Daycare and Preschool Moving by Age Room

Most centers close on a Friday afternoon so no child is in the building while carts roll. We load that evening or the next morning and deliver to the new site the same weekend, room by room in the order the director gives us, infant room first if it needs the most setup.

Tell parents the reopening date early, with the inspection on the calendar before you announce it. At the new building, check with the landlord about truck parking and whether a certificate naming them is needed before we arrive. Playground equipment usually stays or is installed by a playground vendor; we move only loose outdoor toys and bins. If the move falls in August or September, when storms are most likely, hold a second weekend so a closure doesn’t push the reopening past the date families were given.

Staff pack everything that belongs to a child or a family: cubby contents, spare clothes, bottles, medications, allergy lists, and enrollment files. We move sealed, labeled boxes and furniture only. Bedding goes in bags labeled by room, kept out of the gaps between cot frames, and the cot stacks are strapped so they can’t slide on the truck.

Cribs get the most care. We pad rails and corners, keep each crib’s hardware with it, and rebuild to the manufacturer’s sheet when it had to come apart. Your staff check every crib before a child uses it. At the new site we place furniture clear of exits and away from anywhere the inspector will need to walk, then the director walks each age room with us, checks the sightlines teachers rely on, and marks anything to shift.