Inspirational and Empowering Child Care Business Owners To Build Successful Child Care Businesses

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Expansion is Exciting…

business-woman

It has been two week’s since I have written a blog post on the Child Care Business Owner blog. In fact, I have been so busy working on expanding my Child Care Business, enrolling children in my Summer Camp and preparing for our upcoming preschool graduation.

About a week ago, I was presented with an opportunity to move into a larger location and my intuition tells me that it is time to Grow.

Have you ever thought about expanding your childcare business? If so, be sure that you are ready!

I was caught off guard when an expansion opportunity was presented to me, because I was not expecting to buy real estate; I was expecting to lease my next building.

Moreover, as I talk with bankers and calculate how much money I will be saving my business by owning the building; I have concluded that owning your property is the way to go.

It is an amazing feeling to be presented with an opportunity to expand and it can be stressful if you are not be prepared.

For the next 3-4 months, I have decided to focus much of my attention on expanding my center, to meet the infant/toddler need in my community and to increase the income in my business.

Furthermore, I have been in prayer about the expansion and every time the phone rings I think that it’s the banker calling. The last time that I was this excited about making a major change was when I bought my home 6 years ago.

So.. Exciting!!!!

I am just in the beginning stages of expansion and it could be months before we close the deal, start renovations on the building; move into our next building and hold our open house.

My Reason for Expansion….

One of my goals for this expansion  is to be able to provide health insurance for my employees, provide more jobs, provide larger classroom space for the older children, meet the need in my community and create a new business challenge for myself.

After 10 years of being in the same location, I have become bored with the center and I am ready for another level. Also, what I am learning through my expansion, I have been sharing with my coaching clients and I have discovered how to allow Gods will to unfold and not force anything to happen in my business, because after all, opportunities will present themselves to you!

My expansion deal is not final and I am still making major decisions on buildings and funding, so once I close the deal, I will share more expansion news with you!

What ever the outcome may be for my expansion and I am expecting great things to happen, I am enjoying the Journey!

If you plan to expand your childcare business in the near future, be sure to check out my latest eNewsletter, where I will share three  tips to prepare for an expansion, click here. You may also want to check out my Webinar: Tips for Expansion. 

So, what’s happening in your childcare business and do you plans to expand in the near future. I look forward to joining the conversation!

Shiketa

Resources:

10 Steps to starting a Child Care Business

The Art of Owning a Child Care Center

Category:

Administration, Business Expansion, Business Management, Child Care Center

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Staff Turnover in Child Care Centers

staff

In my 10 years of  being a center owner, I have noticed that the child care industry has a very high staff turnover rate. In fact, sometimes I get very irritated at the lack of commitment from many of the staff members, however, I know that I must grow as a leader in order to effectively deal with the challenges that come along with operating a center.

Moreover, I do not look forward to seeing the look on a parent’s face when their child’s teacher leaves the center, however, you must remain professional and  reassure the parent that you are seeking to hire the best teacher for the job.

I  have seen many staff members come and go; some employees have stayed for 3-weeks or less, my longest employed staff member was with me for over 7 years and several employees were on my team for two or more years.

As I think back on what inspired my employees to stay with me; I was  inspired to share with you, what I believe contributes to a High Turnover  and what causes employees to stay with you.

Why I believe that there is a High Turnover in Child Care Center

There are many factors to consider in terms of the staff turnover rate in child care centers and I believe that the top six are as follows:

  1. The Owner or hiring manager must be able  to select the right person for the center. *Every one is not a perfect match for your center
  2. When enrollment is low, Owners are forced to cut hours and this could lead to staff members search for new jobs.
  3. There is a need for more trained early childhood professionals
  4. The Staff members may not respect management
  5. Centers can use more financial assistance to help pay for higher salaries for Early Childhood Professionals
  6. We as Owners must develop vital leadership skills, so that we are empowered to handle staff issues that may lead to a high turnover

7 Ways to Make Your Center a Great Place to Work

  1. Pay your employees more than what they have made at a previous Job.
  2. Offer paid Holidays and Vacation Time
  3. Conduct an Orientation that introduces your new staff members to your center and the other staff members. ** be sure that it is full of excitement
  4. Hold Monthly Staff Potlucks
  5. Plan a fun event for all the staff to come together once a year. (shopping trip, visit a spa, etc)
  6. Be a Positive boss and your employees will be positive
  7. Offer opportunities or financial assistance for the staff to enhance their education
  8. Provide a cool and relaxing place for breaks
  9. Buy lunch 3-4 times a year, your staff members will love it!

For more tips on how to effectively manage staff or tips on how to build a Successful Child Care Center, Check out my ebook: The Art of Owning a Child Care Center.

With Your Child Care Business in Mind,

Shiketa

Category:

Business Management, Child Care Center, Hiring Employees, Staffing

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