Make Your Martial Arts Or Dance Studio Work Harder By Offering An After-School Program

What do some martial arts schools and dance studios have in common? They offer after-school daycare services to their customers. If you own one of these businesses and have been searching for a way to bring in more money, you should also consider offering this type of service. According to WATE, the need for after-school daycare has increased over the years as more mothers have entered the workforce.

Your business -- as a service that may already cater to school-age children -- could already have the basic foundation of what it needs to open an extended-day program. You just may need to take the following steps to turn your martial arts or dance studio into one that provides childcare services, as well:

• Apply for the appropriate licenses, if applicable. The type of licenses you may need varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and upon the number of hours you will be offering your services. 
• Create an outline of the services you will offer. Most parents expect that their after-school programs -- even ones based in a martial arts or dance studio -- to at least help their children with their homework and to offer extras, such as a snack time. So take the time to put together a detailed schedule that potential after-school clients can study when they come in to inquire about your services. 
• Estimate the number of students you will enroll and then determine if you will need extra staff members. If so, do your due diligence and hire only qualified individuals that can pass appropriate background checks. Few things can ruin a childcare business faster than hiring a staff member with a checkered past.

Offer Transportation

Working parents typically rely on their after-school service to pick up their children from school. So if you don't already own a van or other appropriate vehicle, you will need to purchase one. In addition, you should:

• Have your vehicle wrapped with your business information, including its logo and contact information. Try to be creative and to stand out from the crowd when designing your vehicle's wrap as it will become a moving billboard for your business. If your wrap from a place like Wrap City Graphics is colorful and eye-catching, parents will be more likely to remember your business when they begin searching for an after-school daycare service. 
• Leave your wrapped vehicle in a high-visibility area when not in use. You should never leave your wrapped vehicle behind your business or in a garage when you aren't driving it. Instead park it where your distinctive design and logo can be easily seen by commuters passing by your business. 
• Wrap all of your vehicles at once. In most cases, wrap businesses will charge you less per vehicle if you do multiple wraps at once. 

Advertise Your New Business

To get the word out about your after-school service to potential clients, you need to advertise your new venture. This can be done relatively inexpensively by:

• Printing up flyers and sending them home with the customers you already have. In addition, you should leave stacks of flyers at kid-oriented businesses and at schools.
• Have your kids perform a show at local fairs and festivals. During their performance, distribute flyers to audience members. And don't forget to bring your wrapped vehicle, which you can park strategically in a high-traffic area at the fair or festival. 
• Send out Twitter and Facebook announcements on your websites. You might want to offer discounts to customers who sign up for your program within a certain time period. 

Adding an after-school daycare program to your existing martial arts or dance studio is a relatively easy way to attract new clients and to earn more money from the customers you already have. 

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