N.B.
Rules on licensing, who must be licensed, ratios, etc, etc...are different in every single state. Sounds like you are going the legal, licensed route for your state! Good for you!
I am in MN, so those things are different, and we are the only state where it is illegal for us to call around about pricing (its considered price fixing due to a legal case here 20 some years ago), but we have a good Resource and Referral for the state..county breakdowns...of pricing averages as we are all asked to do a yearly "rate survey" and they compile the info. But gals who live a few blocks from me charge differently than I do!
Does your area commonly do Food Programs? Mine has all online programming. We track daily and submit monthly then get direct deposits from them (sort of like the school lunch program...$$ reimbursement to help us pay for healthy foods..and we have standards and meal components we must serve..get visits from reps who monitor us a few times a year. We also get 2 hours of free training from them each year. The online program also has a great accounting program, some forms that are nice and other materials! Its called Minute Menu Kids)
Have a good and very thorough policy book and contract. Cover late fees, your paid time off, who is responsible for back up care (parent or provider), be specific with illness policies, a bereavement policy/days off for yourself (rarely used but if you need it you will wish you had it in there). Decide who is providing what...bottles, nuks, baby food and formula (Food Program dictates some of this for me).
Be prepared for interviews. I did an inexpensive logo thru Vistaprint (like $20) and now use that for Craigslist ads, the cover of my policy book, on business cards and address labels (I also got from Vistaprint). When I do interviews I have colored file folders to send home with parents, with a sticker with my logo on the front , policy book inside along with a few business cards.
I also set up a Shutterfly webpage that people can find on the net (for advertising). All my own daycare photos, but no children's faces...I feel strongly about that for that avenue online. I now also have the logo used for a Facebook page I use to interface with families and other daycare provider friends (since I don't "friend" my clients). I can PM the link if you have any interest in seeing it.
See if your local area has associations. We have statewide ones, county ones and then smaller more local "neighborhood" ones. I, along with a few other gals, started one in our area when another similar one went belly up. We felt the need for it was great...they provide an avenue for networking, mentoring, monthly training and for us, a referral service (thats my job on the Executive board...I am the Referral Coordinator). We go monthly (for 8 mos of the year) to a training/meeting..get training hours, chat with providers who know JUST what is like to do our job...maybe vent a little and definitely get other ideas...its a great resource!
I am pretty organized..and VERY firm in my policies and it has served me well for 14 years. The one area I stink a big stinky stink at, is tax stuff. I just hate it and procrastinate to high heaven about it every single year. I have all the tools to make it easy...and I just avoid it like the plague.
EDIT TO ADD: My own filing system is color coded, altho I find getting the colored file jackets more difficult now??(they are the ones that are sealed on the sides, not open ended). Red are the kids files. Green is my pet vaccinations and other records. Blue is my training certificates (I have every single one from 14 years, separated by licensing year renewals, all in one big thick blue file folder!). Regular Manila are more random things like county papers and extra forms (and a few other things as they are easier to get and cheaper to buy...but I use COLORFUL markers to label). Yellow are for the years that I have gotten grants (loads of papers!) White is food program.
Good luck!