Just about any provider could benefit from developing a library of resources to help build their business. In this post, I want to give you more than a few really good books specifically for building a thriving child care business. So here are some must-have books for growing your child care business.
5 Must-Have Books for Providers
1. How to Start a Home-Based Daycare Business
When I was considering opening a child care one of the first things I did was to purchase How to Start a Home-Based Daycare Business. In this book, I got some very good advice even before I started my business. I really appreciate books that provide ready-to-go templates that anyone can basically copy and use. My first contract, handbook, flyers, etc. were pulled from templates in the book. I have to say I still refer to this book and I have even repurchased the newer editions over the years. It’s sort of like my users manual for the child care business. This is a definite MUST-HAVE book in a provider’s library.
2. Dollars & Sense: Planning for Profit in Your Child Care Business
Dollars & Sense: Planning for Profit in Your Child Care Business walks you through a simulated course in planning how to build a for profitable child care business. Chapters 1-12 are presented as lessons for a provider to assess many different aspects of their child care business. Essentials like contracts, rates, record keeping, and marketing are covered in this invaluable resource. It’s a self-study curriculum designed for small child care businesses. I particularly like that it has a whole lesson devoted to becoming an “assertive child care provider”.
These are my go-to, must-have books for child care
3. Family Child Care Contracts and Policies
This one of the most comprehensive family child care (daycare) contract books available. Now in the third edition, the Family Child Care Contract and Policies is completely revised with easy to use, customizable forms and worksheets. This is a true MUST-HAVE book and resource that child care providers need to establish and enforce contracts and policies and to demonstrate provider professionalism.
Related Reading:
4. The Ultimate Child Care Marketing Guide: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Success
Built around what is described as the four pillars of marketing—metrics, market, message, and media— this is a comprehensive resource that is filled with guidance and advice from an experienced child care business coach and marketing consultant. The Ultimate Child Care Marketing Guide helps child care center directors and family child care owners manage and grow their child care business, find and retain the best customers and keep their program fully enrolled. This guide is filled with many tools, exercises, and case studies, that will help early childhood professionals create a marketing plan, analyze strategies, improve customer and staff retention, and more.
5. Little Backbone Book
This book is written with the everyday frustrations of family child care providers in mind. This is essentially a guide for creating a plan for effective parent communication. The Little Backbone Book offers practical easy notes to communicate with clients. I love making things easier for providers so I created a collection of 18 short notes to parents — I call them my backbone, well the book is called the LITTLE BACKBONE BOOK. The notes in the book are created to make communications with parents a little lot easier. Mostly they consist of just short, straight-to-the-point notes that get your policies across. Many can be just copied and pasted into a quick email or text, as is. Easily customized, they are GOOD, QUICK but effective confident communications that parents will respond to.
Related Reading:
So there you have some must-have books for child care providers. These resources would serve both a new and a veteran provider with a starter library of business building books.
