Child Care as a Business

This course is targeted toward individuals wishing to run a home-based child care center. It covers topics such as the fundamentals of an in-home childcare setting as a business; the importance of financial management of a child care center; the creation of a child care contract; and an exploration of how to set tuition rates. Since a Family Policy Handbook is essential for anyone operating a family day care center, this course includes the development of one of three imperative sections of the handbook. The remaining two sections are created in complementary courses of the Home-Based Child Care series available on Coursera.

• Introduction: Family Policy Handbook Project
• The intention of this module is to introduce you to the Home-Based Child Care Final Project, including the rubric which will be used to score your final project submission.
• Introduction to a Home-Based Child Care Program
• In this module, we will discuss a home-based childcare business, including how to operate one, based on your state guidelines. We will also discuss the basic needs and start-up costs for running a home-based childcare business.
• Bookkeeping Basics
• This module covers how to properly budget your Home-Based Childcare program, including what type of liability insurance you should get, how to pay taxes, filing tax forms, and your responsibilities to your clients.
• Childcare Contracts
• In Module 4, you will learn how to create a childcare contract and expand on your policy handbook. You will learn what to put into your childcare contract and what additional information goes into your policy handbook. You will learn what resources are available to you as the Home-Based Childcare provider.
• Rate Setting and Invoice Processing
• In this final course module, you will be learning about pricing structures and how to set your market rates for your Home-Based Child Care center. You will learn how to set your payment terms and your policies including frequency of payment, amount of payment, late fees, and returned check fees. And finally, you will be able to communicate the cost of quality in relation to your pricing.
• Project Assessment: Family Policy Handbook, Including a Business Plan
• For your Home-Based Child Care Capstone Project, you will submit a complete Family Policy Handbook and Business Plan for a home-based childcare business. This includes your cumulative efforts throughout all courses of the specialization, including assignments earlier in this course.