On a Saturday morning in June, “Pomp and Circumstance” filled the solarium at the Discovery Science Center and Planetarium in Bridgeport as 20 women, one by one, filed in to receive certificates after 10 intensive weeks of business classes.
Graduates of the program will go on to run small businesses from their homes that are the backbone of Connecticut’s economy. Some are already up and running, and others are planning to start up soon in a sector where they are in high demand: child care.
“You provide a key service that enables communities to thrive,” Jill Keating Herbst of All Our Kin, the nonprofit behind the business training program, told the graduates in her welcome address.
“You’re the teachers. You’re the chief financial officer. You’re the head chef,” Herbst said, pausing for effect. “You’re the community relations officer, the parent engagement specialist, the gardener, the maintenance staff, the nurse.”
Connecticut’s early childhood education and care sector, which supports thousands of working parents across the state, takes many forms, from personal nannies to state-funded daycares with multiple classrooms.
Most operators in the sector are private, but they derive their revenue from state-funded Care 4 Kids vouchers and federal programs like Head Start, which cover some or all of the cost of child care for low-income parents. Running a child care business of any size is a complicated business: managing government subsidy programs, ensuring parents pay their required contributions and, in some cases, raising funds to fill the gaps.
Connecticut’s 1,800 family child care workers, who typically care for six to nine children – and whose homes double as daycares – must also be extremely flexible.
Many child care centres offer overnight and weekend care for children whose parents work irregular hours. They are located in their communities and speak multiple languages. They often help parents understand and apply for subsidy programs by assisting with paperwork. If a family is excluded from a program, child care providers help them find another program.
“We are the main base for parents to go to work, safe and confident that they are leaving their children in a safe and secure place,” said Angélica Cervantes, a Waterbury operator who has participated in several All Our Kin programs — including this year’s Business Series — since its launch in 2015.
“We are, as they called us during the pandemic, essential workers,” Cervantes said.
This can make it difficult for these small businesses to make a profit or even break even. But the financial health and stability of the child care system is essential for working parents and, therefore, for the employers who rely on them.
That’s why All Our Kin offers business and accounting programs, Keating Herbst said in an interview.
“By learning these business skills, teachers are able to run their businesses more effectively and, ideally, grow them to a point where they can support their families and continue to provide that support to their community,” she said. “Like any business, if it’s not managed well, it runs the risk of not being successful.”
All of All Our Kin’s programs are free for in-home child care providers. The organization helps startups get licensed, often visiting providers in their homes to help them set up the space. It offers workshops and coaching on child development, literacy, special needs, and other educational topics.
When ready, teachers can take the 10-week Business Series, which is more than three hours per week of classes on marketing, tax recordkeeping, contracts, risk management and basic accounting. (A complementary three-week accounting course is available as an add-on.) The organization also helps teachers find and apply for grant programs to help them upgrade or expand their facilities.
In Connecticut, approximately 650 providers have completed All Our Kin’s business training.
It’s not easy. Qualified educators, some of whom have years of experience working with children and families, are not always enthusiastic about taking on this type of course.
“At first, I wasn’t willing to do it at all,” said Marcia Colón, addressing her fellow graduates with a smile at the ceremony. “I was completely lost when faced with many concepts.”
But that has changed, she said, crediting the instructors and their patience. “I gained a better understanding of what I will be doing on a day-to-day basis and how to run this business,” she said. “Not only has it prepared me to be successful with my daycare, but it has also taught me soft skills that I can apply over the years.”
Patricia Santos, a teacher and coach in All Our Kin’s bilingual business programs, said all of the educators she’s worked with in the two years since she arrived have stayed in business. And many of them have plans to expand.
“We see them grow,” Santos said. “We’re there with them when they open their doors, when they have one child, when they have two, three, and they reach full capacity six months later.”
All Our Kin training often lasts several months, Santos says. And many graduates continue their professional development by taking additional courses. Some, including Cervantes, who has been working since 2015, are training to become instructors themselves.
Educators also build strong connections with each other through this experience, developing a professional network they can call on for resources or simply chat on WhatsApp during nap time.
This is an important aspect in a sector like childcare, which can often be isolating. And it is essential for the sustainability of these small businesses.
“The best part is that it’s a continuous support,” said Janelle Cooper, one of this spring’s Business Series graduates. “No matter what challenges we face, we’re able to come back.”
Cooper raised her children alone and often struggled financially during her younger years. Now that her children are older, she felt the need to support single mothers in their early adult years. She hopes to open a business that provides shelter for mothers and child care, allowing young women to pursue their dreams. “I try to give back and be a resource,” she said.
At the same time, All Our Kin’s coaching and support will help Cooper do her dream a reality.
“They’ve now become the community that we can go to for the resources that we need,” Cooper said. “And I’m thrilled about that.”
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