Taking Care of Business

Anyone who has cared for children knows that doing it well takes energy, keeps you on your toes, and is incredibly rewarding. But caring for children and working hard is not enough to guarantee a successful child care business. You need to care for your business, too.

Many child care providers do not consider themselves to be operating a business. Developing Your Child Care Business can help change that by introducing you to the three roles you play as the owner of a child care business: the child care provider, the entrepreneur, and the business manager.

As the Child Care Provider, you will develop a Parent Handbook to guide you and your parent customers as you work together to care for children.

As the Entrepreneur, you will write a Business Plan to help you launch and/or sustain your child care business.

As the Business Manager, you will successfully operate your business as you have planned in the Parent Handbook and Business Plan.

Taking Care of You

The Developing Your Family Child Care Business program will help you combine your desire to provide child care with the need to do it as a legitimate business. This program will cover everything to help you think and act as a business owner…to help you build a sustainable business that serves your own needs, as well as the needs of the children for which you care.

Here are some of the anticipated outcomes after you apply your new knowledge to your business:
• Exploring Entrepreneurship
• Identifying and Meeting Market Needs
• You will have the right tools to be an effective business owner;
• You will be able to stay in business longer; and
• You will now have a network of business and community connections
• A Place Where Child Care and Business Meet

In this program, you will learn how to think and act as entrepreneurs and business owners. Through the user-friendly materials, you will cover the key topics to build a business that serves your needs as well as the needs of your community. The program will help you learn how to:
• Exploring Entrepreneurship
• Identifying and Meeting Market Needs
• Assess your marketplace.
• Establish the parameters of your business.
• Manage your costs.
• Price your services appropriately.
• Work with families to create a successful business and partnership.
• Network with other providers in the community.
• Access needed community resources.

By the end of the program, you will also have drafted your Business Plan and Parent Handbook.
It's Your Turn

You give of your time and talents to provide care for others. Now, take some time for yourself to plan a business that will make the most of your efforts.

Developing Your Family Child Care Business™ Program Outline

Module 1: Exploring Business Ownership
• Distinguish among the roles played by a family child care business owner.
• Write and evaluate a business concept statement.

Module 2: Managing & Organizing My Child Care Business
• Identify critical personnel and resource team solutions.
• Choose an appropriate legal structure.

Module 3: Defining My Family Child Care Services
• Identify family child care business features and benefits.
• Determine governmental and professional licensing requirements.

Module 4: Analyzing the Family Child Care Business Market
• Profile the local child care industry and identify trends.
• Define target market.
• Determine the business' direct, indirect, and future competition and its distinctive services.

Module 5: Promoting My Family Child Care Business
• Identify market advantages/disadvantages related to the business location.
• Develop promotional strategies.
• Begin the process of pricing services.

Module 6: Keeping Track of Finances
• Identify costs associated with running a family child care business.
• Learn to use basic accounting tools such as cash flow statement, income statement, and balance sheet.
• Project income based on pricing.

Module 7: Operating My Family Child Care Business
• Set policies for operating the child care business.
• Consider entrepreneurial oversight to improve the business.
• Complete the Business Plan and Parent Handbook.

Module 8: Celebrating My Accomplishments!
• Graduation.
• Presentation of Executive Summary

To learn more contact us