Running a Family Child Care Program
Run a family child care program that stays organized, enrolled, and financially healthy.
Understand the business side of family child care.
- Learn what’s involved in starting a family child care business.
- Understand common startup costs and the major expense categories to plan for.
- Explore budgeting, cash flow, and basic financial statements to understand financial health.
- Review recordkeeping practices that support accurate financial planning and taxes.
- Learn marketing basics for reaching families and supporting steady enrollment.
- Clear explanations, examples, and practice activities to help you apply what you learn.
Scroll down for acceptance information, learning outcomes, and topics covered.
Acceptance information
This course is accepted in all U.S. states for continuing education and the CDA, and accepted for CACFP (CCNP & CMP) certifications. Click to learn more:
This course is accepted in:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington, DC
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
This course is accepted by the CACFP for both the Child Nutrition Professional (CCNP) and Management Professional (CMP) certifications.
- 5 clock hours
- Specialty 5: Financial Management
- CCNP & CMP (initial training and renewal)
Course highlights
Running a family child care means wearing a lot of hats.
Money, paperwork, and enrollment can feel overwhelming, especially when you are doing it alone.
This course is designed to make the business side feel more manageable.
- Plan your business basics (startup costs, structure, insurance)
- Understand your finances (budgeting, projections, financial statements)
- Learn day-to-day practices (marketing, recordkeeping, daily operations)
Clear explanations, examples, and practice activities to help you apply what you learn.
This will help you
Succeed
- Feel confident about your numbers (income, expenses, and cash flow)
- Make informed decisions instead of guessing
- Support steadier enrollment with consistent marketing
- Stay organized with recordkeeping routines that stick
Avoid
- Underpricing or missing costs that hurt cash flow
- Scrambling at tax time with incomplete records
- Empty spots because marketing happens only “when needed”
- Burnout from doing everything reactively
Who this course is for
- New or aspiring family child care providers planning to open
- Established providers who want stronger systems for money, marketing, and records
- Providers hiring an assistant or working with family helpers
Ready to get started? Choose the Online Course above to add to cart.
Learning outcomes
After completing Running a Family Child Care Program, you will be able to:
- Discuss the role of family child care providers
- Identify what is needed to start a family child care business
- Explore tools for projecting a business’s finances and understanding its financial health
- Recognize which expenses are likely to be tax deductible
Topics covered
- The role of the family child care provider
- Building a simple business plan
- Startup checklist and costs
- Funding resources and financial assistance
- Choosing a legal business structure
- Insurance basics for family child care
- Marketing your program and reaching families
- Financial planning and projections
- Balancing a budget (income vs. expenses)
- Cash-flow basics and expense tracking
- Understanding financial statements
- Common tax-deductible expenses
- Hiring an assistant
- Working with family members in your program
- Recordkeeping systems that work
How Care Courses® Training Works: Details & Support
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Course Details & Support
Prerequisites
- Language: Fluent reading and writing in the language of instruction (English or Spanish).
- Technology: Internet access and a web-enabled device (computer, smartphone, or tablet).
Access & Completion Deadline
- This training expires 12 months from the date of purchase.
- To receive a certificate of completion, you must successfully finish the course before the expiration date.
Learning Methods
- Read instructor-written material
- Watch videos
- Listen to audio segments
Assessments
- Multiple-choice quizzes
- Written assignments
Requirements for CEUs and Clock Hours
To earn CEUs and Clock Hours for a course, you must:
- Agree to and acknowledge our Honor Code & Policy
- Follow all instructions for written assignments
- Demonstrate comprehension of the course content
- Achieve the passing score specified in your course.
Quizzes and Assessments
- If your score falls below the passing mark, a trainer will review your work. If needed, you may be asked to speak with a trainer.
- You will have a second chance to retake any quiz or assessment.
- If you do not pass on your second attempt, contact us at info@carecourses.com. We will review your course and follow up directly.
- All quizzes are open book; all answers are found in the course material.
Certificates
- Official Care Courses certificates of completion record your clock hours and CEUs.
- Certificates are available in the My Courses area of your account.
- Please note: All course and certificate dates and times are on Eastern Time.
Getting Started
- See how our training works on the training process page.
- Watch our course navigation video for a quick tour of the online portal.
- Free Unlimited Assistance
- We’re here to help with training, billing, and technical support questions.
- Phone: 1-800-685-7610 (Mon–Fri, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Eastern)
- Email: info@CareCourses.com or techsupport@CareCourses.com (days, evenings, and weekends)
About Care Courses
- Care Courses offers over 50 professional development courses and one non-credit training tutorial on the CDA process.
- All professional development courses include clock hours, CEUs, and an official online certificate of completion.
- (The free CDA tutorial does not offer clock hours or a certificate.)
Tuition & Bundles
- Course tuition entitles one person to receive the clock hours and CEUs granted upon successful completion.
- Bundle pricing covers tuition for all courses included in the bundle.
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