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MFCN - The Montana Family Childcare Network

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MFCN - The Montana Family Childcare Network

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MFCN - The Montana Family Childcare Network

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The Montana Family Childcare Network is a collaboration of early childhood interests, who represent Montana's Family Childcare Educators and advocates with united voices on behalf of all children, families, and family childcare educators, to promote and encourage quality professional family childcare and early education through professional education, mentoring, and advocacy.

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Raise Montana In Home Child Care Financial Toolkit 

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Raise Montana In Home Child Care Financial Toolkit 

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Raise Montana In Home Child Care Financial Toolkit 

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Small Business Development Centers of Montana

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Small Business Development Centers of Montana

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The Montana SBDC network is managed by the Lead Center, located at the Montana Department of Commerce in Helena. The Lead Center supervises 10 regional headquarters around the state. Choose your region on our map, then contact your local SBDC Advisor for free business advising. You may also download a PDF version of our map to print.
Request Assistance
Please choose your corresponding region on our interactive map or from the choices below:
Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Great Falls, Havre, Helena, Kalispell, Miles City, Missoula or Wolf Point.

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The Small Business Development Center network supports individuals looking to start a new business or expand an existing business. Ten centers around the state focus on one on one counseling in financial analysis, business planning, training and workshops and loan packaging to help small businesses achieve their goals of growth, expansion, innovation and success.

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Finding The Right Tax Professional - Taking Care of Business

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Finding The Right Tax Professional - Taking Care of Business

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I often hear family child care providers ask at my workshops, "How can I find a tax preparer who understands my business?"Here are some tips on where to look:

The National Association of Enrolled Agents has a listing of their members on their website. An Enrolled Agent (EA) is someone who has passed an IRS examination and is likely to be familiar with tax issues affecting small businesses such as yours. An EA can also represent you in the event of an IRS audit - 202-822-6232.

The National Association of Tax Professionals has a listing of their members on their website. Members of this professional association include individual tax preparers, EAs, accountants, attorneys and financial planners - 800-558-3402.

The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to low to moderate income taxpayers ($40,000 net income). Not all VITA sites will help you with your business tax forms. To find the VITA site closest to you, call 800-829-1040.

Ask these people for the names of tax professionals in your area: fellow providers, your local family child care association, and your local child care resource and referral agency.

Once you find a tax professional you want to feel confident that he or she is correctly filing your tax return. My book - the Family Child Care Tax Companion is designed for child care providers who use tax professionals. It is a series of worksheets tied to specific IRS tax forms that you can use to compare against what your tax professional puts on your tax return. It is the perfect tool to help you identify potential errors - before your taxes are filed - and contains help on resolving problems with your tax preparer.

This is the first of a three-part blog on how family child care providers can get help in filing their 2010 taxes. My next blog will be on Questions to Ask Your Tax Professional and the third blog will be on Should Family Child Care Providers Use Tax Software?

Tom Copeland - www.tomcopelandblog.com

Image credit: https://www.thumbtack.com/ga/alpharetta/tax-consultants/

For more information, see my book Family Child Care Tax Companion.

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Finding The Right Tax Professional - Taking Care of Business

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I often hear family child care providers ask at my workshops, "How can I find a tax preparer who understands my business?"Here are some tips on where to look: The National Association of Enrolled Agents has a listing of their members on their website. An Enrolled Agent (EA) is someone

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Ten Record Keeping and Tax Tips for the New Provider - Taking Care of Business

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Ten Record Keeping and Tax Tips for the New Provider - Taking Care of Business

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Family child care providers are self-employed taxpayers who must report their business income and expenses to the IRS. It is important to become familiar with all of the IRS requirements for filing your taxes. To help you prepare for this, here are ten record keeping and tax tips to help you as you start your new profession. By following these tips you will be better able to organize your records, claim the maximum legal deductions, and reduce your taxes.

Receipts Keep receipts for every business expense. Your goal should be to have receipts for every penny of your expenses. Because most of the costs to clean, maintain and repair your home can be partially deducted as a business expense (light bulbs, toilet paper, garbage bags, snow shovel, etc.), collect receipts whenever you go to the drugstore, hardware store, etc. Record on your calendar when you go on field trips or travel because of business. A canceled check may not be as acceptable to the IRS as a store receipt.

When can expenses be deducted?You must report all income from caring for children even if you do not meet or have not completed local regulation requirements. You should begin deducting business expenses as soon as you begin caring for your first child, even if you do not meet local regulations. The only expenses you cannot deduct if you do not meet local regulations are expenses connected with your house (utilities, insurance, taxes, interest, depreciation and repairs).

Food Expenses Because food costs will probably be your single biggest expense, you should begin keeping careful track of the number of meals you serve each day, including meals that are not reimbursed by the Food Program. Multiply these meal counts by the standard meal allowance rate to claim food expenses without having to keep any food receipts.

Monthly Review Do not wait until the end of the year to collect your receipts and other records. Conduct a monthly review to make sure you have everything in order. Keep your records in one place. Use envelopes to store receipts by category of expense. Make sure receipts are labeled and can be read. If you forgot to get a receipt or if you could not get one (parking meter, garage sale, etc.), make one of your own to remind you of the expense.

Estimated Tax You may have to pay some federal income tax before the end of the year. To find out if you must pay estimated tax, estimate your income and expenses through the end of the year. If you will owe $1,000 or more in taxes, you may have to pay in quarterly installments due April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15. There are a number of exceptions to this rule. See IRS Publication 505 Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax

Employees If you hire someone as a substitute or helper in your business, you should treat this person as an employee, which means you must withhold Social Security and income taxes for the employee and pay federal and state unemployment taxes. You may also need to purchase workers compensation insurance. Many providers treat helpers as independent contractors and do not withhold taxes, but this practice is not advisable. Only someone who is in the business of providing substitute care or is doing a special service could be considered an independent contractor.

Household Inventory Your house and items in your house that are used in your business are being worn out at a faster rate than if you were not doing family child care. As a result, you can deduct or depreciate a portion of the cost of these items that you owned before you went into business. Conduct a thorough room by room inventory and list every item (furniture, appliances, lawn mower, etc.) in your house. Consult the Inventory-Keeper for a room-by-room listing of items.

Year End Expenses Be aware that if you purchase 40% or more of items that last longer than one year during the last three months of the year, you may not get all the deductions for all of your capital expenses for that year. To avoid this "mid-quarter convention" rule, plan your purchases before October or after December. If you begin your business during the last quarter of the year, this rule will apply to you.

Time-Space Percentage The number that will probably make the greatest difference on your tax return is your Time-Space Percentage. You will use this percent to calculate how much of your expenses for business and personal use can be deducted as a business expense. The more hours you work and the more space you use in your home, the lower your taxes. Track all the hours children are present, from the moment the first child arrives until the last child leaves. Add to this all the hours you use your home for business when children are not present doing cleaning, cooking, preparing activities, record keeping, interviewing parents, etc. Track at least two months of these hours on a calendar

10. House ImprovementsYou should begin depreciating a portion of your house as a business expense. The amount of your house you can depreciate is based on the purchase price of your home (minus the value of the land) plus all home improvements made before you went into business. Go back and record all of your house improvements (new roof, furnace, remodeling, etc.). Save receipts. Get replacement receipts from contractors, if necessary. As a last resort, photograph the improvements and write down your best recollection of the cost and date it was done. Keep records of any house improvements you make after you start your business. When you sell your home, these home improvements may reduce the amount of taxes you may have to pay.Tom Copeland - www.tomcopelandblog.comImage credit: https://nara.getarchive.net/media/xenia-vazquez-a-family-child-care-provider-gives-5eac8a For more information, see my Family Child Care Record Keeping Guide.

Family child care providers are self-employed taxpayers who must report their business income and expenses to the IRS. It is important to become familiar with all of the IRS requirements for filing your taxes. To help you prepare for this, here are ten record keeping and tax tips to help you as you start your new profession. By following these tips you will be better able to organize your records, claim the maximum legal deductions, and reduce your taxes.

Receipts Keep receipts for every business expense. Your goal should be to have receipts for every penny of your expenses. Because most of the costs to clean, maintain and repair your home can be partially deducted as a business expense (light bulbs, toilet paper, garbage bags, snow shovel, etc.), collect receipts whenever you go to the drugstore, hardware store, etc. Record on your calendar when you go on field trips or travel because of business. A canceled check may not be as acceptable to the IRS as a store receipt.

When can expenses be deducted?You must report all income from caring for children even if you do not meet or have not completed local regulation requirements. You should begin deducting business expenses as soon as you begin caring for your first child, even if you do not meet local regulations. The only expenses you cannot deduct if you do not meet local regulations are expenses connected with your house (utilities, insurance, taxes, interest, depreciation and repairs).

Food Expenses Because food costs will probably be your single biggest expense, you should begin keeping careful track of the number of meals you serve each day, including meals that are not reimbursed by the Food Program. Multiply these meal counts by the standard meal allowance rate to claim food expenses without having to keep any food receipts.

Monthly Review Do not wait until the end of the year to collect your receipts and other records. Conduct a monthly review to make sure you have everything in order. Keep your records in one place. Use envelopes to store receipts by category of expense. Make sure receipts are labeled and can be read. If you forgot to get a receipt or if you could not get one (parking meter, garage sale, etc.), make one of your own to remind you of the expense.

Estimated Tax You may have to pay some federal income tax before the end of the year. To find out if you must pay estimated tax, estimate your income and expenses through the end of the year. If you will owe $1,000 or more in taxes, you may have to pay in quarterly installments due April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15. There are a number of exceptions to this rule. See IRS Publication 505 Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax

Employees If you hire someone as a substitute or helper in your business, you should treat this person as an employee, which means you must withhold Social Security and income taxes for the employee and pay federal and state unemployment taxes. You may also need to purchase workers compensation insurance. Many providers treat helpers as independent contractors and do not withhold taxes, but this practice is not advisable. Only someone who is in the business of providing substitute care or is doing a special service could be considered an independent contractor.

Household Inventory Your house and items in your house that are used in your business are being worn out at a faster rate than if you were not doing family child care. As a result, you can deduct or depreciate a portion of the cost of these items that you owned before you went into business. Conduct a thorough room by room inventory and list every item (furniture, appliances, lawn mower, etc.) in your house. Consult the Inventory-Keeper for a room-by-room listing of items.

Year End Expenses Be aware that if you purchase 40% or more of items that last longer than one year during the last three months of the year, you may not get all the deductions for all of your capital expenses for that year. To avoid this "mid-quarter convention" rule, plan your purchases before October or after December. If you begin your business during the last quarter of the year, this rule will apply to you.

Time-Space Percentage The number that will probably make the greatest difference on your tax return is your Time-Space Percentage. You will use this percent to calculate how much of your expenses for business and personal use can be deducted as a business expense. The more hours you work and the more space you use in your home, the lower your taxes. Track all the hours children are present, from the moment the first child arrives until the last child leaves. Add to this all the hours you use your home for business when children are not present doing cleaning, cooking, preparing activities, record keeping, interviewing parents, etc. Track at least two months of these hours on a calendar

10. House ImprovementsYou should begin depreciating a portion of your house as a business expense. The amount of your house you can depreciate is based on the purchase price of your home (minus the value of the land) plus all home improvements made before you went into business. Go back and record all of your house improvements (new roof, furnace, remodeling, etc.). Save receipts. Get replacement receipts from contractors, if necessary. As a last resort, photograph the improvements and write down your best recollection of the cost and date it was done. Keep records of any house improvements you make after you start your business. When you sell your home, these home improvements may reduce the amount of taxes you may have to pay.Tom Copeland - www.tomcopelandblog.comImage credit: https://nara.getarchive.net/media/xenia-vazquez-a-family-child-care-provider-gives-5eac8a For more information, see my Family Child Care Record Keeping Guide.

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Ten Record Keeping and Tax Tips for the New Provider - Taking Care of Business

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Family child care providers are self-employed taxpayers who must report their business income and expenses to the IRS. It is important to become familiar with all of the IRS requirements for filing your taxes.

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Chief Operations Officer Andrew Davis serves as Chief Operating Officer at the Council. In this role, Andrew oversees the Programs Division, which includes the following operational functions: credentialing, growth and business development, marketing and communications, public policy and advocacy, research, innovation, and customer relations.

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Preventing Compassion Fatigue: Caring for Yourself

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Preventing Compassion Fatigue: Caring for Yourself

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Our new book is about healing and hope. For children. For children's families. And for you, the early childhood educator. Trauma touches everyone. If left unchecked, it is likely to leave harm in its wake. That is why you must be vigilant and proactive, both with those you work with and yourself. In this article, we focus on how you can prevent the ill effects of trauma from creeping into your own life. The self-care strategies highlighted here will help you remain strong and healthy enough to be the champion for children and families with histories of trauma that you want and need to be.

Self-care may not be the first thing that comes to mind when most people think of dealing with trauma. As an educator, your focus is first and foremost on the children you teach. You also work with family members to support children's learning goals. You carve out time as needed to work with specialists who support the children, team with colleagues, meet with supervisors, and interact with members of the community.

You devote a lot of time, energy, and professional responsibilities to many other people, but you may not devote enough time to yourself.

Being an early childhood educator can be both physically and mentally exhausting. Preschoolers and kindergartners are whirlwinds of energy, exploring, experimenting, and making discoveries. They depend on you to put them first, meeting their needs and helping them attain their aspirations. At the same time, they bring joy as you see them mastering tasks, learning new concepts, and appreciating you for being such an important part of their lives. But there is no denying that they can drain you of energy and leave you feeling spent.

When you add trauma to the situation, the chances that you will sometimes feel overwhelmed and find it difficult to go on increase dramatically. Children who have experienced trauma often respond to it in ways that test your patience and push you to the limit. Children who are in survival mode can be aggressive, rude, uncooperative, and inattentive. And until you are able to help children feel calm and safe and learn to self-regulate, you cannot focus on other kinds of learning.

Your own compounding stress

If you have endured the same traumatic experiences as the children-a natural disaster, school violence, or a national crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic-you share similar fight-flight-freeze responses in your life. You may be dealing with issues like the loss of personal property or you may even be grieving the death or injury of a loved one.

In addition, like a number of early childhood educators, you may also be a survivor of your own childhood traumas, which may or may not have been resolved. Hearing of children's experiences and fears can bring back unhappy memories that temporarily paralyze or haunt you.

Moreover, if your program or home is in a neighborhood characterized by violence or poverty, you are likely to experience the same ongoing traumas as the children you teach. For you and them, traumas are an ongoing concern.

The early childhood profession can itself be a source of financial stress. Despite the recognized importance of early education in children's lives, it is among the lowest-paying fields (Nicholson et al. 2020). Many early childhood teachers hold down supplemental jobs to earn a living wage. The economic stresses of being an early childhood professional are felt hardest by women of color, who make up 40 percent of the early childhood profession (Austin et al. 2019) and are more likely to work in lower-paying education positions than White educators.

All of these pressures can put chronic stress on educators each day. Before you even begin your day with young children, you may already be feeling the economic squeeze of low wages and perhaps prejudice and racism as well. The selflessness it takes to work with, nurture, and teach young children is a testament to the commitment that those who have chosen this profession have.

The good news is that you can take action to counteract your own stress. In the following sections, we will briefly explore some of the stress-related conditions early childhood educators may experience and offer practical ideas that you can implement to ease the stress of your job. Stress does not have to take a toll when self-care is a priority. As the saying goes, you need to be well to do well. And by doing so, you can position yourself to enjoy teaching's many rewards.

Defining teaching-related stress

As society has learned more about trauma and its effects, researchers have begun to look at how educators who work with young children with trauma are affected by the experience. In doing so, they have defined and delineated how stress-related manifestations are triggered, what the symptoms are, and how they can be treated.

Burnout is probably the best known of these phenomena. Burnout is "a reaction to prolonged or chronic job stress [that] is characterized by three main dimensions: exhaustion, cynicism (less identification with the job), and feelings of reduced professional ability" (Freudenberger & Richelson 1980). Burnout can bring about physical, psychological, cognitive, and relational disturbances (Nicholson et al. 2020; Transitional Support, n.d). While you may experience burnout from your job, however, it is not directly tied to working with children with trauma.

Secondary trauma conditions that stem from absorbing the impacts of others' trauma go by several names, including secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and vicarious traumatization (Bride, Radey, & Figley 2007). Empathy fatigue, empathic distress, and empathy distress fatigue are newer terms for health problems brought on by stress (Alber 2018). Although all of these conditions are related, there are nuances that differentiate them that are further explained in our book.

The selflessness it takes to work with, nurture, and teach young children is a testament to the commitment that those who have chosen this profession have.

Secondary traumatic stress (STS) is the term most commonly found in the literature to describe the phenomenon brought on by helping someone exposed to trauma. A more recent term is compassion fatigue, often perceived as a kinder, less stigmatizing way to describe this phenomenon. According to the NCTSN (2011) and the Administration for Children & Families (n.d.), the terms STS and compassion fatigue are interchangeable and refer to the same condition.

While the symptoms of compassion fatigue vary from individual to individual, they most typically involve empathic drain and chronic exhaustion. Other symptoms resemble those experienced by individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such as fear, guilt, anxiety, apathy, sense of hopelessness, sleep disturbances, nightmares and intrusive thoughts, hypervigilance, short-temperedness, and a denial of problems. These symptoms can further express themselves in compulsive behaviors (overspending, overeating, gambling) and drug use to mask feelings (NCTSN 2011; Nicholson et al. 2020; Administration for Children & Families, n.d.; Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project, n.d.; Gunn, n.d.).

Everyone who teaches children with a trauma background is susceptible to developing compassion fatigue. Some early childhood educators, however, are more likely than others to develop this condition: women, new teachers, those who are most empathic by nature, and those who have their own unresolved personal traumas (NCTSN 2011; Ollison 2019).

Using self-care to overcome secondary trauma

If you experience secondary trauma, you are not alone. Those who experience it do so because they are deeply empathic and take children's traumas to heart. All early childhood educators need to know this because secondary trauma can happen to anyone and, most important, it can be effectively addressed.

Self-care is often categorized as self-indulgence. Many people regard it as pampering used by those without the self-discipline to "get on with things." Even those who don't think of self-care as selfish or wasteful frequently regard it as a low-priority or luxury activity. Yet self-care is basic to our everyday existence. Rather than view self-care as self-indulgence, try reframing it as self-respect.

Self-care strategies

Self-care involves incorporating activities aimed at restoring and improving your physical and emotional well-being into your everyday life. The National Child Traumatic Stress Center (NCTSN 2011) recommends focusing on cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness-based strategies for best results. Regularly using the ideas suggested here will help you heal from secondary stress and fortify you for the future.

Be kind to yourself

This strategy could be called "respect yourself," because tending to your basic wellness needs should not be a favor or privilege you extend yourself but something you do every day to be your healthiest and best-functioning self. As a kindness to yourself and those you work with, attend to your physical, social, mental health, emotional, and spiritual needs as best you can (Scott 2019). Here are some ideas:

Physical needs: regularly eat nutritiously balanced meals; sleep adequately; exercise regularly; and monitor and attend to your health needs, making and keeping needed doctor and dental appointments and taking any medications as prescribed.

Social needs: cultivate and maintain close friendships. Everyone has different social needs, but we all have need to share others' company in some capacity. Determine what your needs are and build time into your schedule to have the face-to-face time with your friends that feels right for you.

Mental health needs: do activities to keep your mind sharp, such as working crosswords and other puzzles, reading books, or researching a topic or subject you are interested in and passionate about. To be mentally healthy, you need to be proactive. If you feel depressed, anxious, or otherwise troubled, talk about it with a doctor or therapist. Treatment can make a world of difference.

Emotional needs: establish appropriate ways to process your emotions. Talk to someone close to you-a spouse, partner, relative, or friend-to air your feelings and talk through problems. Journal your feelings; seeing things written out sometimes gives a different slant to events. Exercise, take baths, or spend time doing hobbies, such as painting, that allow you to relax and refocus. Remember that alcohol and other drugs can suppress your feelings rather than help you manage and lessen your distress. They may even intensify your emotional or physical pain.

Spiritual needs: nurturing your spirit involves doing things that bring meaning to your life and a connection with the world. It doesn't have to involve religion, although it certainly can. Build in time for praying, meditating, or volunteering for a cause that enriches your soul.

Cultivate mindfulness

Mindfulness is one of the most successful strategies for counteracting the effects of compassion fatigue (NCTSN 2011). Over time, mindfulness practices help you develop increased emotional regulation and the ability to tolerate emotional challenges. The effects of mindfulness extend your ability to better accept professional and personal frustrations with relationships.

The Foundation for a Mindful Society (2019) suggests the following exercise as a starter:

Set aside some time. You don't need a meditation cushion, bench, or any sort of special equipment to access your mindfulness skills-just time and space.

Observe the present moment as it is. The aim of mindfulness is not quieting the mind or attempting to achieve a state of lasting calm. The goal is to pay attention to the present moment without judgment.

Let your judgments roll by. When you notice judgments arise, make a mental note of them and then let them pass.

Return to observing the present moment as it is. Our minds often get carried away in thought. That's why mindfulness is the practice of returning, again and again, to the present moment.

Be kind to your wandering mind. Don't judge yourself for whatever thoughts crop up. Just practice recognizing when your mind has wandered off and gently bring it back.

Reframe your negative thoughts

Learning how to reframe pessimistic thoughts is known as cognitive restructuring. Part of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), it can be done at home and has been shown to be effective in treating depression and anxiety. The NCTSN (2011) suggests that combining this strategy with mindfulness may be particularly effective in addressing secondary trauma. Thinking optimistically is also known to have great personal benefits, including better physical and emotional health, greater self-efficacy, longer life, and greater career satisfaction (Seligman 2005; Colker & Koralek 2019).

Over the last 30 years, psychologists have found that optimism can be learned, no matter how innately pessimistic a person may be or how negative their life circumstances have been (Seligman 2005). By working through what has been dubbed the ABCDE model, educators can learn to reframe their negative thinking (Hall & Pearson 2004). Our book also explains how to use this model with children.

You can be the change agent who gives children an opportunity to rewrite their life stories with promise and hope.

When you have an experience that triggers pessimistic thoughts, use self-talk to walk your thoughts from A (adverse event) to E (energization) (based on Seligman 2005, 2007):

A = An adverse event occurs.
B = You immediately have some negative beliefs and thoughts about the adverse event.
C = You experience the consequences of having these thoughts and beliefs, including negative emotions
D = You intentionally dispute your pessimistic beliefs.
E = You feel energized when you successfully dispute your negative thoughts and realize that the situation is not as you initially believed.

It will take more than one attempt at this process to transform your pessimism into optimism. But with time and effort, reframing your beliefs, thoughts, and emotions is possible and can become your regular way of thinking.

When you make cognitive restructuring a part of your self-care routine, you will make inroads against the symptoms of compassion fatigue and position yourself to be a role model for children on thinking positively.

Make a self-care action plan

Because self-care tends to be neglected, it is helpful to develop an action plan. Setting two or three SMART goals at a time will keep you focused. SMART goals (Doran 1981; Haughey 2014; MindTools, n.d) are

 Specific: What exactly are you trying to accomplish? Why is this goal important to you? What resources or limits are involved?
 Measurable: How much effort will it take? How many people are involved? How will you know you accomplished it?
 Assignable: Who will do it?
 Realistic: Is this worthwhile? What results can realistically be achieved given available resources?
 T ime related: When, specifically, can it be achieved? What can you do today?

A goal might be Each night I will practice mindfulness for five minutes before I go to bed.

Although it can be tempting to try to make sweeping changes in your lifestyle, like drastically changing your exercise routines or eating habits, realistically that is hard to sustain. We suggest you begin slowly-with only two or three goals to start. This will keep you from feeling overwhelmed and allow you to adjust as needed. Once they become routine, add another goal or two.

Conclusion

With your healing-centered interventions, perseverance, and compassionate teaching, the effects of traumas can be turned around for the children you teach, their families, and you. Children's histories do not have to be the prologue to the rest of their lives. As trauma therapist and author Karen Saakvitine proclaims, "Everyone has a right to have a present and future that are not completely dominated and dictated by the past" (Klinic Community Health Centre 2013, 4). You can be the change agent who gives children that opportunity to rewrite their life stories with promise and hope.

References

Administration for Children & Families. n.d. "Secondary Traumatic Stress. What Is Secondary Traumatic Stress?" Administration for Children & Families. Accessed March 12, 2020. www.acf.hhs.gov/trauma-toolkit/secondary-traumatic-stress.

Alber, R. 2018. "When Teachers Experience Empathic Distress." Edutopia, April 18. www.edutopia.org/article/when-teachers-experience-empathic-distress.

Austin, L.J.E., B. Edwards, R. Chavez, & M. Whitebook. 2019. "Racial Wage Gaps in Early Education Employment." Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, December 19. https://cscce.berkeley.edu/racial-wage-gaps-in-early-education-employment/.

Bride, B.E., M. Radey, & C.R. Figley. 2007. "Measuring Compassion Fatigue." Clinical Social Work Journal 35: 155-63.

Colker, L.J., & D. Koralek. 2019. Making Lemonade: Teaching Young Children to Think Optimistically. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf.

Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project. n.d. "Recognizing Compassion Fatigue." Accessed February 12, 2020. www.compassionfatigue.org/pages/symptoms.html.

Doran, G.T. 1981. "There's a S.M.A.R.T. Way to Write Management's Goals and Objectives." Management Review 70 (11): 35-36.

Foundation for a Mindful Society. 2019. "Getting Started with Mindfulness." www.mindful.org/meditation/mindfulness-getting-started/.

Gunn, J. n.d. "Self-Care for Teachers of Traumatized Students." Resilient Educator. Accessed March 6, 2020. https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/self-care-for-teachers/.

Freudenberger, H.J., & G. Richelson. 1980. Burnout: The High Cost of High Achievement. Norwell, MA: Anchor Press.

Hall, D.K., & J. Pearson. 2004. Introducing Thinking Skills to Promote Resilience in Young Children. Reaching IN...Reaching OUT (RIRO). Toronto: Child & Family Partnership.

Haughey, D. 2014. "A Brief History of SMART Goals." Project Smart, December 13. www.projectsmart.co.uk/brief-history-of-smart-goals.php.

Klinic Community Health Centre. 2013. Trauma-Informed: The Trauma Toolkit. 2nd Edition. http://trauma-informed.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Trauma-informed_Toolkit.pdf.

MindTools. n.d. "SMART Goals." Accessed February 5, 2020. www.mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm.

NCTSN (The National Child Traumatic Stress Network). 2011. "Secondary Traumatic Stress: A Fact Sheet for Child-Serving Professionals." www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources/fact-sheet/secondary_traumatic_stress_child_serving_professionals.pdf.

Nicholson, J., P.S. Driscoll, J. Kurtz, D. Marquez, & L. Wesley. 2020. Culturally Responsive Self-Care Practices for Early Childhood Educators. New York: Routledge.

Ollison, J. 2019. "Improving Teacher Retention by Addressing Teachers' Compassion Fatigue." PhD diss., University of the Pacific. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/3602.

Scott, E. 2019. "5 Self-Care Practices for Every Area of Your Life." Verywellmind, July 25. www.verywellmind.com/self-care-strategies-overall-stress-reduction-3144729.

Seligman, M.E.P. 2005. Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life. New York: Vintage Books.

Seligman, M.E.P. 2007. The Optimistic Child: A Proven Program to Safeguard Children Against Depression and Build Lifelong Resilience. Boston: Mariner Books.

Transitional Support. n.d. "Burnout vs. Compassion Fatigue." Transitional Support. Accessed April 1, 2020.
http://transitionalsupport.com.au/transitional-phase/compassion-fatigue-trauma/.

Photographs: © Getty Images

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Preventing Compassion Fatigue: Caring for Yourself

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This article is excerpted from NAEYC's upcoming book Trauma and Young Children: Teaching Strategies to Support and Empower Children, by Sarah Erdman, Laura J. Colker, and Elizabeth C. Winter. The book will be published in August 2020.

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Tips For Managing Educator Stress in Early Childhood Education

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Tips For Managing Educator Stress in Early Childhood Education

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Take Care of Yourself First

Before educators can help children cope with problems and be ready to learn, they must first take time to care for themselves. The following suggestions from Leah Davies M Ed. include ways educators can help take control of their lives and manage their own stress - so that they will be available to assist their students.

One of the best forms of managing educator stress is to double the amount of time you spend outdoors, if at all possible.

Accept yourself as an imperfect human being.

Believe that you have value and that you can make a contribution to humanity.

Accept responsibility for yourself and your behaviour.

Exercise.

Eat well-balanced meals.

Get enough rest.

Avoid using tobacco, alcohol or other drugs.

Cultivate a hopeful attitude by saying encouraging things to yourself.

Develop effective communication skills.

Foster a sense of humour.

Seek out and maintain at least one close friend.

"Make a list of things that you enjoy doing that are good for you. Try to do one a day."

Write it down!

Write down how you see yourself in one year, five years, or ten years from now.

Share your ideas and goals with someone you trust.

Write down at least five of your worries.

Rank order your list by their importance in your life.

By each worry write ACCEPT, CHANGE, or REJECT.

For each worry decide what your first step will be toward accepting, changing or rejecting it.

Carry out the steps you listed.

This article on managing educator stress was written by Leah Davies, M Ed. and sourced from www.kellybear.com

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Tips For Managing Educator Stress in Early Childhood Education

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Before educators can help children cope with problems and be ready to learn, they must first take time to care for themselves. The following suggestions from Leah Davies M Ed. include ways educators can help take control of their lives and manage their own stress - so that they will be available to assist their students.

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Raise Montana Business Planning Tool.docx

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Vaccines Required for Child Care Attendance 

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Vaccines Required for Child Care Attendance 

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Ten Questions to Ask Before Purchasing Business Liability Insurance - Taking Care of Business

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Ten Questions to Ask Before Purchasing Business Liability Insurance - Taking Care of Business

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Do you know the difference between "per occurrence" and "aggregate" coverage in your policy? What's the difference between an "individual policy" and a "master policy"?
Not all business liability insurance policies are the same. There can be big differences in what the policies cover, from one policy to the next. If you are shopping for insurance just based on its cost, you are making a big mistake!

The National Association for Family Child Care, several insurance agents, and myself have created a checklist of Ten Questions to Ask Before You Purchase Family Child Care Business Liability Insuranc e to help you pick the right policy.

If you use Ten Questions to Ask Before You Purchase Family Child Care Business Liability Insurance, you will be able to shop more intelligently and better understand what you are buying.

Here's an insurance directory of insurance companies and insurance agents that offer business liability insurance policies, homeowners' insurance policies and car insurance policies in your state.
Importance of Business Liability Insurance
All family child care providers should purchase professional business liability insurance to protect themselves against the risk of caring for children in their own home. These risks are real: the children in your care can get injured, parents can sue you for child neglect or failure to adequately supervise their child, and so on. Professional business liability insurance can reduce these risks so that you can sleep at night and not worry about any of this.
Warning: your homeowner's insurance policy will not cover you for accidents and lawsuits related to your business.
We strongly recommend that you shop around and get the details of an insurance policy from at least three insurance companies. Ask for a copy of the policy and compare coverages and price. Use Ten Questions to Ask Before You Purchase Family Child Care Business Liability Insurance to help you compare insurance policies.

The cost of an insurance policy, in general, is related to the coverage it offers. A cheaper policy will probably not cover you for as much as a more expensive policy. We also recommend that you purchase more coverage, rather than less coverage. Ideally, you should have a policy that covers for $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate. The difference in cost between this coverage and the lowest amounts of coverage are probably very little.

The cost of business liability insurance is 100% tax deductible!

Tom Copeland - www.tomcopelandblog.com

Image credit: https://www.hss.edu/pediatrics-child-gets-hurt.asp

For more information about family child care insurance, see my book Family Child Care Legal & Insurance Guide.

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Ten Questions to Ask Before Purchasing Business Liability Insurance - Taking Care of Business

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Do you know what to look for when buying a family child care business liability insurance policy? Do you know the difference between "per occurrence" and "aggregate" coverage in your policy? What's the difference between an "individual policy" and a "master p

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Daycare Insurance: Coverage, Costs & Top Providers

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Daycare Insurance: Coverage, Costs & Top Providers

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Policies can cover business-owned property and liability risks that come with caring for children. Depending on the coverage, annual costs of daycare insurance range from $450 to $1,350 for in-home childcare businesses and from $1,000 to $3,500 for commercial daycare centers.

To get your daycare insured quickly and properly, try an online broker like CoverWallet. It uses technology to compare multiple quotes from top carriers quickly and find low-cost options that are right for you. Get started today by filling out a free, no-obligation application online.

Visit CoverWallet

How Daycare Insurance Works

There is no single policy that provides insurance for all of the potential risks associated with owning and operating a daycare. To have insurance coverage that protects themselves and their assets, childcare providers often need to purchase various business insurance policies. Each policy protects against a different risk. The two coverages they most often need are general liability and commercial property insurance.

Many carriers offer these fundamental coverages in a business owner’s policy (BOP), giving you two types of coverage in a single policy for a reduced rate. BOPs typically cost about $750 per year for daycare centers.

Who Daycare Insurance Is Right For

Business owners who care for children almost always need insurance. Many states require childcare insurance for commercial daycare facilities and child and adult group homes as well as:

Religious and nonprofit daycare centers

Before- and after-school programs

Summer day camps

Preschool programs

Depending on their state and the number of children in their care, some home-based daycare providers need a license and business insurance too. You can find contact information for the state agency in charge of licensure from the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

Tip: Home insurance usually excludes business activities’ so in-home daycare providers should either get a business endorsement on their homeowner’s policy or a BOP to protect their assets.

The one exception to the guideline that most childcare providers need daycare insurance is the occasional teenage babysitter. Even though they can be sued, teenagers seldom have the resources that make them a target for litigation. This is different from professional nannies, who are sometimes considered small business owners and may need nanny insurance.

Daycare insurance costs can range from about $450 per year for home-based daycare businesses to around $2,000 for commercial daycare centers. How much your particular business spends depends largely on the number of policies you purchase, the amount of coverage you select, and the deductibles you pick.

Childcare Insurance Costs & Deductibles by Policy

Commercial daycare centers tend to be larger and have more clients than at-home businesses, which usually translates into more risk and higher insurance costs. However, size isn’t everything when it comes to daycare insurance. Carriers consider several business characteristics and coverage details when they set premiums, including:

Revenue: Daycare businesses that earn more money often pay higher premiums because insurers assume they have more to lose and may be more likely to get sued.

Employees: Workers’ compensation insurance rates are based partially on payroll, so more staff often means you pay more for coverage. Employees also increase your liability risk, so you may pay more for general and professional liability insurance.

Claims history: Insurers need to cover the possibility of paying a claim, so businesses that have a history of filing multiple claims usually pay higher premiums.

Deductibles: Daycare providers can opt for a higher deductible to lower their premium, but it means they pay more if they end up filing a claim.

Coverage limits: Choosing higher coverage limits usually increases your daycare insurance costs because the insurer has to pay more if you file a claim.

Types of Daycare Insurance

Different coverages are appropriate for different types of childcare businesses. An at-home daycare provider needs some property insurance, but not as much as a large commercial center. Similarly, a one-person operation won’t need workers’ compensation, but a daycare with staff will. Below are some policies that are common to most daycare businesses.

Most Common Childcare Insurance Policies

General Liability Insurance

General liability insurance covers third-party claims for bodily injury, property damage, and reputational harm, such as a:

Short in your microwave sparks a fire in the building you rent for your daycare

A child loses her two front teeth falling off your teeter-totter

Competitor claims you defamed them on your business’s social media page

These types of liability claims may be your greatest financial risk, which makes general liability a fundamental coverage for daycare businesses. If your business sees a claim like one of these, general liability typically covers your legal costs and may pay the injured third-party’s medical bills or property repairs. Coverage typically extends to harm your employees’ cause as well.

Did you know?

Many daycare providers use liability waivers to protect themselves from lawsuits after a child is injured in their care. However, these waivers are typically unenforceable because they would allow daycare providers to act negligently without consequences.

Commercial Property Insurance

Commercial Property insurance covers your daycare business’ assets, including your building, equipment, and supplies. You can insure your business property for either its actual cash value or replacement cost. In a property claim, actual cash value coverage deducts depreciation from the payout while replacement cost coverage pays what it costs to repair the item, up to the insured limit.

Daycare providers who rent their business spaces can get property insurance that only covers their equipment and supplies. Any damage they cause to the physical structure typically is covered by general liability.

Professional Liability Insurance

Professional liability insurance, also called errors and omissions, covers the cost of your legal defense if you or your staff are accused of causing harm while providing professional services. For example, a professional liability policy often covers parents accusing you or your assistant of:

Serving peanuts to a severely allergic child

Failing to teach a toddler how to read as promised

Teaching parents a new swaddling technique that harms their infants

Because claims like these involve your expertise, they fall under professional liability insurance, which typically pays for legal bills, court costs, and settlements or judgments against your business.

Abuse & Molestation Coverage

Unfortunately, daycare providers have to worry about accusations of sexual misconduct. Such allegations may be rare, but they’re catastrophic if they occur. Abuse and molestation insurance can cover these accusations, and some also cover corporal punishment, even if they are meritless. Sometimes, this coverage is included in either your professional or general liability insurance, but standalone policies are also available for business owners who want to ensure adequate coverage.

Childcare businesses get abuse and molestation insurance to cover their business’ legal defense costs if one of their employees is accused of sexual misconduct. Defense costs typically are paid even when you are found liable or negligent in supervising the accused employee. However, the coverage seldom extends to the perpetrator in an intentional act. Some insurers may even require you to repay their costs if your employee is found guilty.

Commercial Auto Insurance

You may need commercial auto insurance if you use a car, truck, van, or a combination of vehicles for your daycare business to cover damages and lawsuits in case of an accident. Most states require business owners to carry at least liability for damage they cause others, but daycare providers may want to add other coverages, such as:

Medical payments: Pays for injuries sustained by you and your passengers

Uninsured and underinsured motorist: Pays medical and repair bills if the other driver is at fault but doesn’t have adequate coverage

Collision: Pays for damage to your car caused by an accident

Comprehensive: Pays for damage to your car caused by events other than an accident

Daycare providers who drive their personal vehicles for business purposes may also need commercial auto insurance. Most personal auto insurance excludes any business-related driving, so daycare owners and their passengers may be unprotected when they are driving their students in their personal vehicles.

Workers’ Compensation Insurance

Workers’ compensation insurance covers the costs associated with employees’ work-related injuries and illnesses like medical bills and lost wages. Most states require daycare owners to have coverage as soon as they hire even part-time staff who may suffer injuries from:

Slipping on wet floors

Lifting children

Tripping over playground equipment

Workers’ compensation insurance is important for business owners who have employees because neither professional nor general liability covers employees’ injuries, and you can’t add workers’ comp to a BOP. Additionally, in most states, workers’ comp covers your legal fees if the injured employee decides to sue.

Did you know?

The inclusion of COVID-19 for workers’ compensation depends on how states define occupational diseases and whether they have legislatures that include childcare providers as essential workers. While both Kentucky and Georgia have put childcare workers as part of their respective essential workers, childcare workers in Kentucky can receive workers’ compensation if they were ordered to be in quarantine. Other states, such as Arizona, Connecticut, and Minnesota, have done subsidized programs for childcare workers. Daycare owners and workers must go to their respective state agency that handles workers’ compensation to get more information.

Accident Insurance

While not strictly business insurance, accident insurance can be an important part of protecting a daycare. Policies pay a specified benefit to help pay medical expenses after a child suffers an injury under your supervision. Daycare owners usually need two coverages:

Accidental medical expense (AME): Pays costs like hospital bills, emergency room costs, and ambulance services

Accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D): Pays a set benefit amount if a child loses a limb or dies as the result of a covered accident

AME can be purchased as primary or excess coverage. As primary coverage, AME pays the injured party’s costs regardless of any other health insurance that may apply. Excess coverage only pays costs that exceed the injured party’s health insurance.

Visit The Hartford

Umbrella Liability Insurance

Umbrella liability insurance provides additional coverage when claims exceed the limits of underlying liability policies, including general liability and commercial auto insurance. Legal fees can exceed coverage limits easily on liability policies, and one liability policy can’t make up the difference for another. Umbrella insurance picks up where your other liability policy falls short.

Examples of when a daycare owner may want umbrella insurance include:

Fear of large liability lawsuits: If a business owner has a general liability limit of $200,000 but is sued for $500,000, an umbrella policy kicks in to pay the remaining $300,000

Caring for children from high net worth families: Families with more financial resources may be more likely to sue if things go wrong

Renting a larger space: Commercial landlords may require higher liability limits, and umbrella insurance usually satisfies their requirements

Hiring additional staff: Umbrella insurance can extend the limits on the portion of worker’s comp that covers employee lawsuits

Umbrella insurance can increase the limits on multiple underlying policies, and it’s often a more cost-effective way to increase the limits on your other liability insurance policies.

Daycare Insurance Providers

Daycare insurance is a niche product, so owners sometimes have a hard time finding providers. For our list of top insurance providers, we looked for well-known and financially stable carriers that have a history of writing specialty coverages. We also included two online agencies that can sell insurance from multiple carriers.

CoverWallet

CoverWallet works with some of the best small business insurance companies, including Liberty Mutual, Chubb, and Progressive, to quote, bind, and issue policies online for businesses in several industries. Daycare providers who want fast quotes should consider working with CoverWallet. Not only is the CoverWallet application easy to complete, but it also returns quotes in seconds. General liability insurance through CoverWallet starts at $468.

Assure Childcare

Assure Child Care is a specialty group program that gives members a cost-effective way to get insurance, including general liability, commercial property, and workers’ compensation coverage. Essentially, Assure Child Care members band together to buy insurance, allowing insurers to charge a lower rate than if each individual business owner applied for coverage on its own. This makes Assure Child Care the best choice for small daycare businesses and at-home providers who struggle to find affordable childcare insurance.

Markel

Markel is an excellent choice for both in-home and large commercial daycare businesses with employees. It offers up to $3 million in coverage on both professional liability and abuse and molestation insurance. In addition to these high coverage limits, Markel partners with employee screening services, sexual misconduct risk management training programs, and safe driving education providers that can help daycare owners reduce the risk of filing claims. On top of these, Markel offers accident medical insurance that covers students’ medical-related costs when they incur injuries in any sponsored event.

Philadelphia Insurance Companies

Daycare is one of the top industries for the Philadelphia Insurance Companies (PHLY), and it offers an insurance program for nonprofit and for-profit childcare centers. The comprehensive program combines multiple coverages, including directors and officers (D&O) insurance. This makes PHLY the right choice for nonprofit daycare businesses that want the convenience of having all their daycare insurance with one company.

CyberPolicy

CyberPolicy is a reliable broker that shops and compares quotes on all types of business insurance policies from top carriers, including Progressive Commercial, Chubb, Liberty Mutual, and Nationwide, in all 50 states. This makes it an excellent choice for busy daycare owners who don’t have time to do comparison shopping. CyberPolicy does most of the legwork so that you can focus on the children in your care while getting the right coverage for your business at an affordable price.

Bottom Line

Every childcare business, whether it’s an in-home daycare or a commercial daycare center, needs at least some business insurance. Even if you don’t own the building or have valuable business assets to cover, your work with children creates potential liabilities. It’s crucial to protect your business if claims arise.

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Daycare Insurance: Coverage, Costs & Top Providers

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Daycare insurance is coverage for businesses in the childcare industry. Policies can cover business-owned property and liability risks

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Starting and Operating a Child Care Business

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Starting and Operating a Child Care Business

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Starting and Operating a Child Care Business.pdf

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Common Family Child Care Business Deductions 

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Common Family Child Care Business Deductions 

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Family Child Care Provider Financial Management Tool Kit 

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Family Child Care Provider Financial Management Tool Kit 

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Family Child Care Financial Management Self-Assessment Tool

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Family Child Care Financial Management Self-Assessment Tool

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Center Financial Management Assessment Tool

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Center Financial Management Assessment Tool

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Family Child Care Chart of Accounts Template

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Family Child Care Chart of Accounts Template

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The Iron Triangle: A Simple Formula for Financial Policy in ECE Programs 

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The Iron Triangle: A Simple Formula for Financial Policy in ECE Programs 

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Three Building Blocks of Reflective Supervision

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Three Building Blocks of Reflective Supervision

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Three Building Blocks of Reflective Supervision

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Reflective supervision promotes and supports the development of a relationship-based organization.

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Capterra is free for users because vendors pay us when they receive web traffic and sales opportunities. Capterra directories list all vendors-not just those that pay us-so that you can make the best-informed purchase decision possible.

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Best Child Care Software 2023 | Reviews of the Most Popular Tools & Systems

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Find and compare top Child Care software on Capterra, with our free and interactive tool. Quickly browse through hundreds of Child Care tools and systems and narrow down your top choices. Filter by popular features, pricing options, number of users, and read reviews from real users and find a tool that fits your needs.

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Missoula

Zero to Five Missoula is a strategic initiative working to identify and implement systems changes that will lead to long-term improved outcomes for young children growing up in Missoula County. Based at United Way of Missoula County, Zero to Five Missoula brings together people who care for and care about young children to ask deeper questions, identify ways to weave our system of services more tightly together, and to unlock systemic barriers to change. In Missoula County, their work includes:

Parent Leadership Training Institute, a 20 week program in civics and democracy to equip parents to be changemakers

Early Learning Fellows, an interprofessional learning cohort offered in partnership with the UM College of Education, building shared understanding and data driven action planning for folks who work with children 0-8.

Kindergarten Entry Assessment, a community learning tool for understanding how well our 0-5 system is (and isn't) ensuring children are ready for all the challenges and opportunities of the K12 system

And, they are working to establish a new network of shared services for child care providers and child care benefits for employers

Butte-Silver Bow

Zero to Five Butte-Silver Bow Collaborative is focused on bringing a diverse and inclusive set of community members together to find system-focused solutions for children and families in Butte-Silver Bow County. The Collaborative is focused on reduce the number of children in foster care in Butte-Silver Bow County by 75% by the year 2025. This work is made possible by supporting families involved with the child welfare system, the children and family services department, and the general parenting population in Butte.

Early Childhood Coalition (Beaverhead County)

The Early Childhood Coalition of Beaverhead County seeks to ensure that all families in our county with children aged 0-5 have access to a supportive parenting community. We provide access to developmentally appropriate play, material resources, and parenting education for optimal early childhood development. We operate an indoor playspace and a children's secondhand store, and offer parenting classes, maternal support groups, and other educational opportunities. As we strive to support children, empower parents, and connect families, we continue to evaluate the systems currently in place for young children and their families, working to identify and remove barriers that may prevent families from accessing the resources and opportunities they need in order to thrive.

Lincoln County

Zero to Five Lincoln County is a multi-sector, county wide collaborative working together with a variety of partners, agencies, and community members to make a positive impact in the lives of families with young children. We strive for a county in which all families with young children are valued, connected, and empowered because we believe that "every kid in every corner of Lincoln County counts." We employ 5 major strategies in our collaborative efforts to support families with children:

Strategically aligning community collaboratives for efficiency and effectiveness

Strengthening partner capacity through commitment and support

Connecting families with resources in ways that are respectful, accessible, and easy to navigate

Co-creating with parents/caregivers

Collaborating with partners to provide opportunities for family engagement

Flathead Reservation-Lake County

Zero to Five Flathead Reservation & Lake County is responding to the need for a variety of events and activities that are free or inexpensive for families in their community. They are also working to build appreciation and recognition for the outstanding achievements for programs assisting the 0-5 population.

They are working on shifting cultural norms and increasing respect for those working with the 0-5 population, increasing opportunities for engagement (direct client based services) and developing a level of activity and engagement with the natural world by helping connect families to the outdoors and healthy play in creative, educational, community-based play spaces.

Programs include Parent Night, various trainings, "Taking it to the People" quarterly fun family events, Children Connect - passes for kids to experience local points of interest, Toys "R" U - local providers can apply to receive funds for play options, outstanding achievements honoree program, and Playing it Forward - Implementing creative, culturally relevant, community based play structures.

Early Childhood Coalition of the Greater Helena Area

Zero to Five in Lewis & Clark County has just launched! Watch this space for more information. In the meantime, you can reach out with questions to Bray Holmes, community coordinator, at bbholmes@sphealth.org.

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Missoula Zero to Five Missoula is a strategic initiative working to identify and implement systems changes that will lead to long-term improved outcomes for young children growing up in Missoula County.

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The National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)

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The National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)

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National Association for Family Child Care

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Home-based Child Care

The only national professional association dedicated solely to promoting high-quality early care and education in home-based settings

Power of FCC Voices

Amplifying the genuine perspective of FCC across the country to inform federal policy while building the collective power of FCC at state and local levels

Continuing Education

Stay current on the latest. Minimize legal risks. Continue your quality journey. Move up in your profession.

Equity in Quality

Quality markers informed by equity and relevant and applicable to the home-based setting

Latest News

Stay up to date with what's happening in the field

Strong Alliance: NAFCC and FFCHA Partner to Empower Family Child Care Across Counties

At the heart of every child's growth and development lies a nurturing environment, and the cornerstone of that environment often rests within the caring confines of family child care.

Imagining a Day Without Child Care: Supporting All Child Care Educators

Imagining a day without child care almost seems almost unimaginable. We'd see a butterfly effect of children unable to access their regularly trusted and qualified child care educators causing parents, guardians, families and others to assume yet another role, all while disabling them from continuing their work and maintaining their regularly scheduled lives. At NAFCC...

NAFCC "On the Move" (April Highlights)

April was an eventful and empowering month for the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), as team members and NAFCC members embarked on a journey of advocacy, collaboration, and recognition within early childhood education. From prestigious White House gatherings to impactful state-level conferences, each event was crafted to uplift and amplify the voices of...

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Home-based Child Care The only national professional association dedicated solely to promoting high-quality early care and education in home-based settings Power of FCC Voices Amplifying the genuine perspective of FCC across the country to inform federal policy while building the collective power of FCC at state and local levels Continuing Education Stay current on the latest.

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Ages zero to three are the most important for lifelong mental health and well-being.

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Child Care Aware of America is the nation's leading voice on child care issues. All families should have access to high-quality & affordable child care.

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The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) 

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The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) 

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We use cookies to analyse how visitors use our website and to help us provide the best possible experience for users.

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The NCCA is a voice and a resource for licensed child care providers to make sure all children get the care and education that they deserve.

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and race, place, and income are no longer predictors of early childhood outcomes.

BUILD Helps...

state leaders create policies, infrastructure, and connections across agencies and organizations to advance comprehensive, high-quality, and equitable programs, services, and supports for young children, their families, and communities. We help leaders think and act systemically to address disparities and expand their networks to enhance their capacity to take action.

Building Equitable Early Childhood Systems

Our expert staff and consultants in early childhood systems building offer a wide range of support to states.

BUILD partners with state early childhood leaders to catalyze change and implement a whole child/whole-systems vision. Our approach is both responsive and forward-looking.

Explore Our Resources

Find individual resources and resource collections to support work building equitable early childhood systems.

Report April 1, 2021

This paper, an update of a 2014 version, highlights the significant benefits of developing a statewide community-level infrastructure as a core component of a statewide early childhood system. It provides an overview of the key lessons BUILD team members and systems-building partners have learned over the years.

Report June 1, 2021

The Equity Leaders Action Network (ELAN) is BUILD's fellowship program to support state- and county-level early childhood leaders committed to advancing toward racial equity. It was created in response to four challenges reflected in early childhood program, entities, and organizations: racism, fragmented early childhood systems, lack of community and beneficiary voices, and a dearth of policy leadership intentionally committed to racial equity. This brief summarizes the ripple effects of the project.

Report June 1, 2021

This report explores opportunities to further develop and improve a system of quality improvement and supports in Philadelphia. Based on input from more than 300 early childhood providers, 16 quality improvement organizations, and four public and private funders, the report offers 17 recommendations for quality improvement.

Explore Our Collections

See what events are coming up at BUILD and with our partners.

Report April 1, 2021

Report June 1, 2021

Report June 1, 2021

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See how BUILD helps create a world where all children reach their full potential, one where race, place, and income are no longer predictors of outcomes.

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A guide to evaluating ideal learning environments for young children The new publication from Trust for Learning, Measuring the Quality...

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We are Montana's
Early Childhood Professionals

The Montana Association for the Education of Young Children (mtaeyc) is an organization of early childhood professionals working to solve local, state, and national issues that affect children and families.

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mtaeyc | Montana Association for the Education of Young Children

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We are Montana's Early Childhood Professionals The Montana Association for the Education of Young Children (mtaeyc) is an organization of early childhood professionals working to solve local, state, and national issues that affect children and families.

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Local Assistance for Health Insurance Application

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Local Assistance for Health Insurance Application

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Local Assistance for Health Insurance Application

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Find local help to apply for health insurance. People and groups in the community offer free assistance both with the application process and with picking and enrolling in a plan.

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University of Montana: Early Childhood Education--B.A., M.Ed, Graduate Certificate

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University of Montana: Early Childhood Education--B.A., M.Ed, Graduate Certificate

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Information about Montana State University's offerings for ECE

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Information about Montana State University's offerings for ECE

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Information about Montana State University's offerings for ECE

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Montana State University: Early Childhood Education & Child Services Major

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Information on UM Western ECE offerings

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Information on ECE offerings from Flathead Community College

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Information on ECE offerings from Flathead Community College

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Information on ECE offerings from Flathead Community College

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Owning a small business or creating a new business brings many responsibilities, including compliance with various federal labor and employment laws. The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) administers and enforces some of the nation’s most comprehensive federal labor…