Child Care Business Development Center
The Vermont Community Loan Fund is dedicated to increasing the
capacity, accessibility, and quality of child care in Vermont by
financing the improvement of home and center-based facilities.
Program Priorities & Eligibility
The Child Care Business Development Center (CCBDC) provides
technical assistance (TA) to child care providers who want to
start or improve a child care business. The aspects of your
program we can help you develop include, but are not limited to:
Administrative and Organizational
- developing a resource team, identifying professional
resources/services, establishing personnel criteria and creating
an employee handbook, identifying individual strengths and
weaknesses;
Financial Plan
- financial goals, cash flow projections, start-up costs and
financial assumptions, bookkeeping activities, exit strategy;
Services and Products
- what services will be provided, days/hours of operation, any
unique services, identifying limitations and expectations, payment
plans and fee schedules, discharge policy;
Marketing Plan
- industry, competition, market and pricing profiles, promotional
strategies, locations;
Operating & Control Systems
- admissions guidelines, policies and procedures, health and
safety policies, fire and natural disaster planning and
procedures, documentation and controls, environmental safety
factors, nutrition policy/sample menu, parents handbook;
Children's Needs
- discipline policy, transportation and field trip policy,
incident reporting;
Forms
- child information/enrollment, emergency contacts and pick
up/drop off, child profile, medical record form, authorization for
medical treatment, travel and activity authorization, picture
permission, injury report, discipline report, sign in/sign out
sheet, meal record form, daily record; and
Facility Design & Layout
- consultation, site visits, tools, playground safety.
Often accomplished one-on-one and on-site, the CCBDC's TA can
incorporate training, mentoring and peer support. We'll contract
with or make referrals to outside services and expertise as
necessary to ensure the highest quality of support for the
providers accessing the CCBDC.
Priority will be given to programs and providers who:
·
Participate in a local provider network;
·
Plan to attain
NAEYC or
NAFCCA accreditation;
·
Participate in
STARS;
·
Strive to pay an average wage at least $1 above the
industry average, and at least $2 above the statewide minimum wage
and
·
Ensure staffing turnover will be minimal: less than
15% annually, or less than half the industry average.
All child care programs that operate under the regulations of the
Vermont Child Care Licensing Division are eligible for TA from
VCLF's Child Care Business Development Center. This includes
licensed centers, as well as licensed and registered home-based
programs. We welcome inquiries from programs and individuals
currently considering or in the process of becoming licensed and
registered.
