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Choosing a name for your child care center may be fun, but it may be more difficult than you think. You can go for a cute, informative or character name, but you'll ideally choose one that is easy to remember and that tells prospective parents something about the services you offer.
Whimsical
Cute names are so appealing. A bit of whimsy in your business name will give you an image of running a fun and enjoyable child care service. Butterfly Wings, Clouds of Heaven, Flying Unicorns, Darling Dragonflies and Precious Angels are just a few possible choices.
Academic
If you provide a structured learning component within your day’s schedule, it may be appropriate to focus on education. Learning academy, educational center or school are words and phrases to include in your business name. You may also choose to refer to the alphabet, nursery rhymes or storybook characters.
Personalization
Personalizing your center with your own name is a great way to brand yourself in your area. As parents refer your services to one another, it is easier for them to pass along your name and phone number than the name of a center, which seems so much more generic to a mom or dad. Most business owners who use their own name decide to go with their first name, which is generally more memorable and easier to pronounce. In the South, it is very common to use the first name of the owner with the prefix “Miss” regardless of marital status. So, you will find names such as Miss Nancy’s Neighborhood, Miss Tonya’s Family Care or Miss Dawn’s Day Care.
Character
Using a character name for your center is appealing to children. Consider using angels, ducks, doves, bunnies, princesses, kittens, puppies, frogs, fairies, friendly dragons or farm animals. Take a look at baby clothes and toddler items for additional ideas. When choosing your name, however, be aware of the dangers of copyright and trademark infringement.
Trademark Considerations
The main purpose of trademark protection is to prevent competitors from infringing and/or benefiting from the use of a similar logo or symbol. When choosing your center name, avoid the use of any character, symbol or word choice that may be subject to copyright or trademark protection. Do not use cartoon characters, television characters or children’s movie or toy characters.
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Writer Bio
Kathryn Christ is a business consultant and copywriter in Jacksonville, Fla. Christ has been a writer for 20 years with work appearing in publications such as SMPS' "Marketer," the "Business Journal of Jacksonville," the "Florida Times-Union" and numerous corporate magazines. She holds a bachelor's degree in English from Siena College.