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Sell Your Child Care Center

A child care center is a business, a building and a license, and a buyer has to get all three. Atlanta Business Brokers Hub explains how that shapes the sale.

Growing families across the metro keep demand for good centers strong.

Prefer to talk? (404) 555-0139

A teacher sits on a carpet reading a picture book to a small group of preschool children in a bright classroom

What a buyer weighs in a child care center

Enrollment
Children enrolled against licensed capacity, waiting lists, and tuition rates by age group.
Staff
Director and lead teachers, credentials, turnover and whether ratios hold without overtime.
Licensing history
Recent DECAL visits, any citations and how they were fixed.
Funding sources
Private tuition versus subsidies, Georgia Pre-K classrooms and the food program.
The building
Owned or leased, lease length and rent, playground and capacity limits.

The License Stays With You

In Georgia, a center's license is issued to its governing body, the company or person that owns it, and it does not transfer to another owner or location.

Georgia's early care department, DECAL (Bright from the Start), runs a Change of Ownership process for a buyer taking over a center that stays open.

The buyer applies, completes a free online Change of Ownership orientation course, and the two of you sign a notarized buyer and seller affidavit. Until the new permit is issued, you remain responsible for the program. Plan your closing date around that.

Current Rules Apply to the Buyer

A change of ownership means the center must meet today's fire safety, health, zoning, building and child care rules, not the rules in force when you opened. An older building may need work. Find out early so it doesn't surprise the buyer in diligence.

Pre-K and the Food Program Start Over

If you run Georgia Pre-K classrooms, know that the program is generally not transferable. Payments pause during the change, and the new owner is not guaranteed funding. Food program agreements end with the old owner, and the buyer applies again.

Buyers will want to know how much of your revenue depends on these programs, because that part is at risk during the handoff. Show private tuition and program money separately.

Staff Make or Break It

A strong director who stays is often worth more than any piece of equipment. Families stay when teachers stay. Buyers will ask about pay, tenure, credentials and how often you are short staffed. Keep the sale confidential until the transition plan is set.

The Building Question

Many center owners also own the property. Then you have choices: sell both, keep the building and lease it to the buyer, or sell the real estate separately. A long, fair lease helps the business sell.

A below market rent from yourself will be priced at market by any buyer. Our valuation page covers how property is valued apart from the business.

Next Steps With a Buyer

Lenders like centers with steady enrollment, so SBA buyers are common. See selling to an SBA financed buyer, and the Georgia tax and filings guides for the state and county steps at closing.

Curious what your center would bring? Use the valuation form, or call (404) 555-0139 to talk it through.

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