Own a Daycare Blog » grants http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog Just another WordPress weblog Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:32:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Daycare Grants: What They Are and How You Can Receive Them http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/daycare-grants-what-they-are-and-how-you-can-receive-them http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/daycare-grants-what-they-are-and-how-you-can-receive-them#comments Mon, 11 May 2009 00:06:37 +0000 admin http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/?p=504 Related posts:]]> There are a variety of funding options available for daycare businesses such as grants and subsidies. A daycare grant is a one-time payment given to a childcare center for a specific need or project. A subsidy is an ongoing payment, usually provided by the government, which covers essentials such as food. Subsidies are typically based on need. Subsidies are given to the individual in need to give to the center, or given directly to the daycare center on behalf of the individual in need. Before applying for a daycare grant, it is important that you spend some time developing a detailed business plan.

Business Plan for Daycare Grants

The business plan is an important component of the daycare grant process because it demonstrates why your daycare center qualifies for the grant above others. A basic business plan for a daycare should include an introduction, an executive summary, a company plan, a marketing plan, an operating plan, and a financial plan:

• Introduction: Introduces the daycare business and includes a mission statement and a fact sheet about your business.

• Executive Summary: Summarizes the purpose of your business. This section is where you will place your goals and objectives

• Company Plan: A review of the facts of your business. This will detail such information as your assets, suppliers, property owned, location, etc.

• Marketing Plan: Outlines how you plan to market your daycare business.

• Operating Plan: Summarizes your daily operation.

• Financial Plan: Reviews your business’ past and present financial details as well as financial projections. This is where all of the expenses, accounts payable, and your summary of financial needs information are detailed and you will spell out how you will keep your business up and running.

Daycare Grant Sources

Once a solid business plan is created, it is time to begin searching for financing for the daycare business in the form of grants.

Local Grants

Begin your search for daycare grants locally within your county and state. Contact your local licensing office, the local chapter of the National Child Care Resource and Referral Agency (NACRRA), and local child care organizations to see if there are grants available.

Federal Grants

The federal government may offer subsidies or daycare government grants. Search for grants through the United States Government’s Children and Family Agency. Also, contact the Small Business Association as they may offer grants for startup costs. If you are minority, contact the Minority Business Development Agency.

Private Grants

Attaining grants from private organizations is another avenue for obtaining grants. Many philanthropic organizations and foundations offer grants to certain types of businesses. To find such organizations, search the Foundation Center which connects nearly 600 foundations nationally with nonprofit organizations.

The best places to start looking for daycare grants and subsidies are Head Start, Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). There are many daycare grant guides available at libraries, bookstores, and online that may assist you in locating funding for your daycare business. After finding sources for your daycare grants, request their latest application and funding guidelines.

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]]> http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/daycare-grants-what-they-are-and-how-you-can-receive-them/feed 0 Operating Your Daycare Center http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/operating-your-daycare-center http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/operating-your-daycare-center#comments Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:24:22 +0000 Mary http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/?p=472 Related posts:]]> As parents, we all want only the best things for our kids and if we are the ones running a day care center, it would be our aim to provide only the best for our clients. However, providing all the best things doesn’t mean that we would be spending more and increasing our daily operational expenditures. You have to take consideration that increasing overhead costs in running our day care also means that we need to take in more kinds and need bigger space for the center.

Day care centers who actually have made it are operating according to planned routines. One-hour segments with pre planned curriculums make up the whole day and these are actually comparable to public school classes.

In a daycare center, a typical day would begin with a play period from the time the child arrives until about 9 o’clock in the morning. You would need indoor sand boxes, toys and maybe a family sized television set. From 9 am to 10, the kids may be separated into groups according to ages and then you can hold reading and story-telling session. Sometime between 10 to 11 am, mid-morning snack can be served to the kids, while younger kids can have their mid-morning nap during this time. After this, a learning session can be help and this can also be a time when guest are invited to talk and entertain the children.

You can consult and work with your community’s Chamber of Commerce, civic clubs as well as city administration for your guest speakers. Children will be very much entertained and will enjoy visits by firemen, policemen and others who would want to talk to them about their jobs, citizenships, film showings and about things in the community.

You may also opt to have upperclassmen from your local community colleges to come to your day care and demonstrate things such as working with clay, building wood, drawing, paper shapes and other talents or skill that your little clients can learn. What’s really important here is to bring in “outsiders” in to talk with your kids and teach them about the things that goes on in their world.

At around noon until one in the afternoon, lunch can be served and then from 1 until 2 in the afternoon should be another learning session. At this time, you may teach the rudiments of reading, writing and math. College students studying to be teachers, retired teachers and even unemployed individuals having teaching certificated can handle teach chores. This should not be something that to teach them the proficiency but it should be something that will stimulate the kids’ interest in formal education. What most day cares aim for is to instill within each child the desire to learn more about his environment. So each child would have a full plan for when he gets to reach six years old and start proper school.

Maybe every once a week, an afternoon learning session can be done through a trip or tour to some place interesting as well as entertaining for the children. This way, you make the idea of learning not only interesting but also an interesting adventure as well.

These tours and trips can be from a simple walk in your neighbourhood to a loading the kids into cars or buses and taking them to the zoo. You have to check this out first and plan on it, but usually you’d find that most businesses in your locality are welcoming to such opportunities to show children around their offices or factories. This may also apply to your city departments, fire department, police department and even radio and television stations.

On days that you don’t have any trips scheduled on your learning sessions, you may try having a film showing that’s related to nature and animals. VCR’s and CD’s provides you with endless possibilities in this are. You can have nap times and snack times for younger ones while books and quite games can do for older children who do not take naps. After their nap time, children can play until their parents come by to pick them up.

As much as possible, kids should be encouraged to go outside during play periods. If you have some playground equipment, organized games would not be really necessary but you may need a playground supervisor to watch the children and make sure that they don’t get hurt as they play. You may hire part time staff for this – maybe college students for a minimum wage. And if your city ordinances do not have any specific requirements for a playground supervisor you may even hire students form you neighbourhood high school. Pick out people who love and are comfortable with children and have consideration for their dependability. Today’s parents are very cautious and wants day care center to have extreme protection for their children enrolled in such institutions.

To care for children in your day care center, you must also make sure that you have a well-fenced area. Check out other public schools and day care centers to have an idea of what should be in your outdoor playground area. You can have the basic sand boxes, slides, swings and jungle gyms, but you can also be creative and original just as long as your equipment meets safety standards.

In some states, it is required that you have a registered nurse on your day care premises, but generally the main things that is needed are the medical information from parents and a written procedure of the things to do in cases of accidents or illnesses. Standard operations when a child becomes sick or is injured is to take them to the nearest medical center while a staff should get in touch with the parents to explain what happened. If the parent cannot make it to the medical center, all information about the child should be provided to the staff who is immediately available.

It would also be a good idea to get your staff and day care helpers trained with the basic Red Cross first aid knowledge and be equipped with a first aid kit in your premises. You can also hire a registered nurse who is not working or is looking for extra income by either “hiring the license” and pay the nurse for the use of her license in your office and be available to serve your needs when you call.

See: Free daycare grants

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]]> http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/operating-your-daycare-center/feed 0 Attaining Grants for your Childcare Facility http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/attaining-grants-for-your-childcare-facility http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/attaining-grants-for-your-childcare-facility#comments Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:09:21 +0000 Mary http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/?p=320 Related posts:]]> The US government openly provides grants for businesses and establishments such as a daycare center. If you want to start your own cleaning business but do not necessarily have enough money to start it with, then you should definitely consider applying for grants for your daycare business. You want to hear something great? There’s even no need for you to pay back the money that the US government will be granting you. Now, you can surely make your dream of building your own childcare business possible.

One of the sources of money grant is the government. Actually, it is not only the government who offers money grant; there are institutions, state, local, federal, and private that offer grants. If you want to apply for a grant, you need to know where to look since there are plenty of sources out there.

There are different types of grants out there and it is very easy to learn more about them. Once you’ve gain the sources that provide grants, apply as many as possible. You can send a request in order to know their application packages.

It is best to gain as much information as possible. Information can help you in applying for the grant that you need in putting up a childcare center.

In wanting to apply for a grant, you need to write application and make it good. You need to put all the important information about your plan and make it precise. You need to make them see that you are the right person for the grant that they offer.

Reach for your Daycare Grant Now
If you have plans of starting your own daycare center but do not necessarily have enough money or capital to start it with, then you should definitely consider of applying for grants that the US government provides for certain types of establishments including daycare businesses without you even having to worry about paying back. Yes, you got it right; there grants to start daycare for you. Grants are offered by Grant Makers, such as government, corporation foundation or trust. Such application processes, generally require some form of Grant Writing often referred to as either proposals or submissions.

When it comes to daycare centers, there are existing grant offerings that are available online. Some of these are grants to start a daycare center for uncertified persons. These loan programs are for the start-up of new or expansion of existing child care facilities. These funds are awarded through an application process. A number of loan programs are available online. These programs have the purpose of helping and supporting people who want to start up their own daycare centers, to make improvements in order to enhance quality service and meet licensing requirements and to expand existing daycare centers.

Anyone who is intending to put up a daycare business can avail of these grants and all you have to do is fill up certain requirements and you can be assured of an approved application.

See: How to start a daycare business

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]]> http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/attaining-grants-for-your-childcare-facility/feed 1 Starting A Daycare With Government Grants http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/starting-a-daycare-with-government-grants http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/starting-a-daycare-with-government-grants#comments Wed, 04 Mar 2009 01:24:35 +0000 Mary http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/?p=310 Related posts:]]> As long as people want to work, and create better lives, day care centers can be relied upon to make child care easier and better for working parents.

For the potential business owner like you, a day care will never run out of clients. Assuming of course your day care is up and running. If you’re thinking twice about taking a loan or don’t have enough start-up capital, government funding might be the solution to your problem. How can the government help you fund your day care? What options do you have money-wise?

There are several ways to get funding for your future day care center. Like any other business, it needs capital to set up, for you to buy toys, books and other essentials needed for the day care center to succeed. It’s essential to begin the business well-prepared and government grants are an avenue you can explore for your business.

One of the ways to get funding for your day care center is to acquire government funding through a government grant. This isn’t as easy as it looks. Government funding must meet certain criteria and you’re often better off finding alternative means to support your day care center. But it doesn’t hurt to know and who knows, you may find that it’s the best way to go. Your day care center must meet certain criteria to be considered for government funding (check out your local and state restrictions now.)

One of the best ways to get a government grant is to declare your day care center non-profit. In fact, for most grants it’s the only way you can acquire government funding. It’s a hard truth, but true. But it doesn’t mean that you have to stop there or resign yourself to having no profit as a business owner. There are many other funding methods to explore and your state may have funding programs that are right for you. Check out the SBA or small business administration agency at sba.gov. This website carries contacts that may supply you with funding, even if you own a for-profit day care center. You may also want to speak with your local Rotary or business associations to steer you in the right direction.

There are other ways to utilize government grants for your maximum benefit. Your state may be able to supply you with special loan programs that may minimize your expenses and benefit your day care greatly. This will probably differ with each state. Call your state agency now. The Department of Public Welfare could give you ideas about how you can make maximum profit and give your customers the best care around.

One great examples of government help is food funding. There are special Milk Programs (http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Milk/) used by day cares and schools to reimburse the costs of milk. Your day care center may also be eligible for the National School Lunch Program (http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Lunch/). Check out the sites to see if you’re eligible.

No matter how you decide to fund your day care center, knowing your options is vital to your day care’s success. You never know, government grants might be the way you’ll want to go.

See: How to start a daycare business

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