Digital Products for Your Childcare Business
Digital products let you earn revenue beyond your hourly childcare rates and reach customers far beyond your local service area. As a childcare provider, you have specialized knowledge about child development, classroom management, parent communication, and daily operations that other providers desperately need. Selling templates, guides, and resources requires minimal additional time once created and can generate passive income while you continue operating your business.
Classroom Activity Bundle
What it is: A collection of ready-to-use activities organized by age group (infants, toddlers, preschool) that includes printable instructions, supply lists, developmental benefits, and variations for different skill levels.
Who buys it: New childcare providers, home daycare operators, parents running informal care groups, and preschool teachers looking to expand their activity rotation.
How to create it: Document five to ten activities you already run successfully in your program. Write clear step-by-step instructions, create simple graphics or take photos of materials needed, and explain what developmental skills each activity targets. Compile everything into a PDF or Google Doc organized by age group and theme.
Where to sell it: Sell through Gumroad, Etsy (digital download category), or your own website using a platform like Shopify or WordPress with WooCommerce.
Realistic income: $15 to $45 per product; expect 10 to 40 sales per month if marketed consistently, generating $150 to $1,800 monthly.
Parent Communication Template Pack
What it is: Editable templates for daily reports, incident forms, progress updates, enrollment contracts, fee agreements, and parent newsletters tailored to childcare compliance and relationship building.
Who buys it: Childcare center directors, home daycare owners, and family childcare providers who want professional communication tools without hiring a consultant.
How to create it: Use your existing forms as a starting point and expand with templates you wish you’d had when starting out. Create them in Word, Google Docs, or Canva so buyers can easily customize colors, text, and branding. Include a brief guide on when and how to use each template effectively.
Where to sell it: Gumroad works well for this because it’s template-focused and buyers expect easy customization. You can also offer it on Etsy or bundle it with other products on your own site.
Realistic income: $20 to $50 per bundle; anticipate 8 to 25 sales monthly, generating $160 to $1,250 per month.
Behavior Management System Course
What it is: A short online course (3 to 5 modules) teaching your specific approach to handling tantrums, sharing disputes, transitions, and challenging behaviors without shame-based tactics or excessive screen time.
Who buys it: Other childcare providers, parents of young children, early childhood education students, and nannies seeking practical behavior strategies.
How to create it: Record yourself explaining your methods using screen recordings, simple video on your phone, or just audio. Organize content into modules, add a workbook with reflection questions, and include real examples from your experience (anonymized). Host it on Teachable, Kajabi, or Podia, which handle video delivery and student access.
Where to sell it: Your own course platform is ideal because you keep more revenue and build an email list. You can also sell on Udemy or Skillshare, though they take a larger cut.
Realistic income: $29 to $97 per course; courses typically sell 15 to 60 copies per month depending on marketing, generating $435 to $5,820 monthly.
Health and Safety Compliance Checklist
What it is: A comprehensive audit checklist covering state licensing requirements, health screenings, emergency procedures, sanitation protocols, and daily safety inspections specific to childcare settings.
Who buys it: New program owners preparing for licensing, existing providers wanting to strengthen compliance, and consultants helping childcare facilities improve operations.
How to create it: Review your state’s licensing requirements and create a detailed checklist organized by compliance area. Add explanations for why each item matters and quick reference guides. Make it in a Google Sheet, Excel file, or PDF that buyers can print or customize annually.
Where to sell it: Sell on Etsy, Gumroad, or your website. This product has strong seasonal demand before licensing renewals.
Realistic income: $12 to $35 per checklist; expect 5 to 20 sales per month depending on season, generating $60 to $700 monthly.
Curriculum Planning Templates and Scope and Sequence
What it is: Monthly or quarterly curriculum plans, learning objective templates, thematic unit outlines, and scope-and-sequence documents organized by age group and developmental domain.
Who buys it: Preschool teachers, childcare center staff needing curriculum documentation for accreditation, home daycare owners wanting structured planning, and parents homeschooling multiple children.
How to create it: Document your current curriculum planning process. Design templates that show how you organize learning around themes, developmental domains, or standards. Include blank versions buyers can fill in for their own settings. Create examples showing what a completed plan looks like.
Where to sell it: Etsy and Teachers Pay Teachers reach educators actively searching for planning resources. Gumroad also works well for this audience.
Realistic income: $18 to $48 per product; expect 12 to 35 sales monthly, generating $216 to $1,680 per month.
Transition and Routine Cards
What it is: Printable visual cards showing daily routines, transitions, cleanup sequences, handwashing steps, and behavior expectations using simple illustrations and minimal text for non-readers.
Who buys it: Childcare providers, preschool teachers, parents of children with autism or speech delays, and multilingual early learning programs.
How to create it: Sketch or use free illustration tools to create simple, clear visuals for each routine step. Pair images with one or two-word labels. Organize into sets (morning routine, bathroom routine, mealtime) and provide both color and black-and-white versions for easy printing and lamination.
Where to sell it: Etsy is ideal for visual products. You can also sell on Teachers Pay Teachers or your own Shopify store.
Realistic income: $6 to $18 per download; expect 20 to 60 sales monthly, generating $120 to $1,080 per month.
Startup Operations Manual
What it is: A detailed guide covering how to start a home daycare or small childcare center, including licensing steps, budgeting, space setup, business registration, and first-year operations.
Who buys it: People considering a childcare business, recent graduates of early childhood education programs, and career changers entering the field.
How to create it: Write a detailed account of how you started your business, including mistakes you made and lessons learned. Cover each major area (legal setup, finances, space design, marketing, hiring if applicable). Organize chronologically or by topic and include worksheets for readers to complete as they build their own business.
Where to sell it: Your own website is best because you can email buyers follow-up resources. Also sell on Gumroad or create a mini-course on Teachable.
Realistic income: $37 to $67 per guide; expect 5 to 15 sales monthly, generating $185 to $1,005 monthly.
Getting Started With Digital Products
- Start with transition and routine cards because they require minimal writing, leverage visual skills, and have broad appeal across all childcare settings and parent types.
- Create 3 to 5 card sets covering your most-used routines and test them on a small audience first to refine design and wording before selling.
- Set up a free Etsy shop or Gumroad account and list your first product with clear preview images so buyers know exactly what they’re purchasing.
- Gather feedback from early buyers and use it to improve your product and guide creation of your next digital offering.
- Create your second product based on what you learned—parent communication templates are quick to compile and fill an obvious market need.
- Build an email list by offering a free sample product or template in exchange for email addresses; use this list to notify customers of new products and updates.
Pricing Your Digital Products
Childcare professionals often undervalue their expertise because they’re used to trading time for money. Price digital products based on the value they provide and the time someone would save by not creating the materials themselves, not based on how quickly you made them. A parent communication template pack that saves another provider five hours of writing is worth $25 to $40, regardless of whether you created it in one afternoon.
Test pricing by starting slightly lower than you think is fair, then raise prices after your first 10 to 15 sales to establish credibility. Bundle related products at a slight discount to increase average order value. Childcare buyers are price-conscious (operating on thin margins), so avoid premium pricing; focus on volume and creating multiple products rather than charging $100 per item.