Starting A Child Care Business - Chapter 12 Location, Location, Location

Starting A Child Care Business - Chapter 12 

Location, Location, Location

Many people start child care businesses in their homes. In some states, you can become certified in your home to care for about 6 children or become licensed to care for 8 or 9 children. You will want to check the state licensing rules for your state. Starting in your home is a good way to slowly get to know the business

and to make sure that this is something that you really want to do. Because in home child care business is limited by the number of children you may have, which limits your income potential, many people eventually expand to what is called group child care.

In group child care is limited by space. The more space you have, the more children you can have. In some states you must also have a certain number of bathrooms for a certain number of children as well. Location is very important. You should start by finding a solid sturdy building in a business district. The best locations are on main streets where you can be seen by as many people as possible. It is always helpful to have fun and inviting colors and decorations that depict children having fun and learning, more..

For more information on Starting a Child Care Business visit Networx LLC.

Does Your Organization Value Diversity?

Does Your Organization Value Diversity?

What’s so great and beautiful about our country, the great melting pot of the world, is that we have all kinds of people in all shapes, colors and sizes. Not only physical characteristics but we are all people with many different backgrounds, perspectives and abilities.

As our work places are becoming more diverse, it will be extremely important that leaders understand how to work with all people effectively.  It’s not easy to get a diverse group of people to work together in harmony toward a mission, goal and objective of an organization; however, the benefits of doing so are economic growth, greater range of consumers, larger pool of qualified workers and more creativity within the organization.

It takes experience and training to understand how to lead a diverse employee pool effectively.   Working with a diverse population starts with inclusion. Also, employers and managers must be able to use various styles of leadership.

So does your organization value diversity? It’s pretty easy to tell.  During my graduate studies I completed a research study to find out if a particular organization truly valued diversity. What I found was that, although all of the written materials and website stated that they valued diversity, the fact of the matter was that it did not.  The intentions of the CEO were good, but there was no on-going training, no diversity depicted in the printed literature and so on…

If you really want an organization that values diversity, the first step should be a dialogue among the top level executives of the organization.  Then on-going training must be implemented from the top to the bottom of the organization.  All marketing materials and media should be evaluated to make sure that all types of people are represented.

Interested in having your staff trained in Workplace Diversity?  Enroll in the 6 hour online course at: Networx Business Solutions.

Tina Oliver, M.Ed.

Training Specialist

Networx LLC

DOES ONE SIZE FIT ALL IN LEADERSHIP????

DOES ONE SIZE FIT ALL IN LEADERSHIP????

There are various styles of leadership that are used by business owners, church leaders and political leaders. Most will admit that when you are leading a diverse group of people, in order to be effective, several leadership styles must be incorporated into a leader's repertoire.  One style may work beautifully for one group of people while with another group it could be counterproductive.

It is important, in my opinion, to incorporate at least four styles of leadership and be able to vacillate between them, when appropriate.  Here are the four styles that I feel are necessary:

Authoritative style is when a leader maintains close control over the followers and has strict rules that must be followed.  There is no sharing in decision making and the explanation for why things are done is simply "because that's what I wanted to do". 

Democratic leaders share the decision making with those who are trusted followers.  This leader gets that he is not the smartest, most talented, or most experienced person in the room and is secure enough to relinquish some of his power.

Transformative leaders are able to inspire change and are also able to redirect the thinking of his followers. 

Authentic leaders put the goals and mission of the organization even above their own self interest. They lead with their heart.  This leader constantly reflects on his own strengths and weaknesses and is very transparent.  That is what attracts people to him.

It is not easy incorporating all of these types of leadership styles into your repertoire.  It takes time and experience.

I remember being a young leader in my own child care business.  At the age of 25, I was not secure enough to allow others to participate in the vision of my business. I felt that if I conceded or took the advice of my employees, I was giving up my power.  I found that my one leadership style was limiting my ability to be successful.  I was putting a ceiling on my potential and the potential of my business.  This thinking was also limiting my reach to only a certain type of follower. It took years of working with people of all ages, and socioeconomic backgrounds to learn that, ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL IN LEADERSHIP, if you are interested in running a successful organization.

Purchase the continuing education course: Leadership in Early Childhood Education.

Contact Networx LLC about consulting and training for early childhood educators and leaders.

Tina Oliver, M.Ed.

Training and Development Specialist

Networx LLC

Starting a Child Care Business - Chapter 11 Financing

Starting a Child Care Business - Chapter 11 Financing

Starting a child care business can have a start up cost ranging anywhere from under $1000 to over $100,000 depending on where and what type of facility you wish to start. If you choose to start your child care business at home, the cost is minimal. If you will start with a large facility serving 10 or more children or are  buying into a franchise, you will probably need financial assistance (unless you have a trust fund).

If you need to visit your local bank for a loan, you will need a business plan. The bank will not even talk to you without some sort of business plan in hand.

My recommendation is that you start small (what you can finance on your own), learn the business and then grow your business gradually over time. In some cases, your business will create enough revenue to finance itself.

If you decide that you will need to finance your project, develop a relationship with a bank now! Talk to people and find out which banks in your area are more likely to loan you money for a new business venture. More...

To purchase the book: A Practical Guide to Starting and Operating a Child Care Business, visit Networx LLC.

Starting a Child Care Business - Chapter 10 Zoning

Starting a Child Care Business - Chapter 10 Zoning

Most states will require that you get permission from the city or state to use a building for child care. Make
sure to contact your City’s Neighborhood Development Department. There is usually a lot of paperwork
involved and you will be visited by several building inspectors to make sure your building is suitable for children. Items they will be looking for is your plan of operation, photos, floor plan of your building, ownership of building, lease agreement, survey, etc… Sometimes getting your zoning takes the longest in the steps to getting up and running so make sure that you are informed about what is needed and submit all needed information the first time around. Missing items will delay the approval process. More...

To purchase the book: A Practical Guide to Starting and Operating a Child Care Business, visit Networx LLC.

Starting a Child Care Business - Chapter 9 Licensing

Starting a Child Care Business - Chapter 9 Licensing

Contact your state licensing department. Find out what the rules and regulations are with regard to opening a child care center. They will usually send you a packet with a licensing book and application form. Read through this book from cover to cover. Then read this book again taking notes and studying. This books is the Bible of child day care. You will want to know this book better than your licensing agent who comes to visit your center. You will probably need to take classes and training before getting a license to operate the child care business, so give yourself time. In some states you will be assigned a technical adviser who will be there to guide you through the process. They will usually give you a checklist of everything that needs to be completed initially. They will want to know about your business structure, building that you will be using and so on. More...

To purchase the book: A Practical Guide to Starting and Operating a Child Care Business, visit Networx LLC.

Starting a Child Care Business - Chapter 7/8 Developing Your Team

Starting a Child Care Business - Chapter 7/8 Developing Your Team

It is extremely important that you develop a TEAM of masterminds to support you in your child care business.  Two very important members of your team are your attorney or law firm and your accountant.

It is very important to seek legal advise whenever you intend to start a new business venture. Let them know what you are trying to accomplish and let them lead you legally into the right direction. Please read my previous post on Legal Service Membership.

Your accountant, along with your attorney, should be a major part of your team. Meet with your accounted as soon as you are done speaking with your attorney. Pay your accountant to sit down with you and discuss what your business goals are and they should be able to map out what your path should be. Accountants, like attorneys charge by the hour so make sure to have your questions written down ahead of time and take good notes. If you have to call them back later, they may charge you by the hour to review. When looking for a good accountant, make sure that they have other clients in your type of business and that they are familiar with all of the deductions that you are allowed to take. Read the post on Quickbooks University to find out how to save money on your accounting.  More...

To purchase the book: A Practical Guild to Starting and Operating a Child Care Business, visit Networx LLC.