So, you have leaped and decided to start your daycare center. Where do you go from here? What is the first step you take towards building a prosperous and fulfilling business? One of the most important aspects of your daycare center is a good name.

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A good business name should catch the attention of potential customers and clearly explain your business. Twelve helpful business secrets for naming your daycare are brainstorming, choosing an easy-to-spell name, avoiding names that are already taken, choosing a meaningful name, conducting a Secretary of State search, choosing a catchy name, seeking valued opinions, picking a name that makes people feel good, finding a name that is future-proof, understanding the importance of your name, keeping your name simple, and relying on research.

1) Brainstorming Productively

What is the first thing you do when you need to come up with a great idea? You have a brainstorming session, of course. Some of the best ideas born into creation have been the result of productive and extensive brainstorming sessions. CrowdSpring advises that you set aside some time for a serious brainstorming session once you have decided what you want your daycare’s name to convey.

The website O’Reilly stresses the importance of brainstorming. One of these benefits is that brainstorming creates a better climate of cooperation and teamwork. Whether choosing the name for your daycare is your initial step or your last, you have hired your staff or you have a few people in mind to fill these positions. Including them in the naming process can inspire a sense of camaraderie amongst your staff.

2) Choosing an Easy-To-Spell Name

Forbes suggests avoiding names that are hard to spell. As obvious as this may sound, a name that is easy to spell is also easy to remember. With memories proven to be pretty unreliable, this is key to giving your daycare a great name that is also easy to spell.

Think about the number of parents you would have referring other people’s children to your daycare center. You wouldn’t want to make this any harder than necessary by having a name with spelling that is complicated or confusing. Choosing a name that is short, simple, and easy to spell can be your secret to enrolling in a center full of children.

In his case study on naming a business, Ryan Knoll stresses the importance of simplicity when naming your business. He states that a good business name should have four features. Amongst those four features upon which he places so much emphasis is that the name of your business should be easy to spell. This should be a top priority when choosing a name for your daycare.

3) Avoiding Names That Are Already Taken

You take pride in the fact that your daycare is unique and original. Its name should reflect that as well. Looka says that an original name for your business is the most effective way to make it stand out from the crowd. Let’s face it. It’s a big world. There are bound to be a few businesses with the same name. An easy way to make sure that the name of your daycare is not already taken (at least, in your area) is by keeping it original through catchy wordplay, per Looka.

According to Forbes, a simple but thorough internet search will help you to avoid the common mistake of choosing a name that is already taken. You do not want to choose a name that has already been trademarked. This can result in legal complications that can be both embarrassing and troublesome for your daycare. A quick search on USPTO will help you in avoiding this mistake.

4) Choosing a Meaningful Name

Have you ever heard of the national daycare chain Childcare Network? How about KinderCare? If you are a part of the ever-growing daycare industry, you probably have. The fact that they are so popular has a lot to do with their names. Per Forbes, you should choose a name that is relative to your business. It should also be positive and meaningful.

The website ampproject.org suggests choosing a name that conveys the values and the ideals of your daycare. For example, if your daycare is an expression of your Christian values, it should be reflected in its name. Precious Angels would be a perfect name in this scenario because it shows how you view the children while maintaining a Christian tone. If your daycare emphasizes early education, you should incorporate that into your daycare’s name as well.

5) Conducting a Secretary of State Search

For legal purposes, you will more than likely want your daycare to be an LLC or a corporation. This can protect you and your daycare from any legal issues which might come up. You may be asking yourself, “What defines an LLC or a corporation?” I’m glad you asked!

Wikipedia defines an LLC as a Limited Liability Company. This is a sole-proprietorship or a partnership with the limited liability of a corporation. A corporation is defined as a group of people who are legally authorized to act as one person.

Searching Secretary of State records can assure that you do not choose a name for your daycare that is confusingly similar to other centers’ names, per Forbes. Failure to take this one simple step can result in legal action against you and your daycare.

6) Choosing a Catchy Name

Along with being meaningful, your daycare center should have a name that is also catchy. There is a fine line to walk between choosing a name that is not boring and choosing one that is considered to be too far “out there.” As suggested by Forbes, your employees should be able to say where they work both proudly and without hesitation. The name of your daycare should also resonate with your intended audience. A few names I found to be particularly cute and catchy are Little Duckling Daycare and Teddy Bear Baby Care. Unfortunately, these daycare names are already taken.

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7) Seeking Valued Opinions

When choosing the name for your new daycare, you may want to seek the opinion of others. Forbes recommends coming up with a list of approximately 5 to 10 names and then seeking the feedback of colleagues, friends, family members, and other business owners. Try to have a broad selection of people from all walks of life whose opinion you trust.

8) Picking Names That Makes People Feel Good

Most people will naturally gravitate towards daycares with names that give them a good feeling. NameRobot says that when it comes to the names of products or businesses, the topic of emotion is unavoidable. This is why it’s especially important to choose a name that makes people feel “cool, smart, fun, or kind,” per the website Grasshopper.

Invoking positive reactions from people is perhaps the most important factor in naming your business, per NameRobot. This can make parents comfortable with their decision to leave their child in your care, who might otherwise be on the fence about such a major decision. My son attended a daycare in Alabama called TLC, which stood for Tender Loving Care. I found that their name made me feel safe leaving my son with them, and they treated my child as if he was one of their own.

9) Finding a Future-Proof Name

There is an adage that fads come and go. This is especially true in business. Looka says that when choosing a name for your business, you should always choose one that is future-proof. Though there may initially be the temptation to succumb to the latest fad when naming your daycare. Try to resist. You want your daycare to stand the test of time. Its name should do the same. Just imagine if your center had followed the trend back in the 1980s of putting the abbreviation “Inc” on the back of everything. You could own a daycare center named Babysitters, Inc. Now that sounds incredibly dated!

10) Understanding the Importance of Your Name

Believe It or not, the name of your daycare will have a direct impact on whether or not potential customers consider you for their child care needs. Per SwuadHelp you must understand how the role of importance (ROI) your daycare’s name directly affects your bottom line. For example, you would not want to send your child to a daycare whose name is misspelled, even if it is intentional. One example of this would be a daycare named KidzBizz, or something to that effect.

AmpProject says that having a good name that stresses the value and purpose of your business is an invaluable asset. A study featured in Psychology Today revealed that the average person makes approximately 35,000 decisions per day. This amounts to roughly 2,000 decisions per hour, or one decision every two seconds. Simply put, this means that not much time is given to making decisions. Do you want to take that chance when it comes to your daycare?

11) Keeping Your Name Simple

Naming your daycare something that is overly complicated or even descriptive, can be detrimental to business according to AmpProject. You should instead focus on having your name target the specific need it meets. As a daycare owner, the name of your business should reflect that you provide care for children. Little People was the name of a daycare my oldest daughter attended in Louisiana when she was younger. Their name is a perfect example of how you can keep your daycares name simple, and still effective.

One of Ryan Knoll’s four key aspects to choosing a great business name is that the name should help the consumer comprehend what the business is all about. You should keep your daycare’s name simple. A recent study on short-term memory revealed that the average human brain is only capable of remembering approximately 7 to 10 items at a time. The simplicity reflected in your daycares name can have a direct effect on how memorable that name is.

12) Relying on Research

Nothing beats good old-fashioned research using real data when it comes to naming a business, says Grasshopper. This can be done through the use of an A/B test. A complete explanation of what an A/B test is can be found on Wikipedia. Will Mitchell of Startup Bros has developed an A/B test you can take when choosing a name for your daycare center.

Insights Association offers their perspectives on the importance of research. They state that “by employing research that is fact-based… companies can determine which names differentiate their products while elevating consumers’ perceptions of their product and corporate brand.” Do your due diligence when it comes to naming your daycare. Use all of the resources available to you when researching business names. It matters more than you think.

Finding the perfect name for your daycare center should be one step on the rewarding path to business ownership. It should not be intimidating or daunting. By following these suggestions I have provided, you will find the name that perfectly conveys your vision and purpose. Now that you are equipped with a great name for your daycare, it’s time to start filling it up with smiling faces!

How To Choose A Name For Your Daycare Business (12 Business Secrets)