Owners of daycare centers, family daycares, and preschools are feeling the effects of our declining economy.  While every childcare business is different news articles state that daycare enrollment rates have decreased as unemployment increases. This causes childcare center owners to lay off staff or cut staff hours and reduce services.

OwnADaycare asked childcare center owners and daycare business owners about how the economy affects daycare businesses to shed some light on the reality of the situation. Responses varied:

“The primary effect of a declining economy on child care providers is declining enrollment.  Child care providers who were once full, and in some cases with a waiting list, now have to spend additional time and energy marketing their schools to maintain enrollment.  Additionally, controlling costs without sacrificing high-quality programs and faculty is vital to remaining profitable.  Schools should ensure that they remain involved in their communities and look for innovative ways to be the first preschool thought of by local parents,” says Joseph Schumacher, CEO of Goddard Systems, Inc.
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Balance work and home life can be challenging. Men and women with home based businesses and young children are faced with the challenge of juggling the tasks involved in maintaining their career and successfully running a household.

This issue is one that many daycare providers or those that own childcare centers face.  Fortunately, there are many strategies that can help maintain this balance successfully. Lesley Pyle, founder and president of the National Association of Home-Based Working Moms describes the pros and cons of being a stay at home parent in part 2 of this informative interview.

OwnADaycare: What are some pros and cons of being a stay at home parent versus being in the workforce?

Lesley Pyle: Staying at home has the obvious advantage of allowing moms to be there for her children, having time to do things for your family and your home. You also have the advantage of being the one who has more input into developing your children’s values and morals. You are able to save money on childcare, gasoline, clothing, etc. On the downside, you are sacrificing your ability to earn a salary, business skills may suffer and you likely will have less adult interaction.

Being in the workforce has the opposite pros and cons. Moms who have a job are able to bring in income. They also are not able to spend as much time with their children and give up some ability to shape their morals and values. (more…)

Child care software can be a lifesaver for daycare business owners. Child care software allows child care providers to manage administrative duties, thereby increasing efficiency and client satisfaction. The most important administrative duties childcare software can help manage are the following:

Create, Manage, and Retrieve Client Records

The software should allow you to quickly register families into your child care center.  Daycare software should allow you to create sorted lists of clients and should be fully searchable. The software should provide you with an option for uploading or scanning in your own custom forms. From a client’s record, you should be able to email or bill.  Daycare software can track attendance and allows you to easily create attendance reports like attendance summaries, attendance analysis, and class summaries and analysis. Quality daycare software should also allow you to upload pictures of the family and those authorized to pick children up. (more…)

A large part of managing a successful daycare business involves keeping and maintaining records. One of the most important daycare forms or daycare records is the Accident Report Form.

The accident report form documents and helps keep track of injuries that happen while a child is in your care. It is a simple practice and a vital communication tool. It that helps keep parents informed of even simple injuries and accidents and helps protect your daycare business in the case of potential lawsuits.

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