I want to open a day care center. What are the steps I need to take to open my own business?

Depending on your state, you would have to do many things...
1) register your business name with your Secretary of State.
2) Depending on the size of the daycare, you will have to be licensed by your state, especially if any of your revenues will come from federal child care development funds.
3) Make sure you find a facility (a current child care center that you'd would buy out) that can be transformed into a safe child care facility and pass an inspection by the department of health.
4) you may have to get certified by the state or have enough employees who are certified early childhood development professionals (if the state doesn't ask for this,smart parents will ask these questions).

You have to hire enough employees to have the right ratio of workers to children.

This is probably a complete list. You can probably get a complete list of requirements from your county or the state social services department.

call your town hall and ask them what you need to get a licence.

Each state an locality has laws governing Day Care. There is a national organization called SCORE that will help you at no charge. Look in the telephone directory. The people working there are retired business owners and are there to help.

The National Child Care Information Center provides resources that will help you prepare to open a quality child care program.