Transcript Presenters and

“ If you want to go fast, go alone.
If you want to go far, go together. ”
~ African proverb
Northern Virginia
Early Learning
Shared Services Alliance
Sharing together in business
services for stronger and
more efficient Child Care
Centers
Better … Together…
Presenters and
co-founders
Linda Dunphy,
MSW
Julie Shuell, MPA
Combined 40+ years of early childhood
programming, nonprofit management, and
leadership experience on national, state, and
local region.
What is a Shared Services Alliance?
Partnership of small businesses
(nonprofit or not-for-profit) within an
industry or sector working together to
share costs and deliver services in a
more streamlined and efficient
approach.
What is a Early Learning – Child Care Shared
Services Alliance?
Centers choosing to come together to share
business & professional development functions
by creating back office alliances.
To strengthen business practices and enhance
program quality toward the best early learning
and care possible for children.
Child Care Alliance Common Purpose
Range of business models with a common purpose
– strengthen child care businesses so more efficient &
financially sustaining
– positioned to deliver higher quality education & care
for children.
Ultimately child care center staff more focused on important
work of educating and caring for children.
Key Challenges
• Running a child care program requires two
completely different skill sets:
– it’s a business and has to keep the doors open
– Specialized in the professional discipline of caring
for and educating young children.
• Challenging to be excellent in both areas when
a small business
– Possessing extensive skills or staffing
– Limitations to scaling up to become more efficient
in their administrative functions.
The Cost-Quality Gap
• Higher quality ECE costs more than most
families can afford
• Market-based ECE encourages price
competition – low tuition fees –which
discourages investments in quality
• Many ECE expenses are fixed costs(e.g., by
regulation or industry practices).
Roots of Challenge
1. Abilities to gain advantages of economies
of scale, and maintain accessibility, size,
location and operating hours for families.
2. Center Directors frequently isolated,
overburdened with administrative and
program functions and work long hours –
Jill of all Trades
The Many Roles of an ECE Director
The Answer Is Not Just Money: It’s a
Paradigm Shift
Investing in management or administrative capacity in child
care offers significant dividends in improved child
outcomes.
• Forge new alliances within the industry – to gain
economies of scale but keep the benefits of small sites
• Reduces costs in administrative functions and expenses
redirecting savings into program enhancements.
• Unburdens the Center leadership from administrative
roles typically found least desirable as well as introduce
more business-savvy administrative practices.
How Does Shared Services
Improve Quality?
• Enhances working conditions, wages
and benefits for staff.
• Pedagogical leadership improves for
teacher mentors, coaches, and
communities of practice.
• Technology tools to streamline
business and help teachers plan
curriculum, tailor it to each child and
individualize teaching. Technology can
support outcomes tracking, generate
data to continuously improve classes,
site and administrative quality.
Forge Alliances
to Share Costs & Services
• Management/Administration (e.g. team of
directors/supervisors)
• Fiscal (Billing and Fee Collection
• Marketing
• Fundraising
• Human Resources & Staffing
• Purchasing goods & services
• Food Services
• Quality Support (QRIS, curriculum, child
assessments, etc.)
• Health/Mental Health/Family Support
Benefits -- Time & Money Reinvested
• Time saved via more efficient administrative
practices
• $ saved via discounted purchasing
• $ earned via improved billing
• $ earned via increased enrollment
• Stronger Team of Professionals
• Better Cash Flow and Fiscal Stability
• Stronger Fundraising
• Better Working Conditions
for Staff
• Better Quality Services
New Business Models:
Administrative Structures
• ECE Program Alliance – Independent ECE businesses
contract with common administrative agency
(Chattanooga, TN; Columbus, OH; Colorado ELAs)
• ECE Consortium – Group of providers merge into single
non-profit (Seattle, WA)
• ECE Provider Trust – Group of providers form Trust,
which contracts with administrative agency (Fairfax, VA)
• ECE Cooperative – Jointly owned entity
A Potential ECE Network
Research & Development:
Information Technology,
data collection & analysis, etc.
Bulk Purchase of
Goods and Services
Comprehensive Services:
health, mental health,
social services, family
support
Happy
Acres Day
Care
Green
Hills Child
Care
Center
Tender
Tots PreSchool
Network
Hub
(Shared Staff)
Annie’s
Nursery
School
Classroom Supports: mentor
teachers, classroom
assessments, QRIS support,
etc.
Administrative Services: payroll,
billing, fee collection, marketing,
tax/finance support, etc.
Mary’s
Family
Child
Care
Home
The
Newberry
After
School
Program
Human Resources
including health &
retirement benefits,
Unemployment Insurance,
etc.
Staff Recruitment &
Screening, including
substitutes
Fundraising and Fund
Development (from public
and private sources)
A Potential ECE Network
Happy Acres Day Care
Payroll, billing, fee
collection, etc.
Green Hills Child
Care Center
Research &
Development
Network
Hub
Tender Tots Pre-School
Shared Staff: health,
MH, SS, family
support, etc.
Employee Benefits
Pre-K Class at
Lakewood
Elementary
Wage Subsidies /
Employment Tax
Credits
Staff Recruitment &
Screening
Briarwood CCR&R
QRIS Support
Annie’s Nursery
School
The Newberry
After School
Program
Mary’s Family
Child Care Home
Growing Philanthropic Engagement
Annie E. Casey Foundation
David and Laura Merage Foundation
William Penn Foundation
Miriam and Peter Haas Fund
Goizuetta Foundation
United Way in CO, IA, NH, OH, TN, WA,
Community Development Agencies
….and many other local funders
Getting Started
Examples from new Alliances
 Philadelphia
 Atlanta
 Colorado
Philadelphia
Shared Services on the Web
• Led by Delaware Valley AEYC
• Web platform (ECE Shared Resources) from CCA Global
• Goal is to reach scale in center participation
Shared Services in Depth
• Led by Philadelphia Health Management Corporation
• Back-office fiscal management (automated system)
• Additional management supports (automated staff scheduling,
staff recruitment/screening, etc.)
Strategic links to Keystone Stars (QRIS)
Start-up Funding from the William Penn Foundation
Atlanta
Shared Services on the Web
•
•
•
Led by Quality Care for Children (QCC)
Web platform (possibly customized version of ECE Resources site)
Goal is to reach scale with centers, working collaboratively with other CCR&Rs
Shared Services in Atlanta Metro
•
•
Coordinated by QCC in partnership with others
Services to be determined but could include: mentor teachers, classroom assessments, TA
visits, affinity groups, child assessment, centralized staff/sub recruitment, training and
screening, food program sponsor for small centers
Peer to Peer Shared Services in Atlanta Metro
•
•
QCC will help match needs/resources and foster shared strategies
Services to be determined but could include: fiscal management; bookkeeping and
accounting, child and family comprehensive services, food preparation, transportation,
marketing, family enrollment and referral management, janitorial and maintenance
services
Start-up Supported by the Annie E. Casey and Goizueta Foundations
Colorado
Early Learning Ventures (ELV) is a private operating
foundation – established by the David and Laura
Merage Foundation that focuses on operational
efficiencies in the early care and education industry.
ELV Alliance Benefits
• Legal Structure and Documents
• Business operations/Financial modeling
templates
• Start-up technical assistance
• ELVA Marketing Templates and Brand
Recognition
• ELV IT Platform-Services/Supports
• Centralized relationship with Child Care
Licensing
• Policy & Finance Reform
• Quality Rating Improvement System Supports
Procurement and
Cost Savings
Tiny
Blessings
Child Care
Green Hills
Child Care
Center
Quality Improvement
& Professional
Development
Tender Tots
Preschool
Human Resources
& Employee
Benefits
Tuition and
Subsidies
Collection
Alliance
The
Newberry
After School
Program
Annie’s
Nursery
School
Business
Operations &
Shared Staff
Mary’s Family
Child Care
Home
Marketing &
Family
Recruitment
Maintain records on a
IT Platform for strea
efficiencies
• “The ELVA technology has easily saved our five member staff an average
of 25 to 30 hours a week in paperwork. We can spend much more quality
time with the children, more face time with the babies, and more time to
engage the parents and tell them how their kids are doing.”
– Ty Johnson, ELVA Affiliate, Program Director, Baby Haven
“My center is licensed for 300 parttime children, 130 per day, and I am
on track to save $50,000 in my first
year with ELVA.”
– Brian Scott Conly, Executive Director, ELVA
@ Bal Swan Child Care Center
Weaving our gifts, we nurture teachers and
directors so students can thrive.
Together we are better!
www.soundchildcare.org
Professional
Development
Accreditation
&
Pedagogical
Leadership
Undoing
Institutional
Racism
Relief Squad
& Teacher
Recruitment
Sound
Technology
R&D
SCCS
Better
Together
HR and
Benefits
Management
Financial
Management
Joint
Purchasing
Resource
Development
Director
Training &
Support
SCCS Center Responsibilities
• Directors remain in charge of day-to-day
operations
• Hire and fire center staff
• Classroom planning and curriculum
implementation
• Relationships with parents, including billing
• Child assessment, classroom and teacher
evaluation
• Daily staffing to ensure ratios
• Enrollment
Early Learning Connections
Meeting
Month 0th, 2011
Nashville, Tennessee
The PA Shared Source Initiative
(PASSI)
Planting the Seeds for
New Hampshire’s
Prosperity
Building the Seacoast Early
Learning Alliance
October 4, 2011
Jackie Cowell, Co-Chair
Seacoast Early Learning Alliance
c/o Early Learning NH
Two Delta Drive, Concord, NH 03301
An Alliance in Northern Virginia?
• Is their an interest and need among enough
Centers to take the next step.
• Knowing needs and wants helps you design
a product of value to the customer
• Understanding the customer’s ideas,
attitudes and beliefs
• Organizing an effort to build the right
business model design
LISTENING: How?
HOW
• Surveys
• Focus Groups
• Interviews
• Provider Councils
We love to know
your thoughts
and questions!