If your mind is racing with thoughts like, “Who am I to think I can start a preschool?” or “Why would anyone want to go to my preschool?” or even “I don’t have the right degree or experience to start a preschool…”
I want you to know I hear you. Because I thought those exact same thoughts before I started my own preschool. So listen up, I’m about to show you that when you realize that you are enough… nothing can stop you!
In this episode, I want to break down some common myths about starting a preschool. Guess what? You don’t need a license, a degree, or experience. I know because I didn’t have any of that when I started.
So, what do you need? Keep reading…
First Things First: Don’t Believe the Naysayers
The goal of my training is to help you identify the strengths, talents, and skills that you already have. Then, we can package them up into an amazing niche preschool that everyone will want to rave about.
But, before we do that, you have to know there will be some people who say you can’t or shouldn’t start your own preschool. Maybe you are one of those people, standing in your own way.
This is why it’s so important to me to share my experience. I started a preschool without a license, without a degree, without any experience. I did that despite what everyone said… Because I had to.
Then I went on to teach thousands of women to do the same. In the process, we lifted up communities and made many parents and kids happy.
Just because someone has a degree or experience doesn’t mean they should be in the classroom. And I think we all know a teacher or several who should have retired a long time ago!
So, please, please, understand this: You, right now, you are enough. You can do this and I will help you.
So, What Do I Actually Need to Have to Start a Preschool?
Glad you asked. I truly believe that any woman, regardless of her background, degree, or education experience, can start a preschool, but… Only if she does these four things. Are you ready for it?
- Love Children: There are no two ways around it. To do this job, you need to love children and you need to be invested in their growth and development.
- Commit to Learning: You don’t need a degree, but you do need to learn, both online and through your classroom experience. You also need to learn and implement NAEYC’s developmentally appropriate practices. That’s the gold standard. That’s what you need to rise up to and hope to achieve in your preschool classrooms.
- Follow My Training: I’ve been there and I’ve done that. Learn from my mistakes and follow my training on how to create a successful preschool, step-by-step.
- Don’t Give Up: Whatever it is you’re trying to do, success comes to those who persevere. We can all agree on that.
What I’m asking you to do is block the naysayers and focus on what we’re doing here.
So while everyone else is out there arguing about degrees and experience, we are here changing lives, blessing communities, and teaching from our heart.
We know we are the underdogs. We know we have a lot to learn. That’s what makes us so great. We fight for our place at this table, we commit to providing the best quality that we can possibly offer, and we refuse to give up. That’s what makes us Preschool All Stars.
Don’t Believe These For a Second… The 6 Preschool Myths
It’s much easier to follow your path when you separate the truth from fiction. I’ve personally had a chance to prove these six false beliefs wrong, and I want you to benefit from that experience. Here we go…
Myth #1: You need a license, a degree, or experience to start a preschool.
I’ve said this already, but I also want to prove it to you. So, first of all, you absolutely don’t need a license to start an online preschool. There are no regulations governing this space.
When it comes to a local preschool, there is a certain number of students that you can teach at one time without requiring to be licensed. For instance, in Idaho, I can teach up to six students at one time, without being licensed. That means I can have four different classes of six students each. That’s 24 students and that’s a lot of tuition without needing to be licensed.
That means you can get started without a license, online or locally. Start with the number of students that you can, until you reach that certain limit before needing a license.
Then, if you want to get licensed, why not? That’s a great idea. But you don’t need a license to get started.
If you do decide to get a license…
It’s very easy. You get licensed as a daycare, but you operate as a preschool. There is no preschool license. And what’s awesome is most states don’t even require a certain degree or experience.
So, when you get your daycare license, you simply choose to only enroll children ages three to five and only be open for a couple of hours a day. No one can stop you from doing that.
As far as degree and experience go, most of our Preschool All Stars don’t have an early childhood education degree. And most of them have zero teaching experience. You can learn everything online and you can learn through experience in your classroom as well.
Myth #2: You need business experience to run a successful business.
You know why McDonald’s is so successful? They have a standard operating manual that each location follows step by step.
It’s the same story with our Preschool all Stars. Everything that needs to be done has already been done by me and thousands of other preschool owners. We’ve documented all the little nuances. What you need to do is follow the process from A to Z and enjoy your success.
Myth #3: Parents won’t sign up for your preschool.
The truth is, parents will sign up for your preschool when you give them amazing value. That can be your niche, i.e. your unique selling point.
Maybe you offer a Spanish or a farm-based curriculum. Maybe you do Montessori or even cooking, dance, or music classes.
What can you add to your preschool day that parents are just going to rave about you? That’s the question you need to ask and the one I can help you answer.
Myth #4: You need to know how to manage a classroom of children.
Every preschool teacher, no matter how many years of experience they have, they all had to go through their first day. You’re going to have the first day too. And every day, you’re going to get a little bit better.
You know what the best part is? You can have all those teacher tools and tips, but it all comes down to your relationship with your students. If you bring love, care, and understanding to your classroom, you’re already succeeded.
Myth #5: You need to be pretty techie to get started.
Not sure how to set up a Zoom conference call for your online preschool? You really don’t need to figure that out by yourself. We chopped everything down into small, manageable steps that you can follow. One thing at a time.
Myth #6: You can’t charge premium tuition without years of experience.
This goes back to previous points. You don’t need a degree or experience if you offer more value than other preschools.
What you offer is a community, a family feel, unique experiences that no one else can offer. There are a bunch of ways to do this, from organizing free events, offering special classes, organizing celebrations and get-togethers.
Your preschool is a reflection of your strengths and talents, and you’d be pretty surprised by all the experience and knowledge you already have!
Additional Resources:
- Check out our $50K+ preschool giveaway here
- Get my FREE book Start Your Preschool (+ $7.95 s&h)
- To start Joy’s “7 Students in 7 Days” Challenge and to download today’s show notes, please go to joyanderson.com
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