By Freddie HamiltonChild Care Business Connections
Over the last few months I have gotten mixed messages as I talked to people about the future of child care programs that have contracts with the Administration for Children’s Services. On April 10th there was a hearing held by Council member Bill deBlasio, Chairperson of the General Welfare committee. At issue is ACS’s intention to implement Project Full Enrollment. Although there have been rumblings and rumors in the child care community for many months now, a few days ago the ACS Press Office assured me that there are no imminent moves planned against child care centers. Regardless, since 2004 the child care community has lost 17 centers and 1,100 slots from the system. Now many centers are waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Many of the centers have a laundry list of problems including facilities in disrepair; staff vacancies or staff that don’t meet licensing qualifications; inept or disinterested sponsoring boards, difficulty in negotiating market rate leases and a lack of sufficient funds. However it seems that at present ACS is closely focused on the high vacancy rate among child care centers. I have heard, from talking with center directors, that some centers are more than 50% below their licensed capacity and a small number of centers that are licensed to accommodate large numbers of children are down to as few as 12 to 15 children. Since we know that there are thousands of low income children needing child care it’s important for us to understand what’s causing low enrollment. As ACS moves to change the way in which it funds programs; in essence implementing its plan to pay centers only for the children that are enrolled and attending, centers will not be able to survive unless they are fully enrolled. Even with full enrollment centers will need ACS to provide substantial indirect cost in the per child payment.
Losing these important resources for parents and children is unthinkable and we can’t allow this to happen. It is already difficult for subsidy eligible working parents to access child care. Despite their many issues these centers offer safe, structured and developmentally appropriate learning environments for a huge number of children in our city, primarily for families already facing work and family related stresses. While the current economic environment may force some consolidation of programs, NYC should remain committed to maintaining the current level of subsidized child care slots; as they are allotted to each community. Of course as tax payers we cannot support maintaining programs that are not striving to maximize the use of the funds and resources allotted to them.
Without pointing fingers, the Administration for Children’s Service (ACS), the unions involved, local 1707 and CSA, and the child care centers themselves should come together to fix these problems. The truth is that until recently the Agency for Child Development, before it was placed under the auspices of the Administration for Children’s Services, had a very paternalistic relationship with child care programs.
Subsidy eligible children were certified by ACD and assigned to centers in their neighborhoods. Child care programs were not required to actively recruit children or market their programs. In addition, many of the business aspects for the administration and management of the programs were handled centrally by ACD.
Now, under the auspices of ACS the child care programs are being required, in a relatively short time, to change how they understand their new relationship to ACS and their responsibilities in operating their programs. It is important for ACS to acknowledge its role in creating the culture that it now needs to change. Although ACS has now placed the responsibility for recruitment and enrollment on the centers, so far they have not added funding for more staff, and training for programs to assume these new responsibilities.
Another major challenge here is to help child care program administrators change their perception of their responsibilities in administering and managing their programs. New job descriptions and skill-sets are necessary for program managers in order to help them come to grips with the business aspects of operating their centers. They then need training and technical assistance in meeting these new requirements.
The unions that represent staff and administrators should focus on working together with ACS to help their members gain the necessary orientation and skills that they will need to run successful and quality child care programs. Of course we also need the help of our legislators. NYC Council members need to stay informed about what’s happening to centers in their district. Councilmember Leticia James, 35th Council District, has been very focused on this issue and has helped a number of centers in her district develop various strategies to address the new challenges. We cannot afford to lose all the important gains we have made in providing quality, safe and affordable child care to New York City’s families.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies
In New York City there are five Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies who work closely together to provide technical assistance and resources to child care programs and prospective child care programs. They also provide services to parents, families and the broader community. These organizations are:
Child Care Inc.
Child Development Support Corporation
Chinese American Planning Council
Committee for Hispanic Children and Families
Day Care Council of New York City
These agencies are funded by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, help us all understand what it means to provide child care services that are accessible, affordable and of good quality. For child care programs CCR&Rs provide a wealth of resources: Start-up grants are available to assist new programs with initial supplies and materials that can build health and safety standards into the program.
Technical assistance is offered to help programs stay in compliance with regulations and understand the requirements of opening and maintaining a quality early childhood program. CCR&Rs are places where programs can participate in activities that help link them to resources in the field.
Training to help child care providers focus on health, safety and other program compliance areas, like child abuse and maltreatment, program recordkeeping and program development topics. The CCR&R programs have calendars of their training schedules as well as other services and activities. Training includes the New York State mandated health and safety training and the medication administration training. The training offered by the CCR&Rs is part of a career development ladder that aims to professionalize child care staff and create a cadre of caretakers who understand the development of children and develop best practices in their interaction with children and their families. Finding child care can be challenging to parents/families.
The child care referral services include trained and experienced parent counselors with access to a database of all regulated child care programs in NYC. These counselors help parents to understand and navigate New York City’s complex child care delivery system. When parents have children with special needs or any other developmental issues, parent counselors can help families wade through the different types of child care, the locations and how to access those programs. Issues like cost, location and hours are a big part of how families make the decision for the care they want for their child.
Finally, CCR&Rs help the general public understand the world of child care by making information available about topics like:
Ways to identify program quality and whether a program meets regulatory requirements
Types of child care for various ages of children , including summer camps
Children’s’ health and wellness activities and resources
The need for child care services in various communities
CCR&Rs collaborate with community based agencies, to bring that information to communities in various languages such as Spanish, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Russian and French. CCR&Rs also work closely with city agencies like the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and the Administration for Children’s Services to keep current with regulations and how the city is handling access to subsidized child care. Written materials, outreach activities and community based presentations are all strategies that the CCR&Rs use to promote child care services and show how they fit together to help communities stabilize To contact the Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies in New York City call this toll-free number: 1-888-469-5559 for more details about CCR&R resources go to http://www.childcarebusinessconnections.com/
Child Care Inc.
Child Development Support Corporation
Chinese American Planning Council
Committee for Hispanic Children and Families
Day Care Council of New York City
These agencies are funded by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, help us all understand what it means to provide child care services that are accessible, affordable and of good quality. For child care programs CCR&Rs provide a wealth of resources: Start-up grants are available to assist new programs with initial supplies and materials that can build health and safety standards into the program.
Technical assistance is offered to help programs stay in compliance with regulations and understand the requirements of opening and maintaining a quality early childhood program. CCR&Rs are places where programs can participate in activities that help link them to resources in the field.
Training to help child care providers focus on health, safety and other program compliance areas, like child abuse and maltreatment, program recordkeeping and program development topics. The CCR&R programs have calendars of their training schedules as well as other services and activities. Training includes the New York State mandated health and safety training and the medication administration training. The training offered by the CCR&Rs is part of a career development ladder that aims to professionalize child care staff and create a cadre of caretakers who understand the development of children and develop best practices in their interaction with children and their families. Finding child care can be challenging to parents/families.
The child care referral services include trained and experienced parent counselors with access to a database of all regulated child care programs in NYC. These counselors help parents to understand and navigate New York City’s complex child care delivery system. When parents have children with special needs or any other developmental issues, parent counselors can help families wade through the different types of child care, the locations and how to access those programs. Issues like cost, location and hours are a big part of how families make the decision for the care they want for their child.
Finally, CCR&Rs help the general public understand the world of child care by making information available about topics like:
Ways to identify program quality and whether a program meets regulatory requirements
Types of child care for various ages of children , including summer camps
Children’s’ health and wellness activities and resources
The need for child care services in various communities
CCR&Rs collaborate with community based agencies, to bring that information to communities in various languages such as Spanish, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Russian and French. CCR&Rs also work closely with city agencies like the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and the Administration for Children’s Services to keep current with regulations and how the city is handling access to subsidized child care. Written materials, outreach activities and community based presentations are all strategies that the CCR&Rs use to promote child care services and show how they fit together to help communities stabilize To contact the Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies in New York City call this toll-free number: 1-888-469-5559 for more details about CCR&R resources go to http://www.childcarebusinessconnections.com/
Monday, April 7, 2008
Staff Development
Just because we have strong business skills doesn’t necessarily mean that we have strong supervisory skills. Actually we may be at our best, and feel most comfortable when working alone. Usually however as our business grows we have no choice but to bring on employees.
Of course our first task when we bring on a new employee is to share our vision and mission. We want them to know, not guess, what we are about. But the next steps are just as crucial.
In our role as supervisor and manager we are responsible for moving our employees, as well as ourselves, towards the goals and objectives of our business. It is always the wrong choice not to put in the time and energy that is required to provide orientation, training, ongoing supervision and motivation to new employees. After all people can only do what is expected of them if we let them know what we expect. It is unfair to our employees not to receive guidance and direction from us.
We should also understand that each unsuccessful hire costs us time and money, because we then have to start over with the recruitment, interviewing and hiring process. Actually if we have too much staff turnover our business may develop a reputation as an un-friendly work place. That could work against us because the best prepared people may have doubts about working for us.
If you are a person who has difficulty speaking openly and directly to people about correcting their mistakes, you should push yourself to be more assertive. Remember that it is a business relationship and the sooner you and the employee are on the same page about expectations, the greater the chances are for a productive relationship going forward. Below are several behaviors that all managers and supervisors should try to cultivate:
Demonstrate an attitude of openness and willingness to explain and answer job related questions; let the employee know that if you don’t know the answer you will find it and get back to him or her;
Encourage workers to work independently without bothering you every minute, but check up on him or her regularly to make sure that they are on the right track;
Allow workers to work in their own style as long as they are producing the results that you want and are not offending co-workers, or clients (the children or the parents);
Don’t forget to verbally acknowledge good job performance;
Try to remain objective and don’t show favoritism for one worker over another;
Never talk about another worker’s job performance with another worker; we should always speak one on one with the person in question;
Avoid making general statements to the whole staff in order to get a point across to one or two people; that is a disservice to those who are performing well;
When we are having a bad day we shouldn’t take out our frustrations on our staff and bring down the spirits of the whole workplace, we should excuse ourselves and have some alone time until we can pull it together. No matter what we think, tension among staff can be felt by the children and the parents; making for an uncomfortable time for everyone.
Make no mistake about it, most of us aren’t born with the ability to effectively supervise groups of people. It takes self discipline, focused organization, objectivity, a clear sense of purpose and the ability to be supportive while maintaining professional boundaries.
Of course our first task when we bring on a new employee is to share our vision and mission. We want them to know, not guess, what we are about. But the next steps are just as crucial.
In our role as supervisor and manager we are responsible for moving our employees, as well as ourselves, towards the goals and objectives of our business. It is always the wrong choice not to put in the time and energy that is required to provide orientation, training, ongoing supervision and motivation to new employees. After all people can only do what is expected of them if we let them know what we expect. It is unfair to our employees not to receive guidance and direction from us.
We should also understand that each unsuccessful hire costs us time and money, because we then have to start over with the recruitment, interviewing and hiring process. Actually if we have too much staff turnover our business may develop a reputation as an un-friendly work place. That could work against us because the best prepared people may have doubts about working for us.
If you are a person who has difficulty speaking openly and directly to people about correcting their mistakes, you should push yourself to be more assertive. Remember that it is a business relationship and the sooner you and the employee are on the same page about expectations, the greater the chances are for a productive relationship going forward. Below are several behaviors that all managers and supervisors should try to cultivate:
Demonstrate an attitude of openness and willingness to explain and answer job related questions; let the employee know that if you don’t know the answer you will find it and get back to him or her;
Encourage workers to work independently without bothering you every minute, but check up on him or her regularly to make sure that they are on the right track;
Allow workers to work in their own style as long as they are producing the results that you want and are not offending co-workers, or clients (the children or the parents);
Don’t forget to verbally acknowledge good job performance;
Try to remain objective and don’t show favoritism for one worker over another;
Never talk about another worker’s job performance with another worker; we should always speak one on one with the person in question;
Avoid making general statements to the whole staff in order to get a point across to one or two people; that is a disservice to those who are performing well;
When we are having a bad day we shouldn’t take out our frustrations on our staff and bring down the spirits of the whole workplace, we should excuse ourselves and have some alone time until we can pull it together. No matter what we think, tension among staff can be felt by the children and the parents; making for an uncomfortable time for everyone.
Make no mistake about it, most of us aren’t born with the ability to effectively supervise groups of people. It takes self discipline, focused organization, objectivity, a clear sense of purpose and the ability to be supportive while maintaining professional boundaries.
Systems Development for Small Businesses
Think about putting structures in place and developing polices to support and guide the operations of your small business. This is an important first step in business planning. It is up to you and partners if you have them, to set the tone and establish operating principles for your business. For example, something as simple as how your mail is received and processed needs a little thought and some rules established. Is one person designated to receive the mail for your business and make sure that it is given to you directly or put in a safe location for you to retrieve later, or is the receipt of incoming mail left to chance? If someone is designated to receive your mail are you comfortable with them opening it? How do you ensure that important mail will get to the right parties within your business, such as the accountant or the person who handles the money and pays the bills, if that person is not you? Do you have a method for acknowledging or logging the dates that you received important mail? Do you see what I’m driving at? Putting a system in place for the receipt and processing of business mail establishes some rules that all can follow; cutting down on the potential for loss or misplacement of important and time sensitive documents. Think about every area of your business where you need things done a certain way and develop some written rules and guidelines for all to follow; you should put these rules in writing as appoint of reference. There are many articles, books or consultants that can help you to set up operating systems for your business.
Financial Management 101
Let’s face it, the only way that we can hope to keep our child care business up and running is through savvy financial management. Basic operating cost for child care programs, including overhead, are very high contrasted to the fees that we may be able to charge parents, depending on our location and mix of services.
Child Care is a business that is labor intensive and highly regulated. What I mean by that is that the ratio of children to adults is very high with the minimum standards prescribed by government regulations. Often quality programs seek to exceed the child to adult ratio in regulations.
Facility and space requirements are also dictated by regulations from both the NYC Department of Health and the NYC Department of Buildings. Once we get past providing home based care, very few facilities in New York City lend themselves for use as child care programs. For basic facility and space requirements for child care programs in NYC go to: childcarebusinessconnections.com and look under “Resources.”
Of course Family Child Care and Group Family Child Care programs have the least amount of overhead since most are operating from their homes, but of course their income is limited by the number of children that they are permitted to care for. In addition, Group Family Child Care providers are required to have an additional person working with them, which is potentially an additional cost that should be factored into their budget. The other person might be a partner, a family member or an employee but it’s important that the person is appropriate to be around children.
Making sure that you have created a realistic budget is the first and most important step in making the decision to open or expand a child care program. Next you should explore how much you will be able to earn in child care fees. What are parents paying other programs in your neighborhood? The reason that you want to check in your own neighborhood is because you need to know the going rate in your locale. Even if you have a friend in another part of the city that’s providing child care, he or she may charge a higher or lower fee depending on the economic conditions and the need for care in their neighborhood.
If you are starting a Family or Group Family Child Care program you will still want to know how much you are likely to be able to charge in fees to earn a decent income but keep your program competitive with others in your neighborhood. You should also try to get information about the need or demand for child care in your neighborhood. To get information about how to do a child care marketing survey for your neighborhood, go to the childcarebusinessconnections.com website and look under “Resources”.
If you are starting a center based program, you should make two budgets. One will be for one time start up cost and the other should be a twelve month budget for ongoing operating cost. In the one time start up budget include cost for consultants to help you price out your start-up cost and develop your budgets based on child care program requirements and regulations. However I suggest that before hiring any consultants that you go to childcarebusinessconnections.com website and download the free booklet: “Twelve Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring Consultants.”
Not only will your budgets guide you in projecting your cost, it will also become a part of the business plan that you may want to present to potential funders, lenders or investors to help you to get your business up and operating.
Child Care is a business that is labor intensive and highly regulated. What I mean by that is that the ratio of children to adults is very high with the minimum standards prescribed by government regulations. Often quality programs seek to exceed the child to adult ratio in regulations.
Facility and space requirements are also dictated by regulations from both the NYC Department of Health and the NYC Department of Buildings. Once we get past providing home based care, very few facilities in New York City lend themselves for use as child care programs. For basic facility and space requirements for child care programs in NYC go to: childcarebusinessconnections.com and look under “Resources.”
Of course Family Child Care and Group Family Child Care programs have the least amount of overhead since most are operating from their homes, but of course their income is limited by the number of children that they are permitted to care for. In addition, Group Family Child Care providers are required to have an additional person working with them, which is potentially an additional cost that should be factored into their budget. The other person might be a partner, a family member or an employee but it’s important that the person is appropriate to be around children.
Making sure that you have created a realistic budget is the first and most important step in making the decision to open or expand a child care program. Next you should explore how much you will be able to earn in child care fees. What are parents paying other programs in your neighborhood? The reason that you want to check in your own neighborhood is because you need to know the going rate in your locale. Even if you have a friend in another part of the city that’s providing child care, he or she may charge a higher or lower fee depending on the economic conditions and the need for care in their neighborhood.
If you are starting a Family or Group Family Child Care program you will still want to know how much you are likely to be able to charge in fees to earn a decent income but keep your program competitive with others in your neighborhood. You should also try to get information about the need or demand for child care in your neighborhood. To get information about how to do a child care marketing survey for your neighborhood, go to the childcarebusinessconnections.com website and look under “Resources”.
If you are starting a center based program, you should make two budgets. One will be for one time start up cost and the other should be a twelve month budget for ongoing operating cost. In the one time start up budget include cost for consultants to help you price out your start-up cost and develop your budgets based on child care program requirements and regulations. However I suggest that before hiring any consultants that you go to childcarebusinessconnections.com website and download the free booklet: “Twelve Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring Consultants.”
Not only will your budgets guide you in projecting your cost, it will also become a part of the business plan that you may want to present to potential funders, lenders or investors to help you to get your business up and operating.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
ACS - Brooklyn: Day Care Center Closings
News Alert!!!
Last week a realiable source informed me that they heard that the Child Care union, local 1707, announced that about half of the child day care centers in Brooklyn may be closed by the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS).
The city is suppose to announce the specific zip codes that the centers are located in sometimes this week. The 1707 representative also announced that there is a rally tentatively scheduled for April 10th or 11th.
We will keep you posted as we learn more.
Last week a realiable source informed me that they heard that the Child Care union, local 1707, announced that about half of the child day care centers in Brooklyn may be closed by the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS).
The city is suppose to announce the specific zip codes that the centers are located in sometimes this week. The 1707 representative also announced that there is a rally tentatively scheduled for April 10th or 11th.
We will keep you posted as we learn more.
News Alert!!!
Last week a realiable source informed me that they heard that the Child Care union, local 1707, announced that about half of the child day care centers in Brooklyn may be closed by the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). The city is suppose to announce the specific zip codes that the centers are located in sometimes this week.
The 1707 representative also announced that there is a rally tentatively scheduled for April 10th or 11th. We will keep you posted as we learn more.
The 1707 representative also announced that there is a rally tentatively scheduled for April 10th or 11th. We will keep you posted as we learn more.
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