This year many childcare directors and owners have expressed to me their concerns about maintaining the quality of their childcare centers–for both children and their staff–and stay afloat financially. To say that 2008 has been a challenging year is an understatement. I came across this article yesterday:
“…The nation’s economic troubles are playing out one family at a time in child-care centers and preschools across Arizona as parents lose their jobs and must cut back on attendance or pull their children out of preschool to save money. Child-care centers are reporting 10 percent to 20 percent decreases in enrollment, said Bruce Liggett, director of the Arizona Child Care Association in Phoenix, an advocacy group...Child-care centers and preschools that once had waiting lists find themselves scrambling to fill vacant spots. For the first time, many are offering part-time or drop-in service and changing hours to better accommodate parents’ schedules...
Child-care centers are looking at ways to cut costs – conserving electricity, stretching supplies – to avoid reducing their employees’ hours or cutting jobs.…
“We’ll make it through, but we worry about the children,” Vela said…”
(Source: http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/103931.php The Arizona Republic on TucsonCitizen.com )
You know what impresses me most about the vocation of childcare? The sentiment that no matter what happens as long as there are parents who work to support their families, there will be dedicated childcare professionals who will take part in the care and nurturing of their children.
So what does a childcare center do, to weather stressful and scary economic times? Do more with less. Do more work in less time. You may need to leave your business accounting management tasks for after hours as you fill in for teachers, meet with parents and participate in critical childcare association meetings. You can’t and shouldn’t abandon your own family time in favor of your business. So why not see if managing your business as efficiently as possible with Childcare Manager management accounting software makes all the difference in the world.
Here is something to get you started thinking how much time you spend on your center management–common tasks–and how much time using Childcare Manager can you “return” to your time to spend doing more important things?
Check Your “Return On Investment”
With The Investment Calculator
(The above Childcare Manager table uses modest estimates of time and uses an hourly wage of $10 per hour.)
Try Childcare Manager to see if–as it has helped so many other directors and owners of childcare centers–do more in less time, give you back more time and pay for itself over and over and over….
There’s still time to get started with Childcare Manager for the new year. Download a FREE trial http://www.childcaremanager.com/freetrial/teri.html
Teri Selbicky
Senior Childcare Management Specialist
(800) 553-2312 toll-free
teri@childcaremanager.com
