The college foundation retained White Hutchinson to conduct a feasibility study for a new child development center to serve college students, staff and faculty, as well as area resident and worker families. The study:

• projected current and future demand from students, staff and faculty.
• projected current and future demand from area resident and worker families,
• examined the market rate for quality child care,
• recommended a development program, including quality of care standards,
• recommended a site for the new center,
• projected development costs, and
• examined the cost of care and needed subsidies to make the center affordable for students.

Center for Children's Services, Danville, Illinois, U.S.

The Center for Children's Services in Danville, Illinois retained the White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group to prepare a market feasibility study for development of a high quality, child care expansion of their existing program. CCS currently offers child care for 85 children and an after-school program. The market study determined that the market area did not have sufficient unmet demand to support development of a market-rate child care center.

Doha, Qatar

Prepared schematic building and discovery play garden design, development cost estimate and operating revenue and cost budgets for a model child care facility in this Arabian Gulf country. Extensive cultural research was conducted with parents, children and the educational community.

Christ the King Catholic Church, Jacksonville, Florida

We completed a feasibility study for the possible expansion of an existing child care program sponsored by the Catholic Church.  The study included evaluating the existing child care building, visiting other childcare facilities in the community and recommending an expansion program for the new building.

Kansas State University, K-State Child Development Center, Manhattan, Kansas

Completed a child care feasibility study for the possible expansion of the child development center at K-State. The study recommended slots for expansion and group sizes based upon the needs of students, staff, community and the military base. 

© 1999 - 2026, White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group, Inc.
The contents of this website and eNewsletters are protected by USA and international copyright law. Permission is granted to download and print single copites of any of the contents or articles for personal use. No other copies may be made. Educational institutions may obtain permission to make multiple copies for classroom use by e-mailing us with details. The contents of articles may be quoted provided credit is given to the "(author's name), White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group, Kansas City, MO, USA". All other rights for use or reproduction of the contents and articles are reserved.