Child Care Business Cohorts

Cohorts Improve Child Care Businesses

Overview of our Approach

Since 1991, First Children’s Finance has been convening groups of family child care owners and child care center entrepreneurs, generally referred to as cohorts. Cohorts bring together similar-sized child care businesses in a peer group and match the group with training, consultation, coaching, and technical assistance.

Cohorts are available for every type and size or child care business, from start up businesses to cohorts designed to improve specific business improvement areas. Cohorts may also focus on a specific issue: increasing teacher compensation, expansion or a business, or creating a comprehensive marketing plan.

Want to learn more? Contact your state office to learn more about current cohort enrollment!

Community Conversations for Early Childhood Entrepreneurs

Community Conversations for Early Childhood Entrepreneurs is a peer networking and resource group for entrepreneurs of color who currently own a child care business or are interested in starting a new child care business. You will meet with your cohort to share experiences, engage with BIPOC community leaders, and work through structural barriers that people of color often face as business owners. You will have the opportunity to participate in discussions about personal finance, access to capital, wealth-building, barriers to child care facilities and housing, and importantly, facing historical and racial trauma. You will work with a First Children’s Finance consultant to design and implement a Financial Action Plan relevant to your child care business.

Economic Recovery Cohorts

The global health pandemic revealed the instability of many child care businesses. As child care entrepreneurs rebuild from the devastation, the Economic Recovery Cohort can help you to create realistic financial models for lower enrollment, establish hiring and staffing plans, and develop a roadmap to financial recovery. You will receive training, consultation and planning expertise to rebuild your enrollment, leverage federal relief investments, and make decisions that lead to your  business recovering its sustainability.

Business Leadership Cohorts

The Business Leadership Cohort provides center directors and family child care owners with the opportunity to learn about the basics of business related to their child care program. As a participant, you will learn about the child care business model, the importance of managing enrollment, and developing policies and procedures to improve financial performance. You will have access to a thorough financial analysis of your business operations, with recommendations for improvements. Participants regularly report making significant changes to their business that result in profitability.

Growth Fund Cohorts

The Growth Fund Program is an opportunity for child care directors, owners and family child care owners to write their own business plan within a highly supportive cohort program. At no cost, participants receive group business training, group and one-on-one consulting, and a small grant to begin implementing the goals from their business plan.