The number of daycare centers around give parents more of a difficult time deciding which daycare is right for their child. Some look for creative daycare centers. As competition for good schools grow, a daycare, once only a simple place, can become a mini-preschool for children. Others look for quality toys or caring care givers. It can become confusing. What standards should you look for as a parent? What standards should you strive for as the daycare owner?

Here are the four important traits of a successful daycare center:

1) Licensed and accredited - This comes first because licensed and accredited daycare centers, home-based or commercial, follow rules and regulation that not only ensure that the child is receiving adequate care, but is in a safe, clean and healthy environment. They have the necessary insurance not only for their business but for the child's welfare as well. Licensed daycares are inspected and certified to care for children and employ people who are knowledgeable about child care. They have qualified people working in the day care center. They have safe toys, fire escapes and first aid kits around. They conduct employee background checks. These daycare centers won't scam you or neglect your child. They are here because they want to be.

2) Child-centered -A successful daycare puts the child's needs ahead. This means that the daycare makes sure that the child is safe, healthy and stimulated. They have the right kinds of toys, good educational materials and attentive employees. A successful daycare is stress free because they cultivate good relationships with the children. They look out and teach the children to grow. If you look at a successful daycare brochure, there are many activities and things for a kid to do! They know that happy children make a great daycare-and take the necessary steps to provide this.

3) A friendly, committed staff - A successful daycare knows that its staff can make or break it. Polite and friendly staff draw potential customers in. Good daycare centers have knowledgeable staff who know how to handle both the parent and the child. Employees are able to answer questions as well as handle any type of situation that the day to day running of a day care center may call for. They love to work with children and enjoy spending time in the daycare center-as opposed to clocking out at a certain time. They answer to a competent manager or owner who knows his or her business in and out.

4) Growth - The final trait of a successful daycare center is measurable growth. This not necessarily mean that they can be found in all fifty states, but a good daycare center is willing to adapt to using new techniques, toys or methods but has values and missions that they will not compromise. A good daycare center is constantly challenging itself to be more creative, more child-centered or quite simply, more. A successful daycare center has consistent clientele. This can mean that they have regulars. Being on a waiting list does not a daycare make. A waiting list can simply mean that they have too many children already. A good daycare center knows when to expand and how to do it.

If your business strives to assume these four traits, soon you'll have a list of regular clients who love your daycare and will continue to bring their children there as long as possible. Parents will not have a difficult time deciding that your daycare is right for them because you have everything that they are looking for.

See: How to start a daycare business