ChildCareOwner
CEO Certification
Profitability, and Sustainability in a Fast Changing World.
ChildCareOwner CEO Certification
In the dynamic and competitive world of childcare, the role of an owner, director, or individual who dreams of managing or owning a childcare business is pivotal. They are responsible for making crucial decisions, managing the overall operations, and ensuring the company’s success. For childcare business owners and managers, taking the ChildCareOwner CEO Certification training is not just an option but a necessity.
A solid understanding of financial literacy is essential for any childcare business owner or manager. The ChildCareOwner CEO Certification covers comprehensive financial and business topics, including budgeting, financial reporting, risk management, calculating actual cost of care, accurate tuition pricing, marketing, planning for capital expenditures, business valuation, and exit and succession planning. By gaining financial literacy and business acumen, childcare business owners can make better-informed decisions that optimize resources, maximize profitability, and ensure their childcare business’s financial health and stability. And increase the likelihood that they can operate their childcare business for many years to meet their community’s needs for essential, high-quality care and early education.
In the dynamic and competitive world of childcare, the role of an owner, director, or individual who dreams of managing or owning a childcare business is pivotal. They are responsible for making crucial decisions, managing the overall operations, and ensuring the company’s success. For childcare business owners and managers, taking the ChildCareOwner CEO Certification training is not just an option but a necessity.
A solid understanding of financial literacy is essential for any childcare business owner or manager. The ChildCareOwner CEO Certification covers comprehensive financial and business topics, including budgeting, financial reporting, risk management, calculating true cost of care, accurate tuition pricing, marketing, planning for capital expenditures, business valuation, and exit and succession planning. By gaining financial literacy and business acumen, childcare business owners can make better-informed decisions that optimize resources, maximize profitability, and ensure their childcare business’s financial health and stability. And increase the likelihood that they will be able to operate their childcare business for many years to come, meeting the needs for essential, high-quality care and early education in their community.
Lack of Financial Literacy & Challenges
Lack of financial literacy and limited business acumen create many challenges for small business owners. These challenges make it difficult to address day-to-day business needs and operational changes. The lower the level of financial literacy, business acumen, and experience, the greater the challenges and likelihood of business failure.
- 16% find it difficult to implement and stick to a business budget
- 16% have difficulty understanding financial metrics
- 16% find cash flow management challenging
- 18% lack tax strategies and optimization
- 55% of business owners rate their financial literacy is “high”. (However, half, 50% face financial challenges in their business due to lack of financial literacy.)
- Only 38% have no reserve funds for business emergencies
- 16% have no plan for unexpected business expenses
Childcare Owners’ Financial Literacy
Childcare business owners, like most small business owners, often lack formal business and financial literacy education. Although 32% of childcare business owners hold a bachelor’s degree, only 22% have a business degree. Most childcare owners and managers have an Early Childhood or Elementary Education Degree. This lack of business, and financial literacy training, leads to challenges in childcare business owners being able to financially manage their business, and create a financially healthy, sustainable business.
The childcare industry is an ever-evolving business landscape, and business owners, leaders, and managers must have the right skills and knowledge to consistently operate at high enrollment and ensure sound, healthy financial management while providing a safe and exceptional learning environment for children, employees, and parents.
The ChildCareOwner CEO Certification Program is designed to equip childcare owners and managers with the expertise to thrive during good and bad economic times and all childcare business life cycle phases. This comprehensive program covers a broad spectrum of essential topics for effective childcare business financial literacy and management, cost to deliver care and profitability, cash flow management, addressing human resource challenges, marketing, budgeting and strategic planning, SMART growth, compliance, risk management, and building a valuable, saleable business asset that allows childcare owners to build wealth and plan for the next chapter of their lives or retirement.
ChildCareOwner CEO Certification Program Sponsor
Why ChildCareOwner CEO Certification
Lack of financial literacy and business acumen has always been a challenge for childcare owners.
The upheaval of the childcare industry associated with the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in high inflation and slowing economic conditions, and more childcare business owners than ever found themselves struggling to manage their businesses financially. Multiple federal and state rounds of grant programs provided much-needed funds to help stabilize childcare businesses in the short term. However, most grant programs have ceased, and childcare business owners are again struggling with low financial performance.
Grant funds 
were a blessing to most but were not a long-term solution. To use a familiar analogy, “Give a person a fish, and they will eat for a day. Teach a person to fish, and they will eat for life.” Grant funds allowed childcare business owners to continue to operate for a short time; however, the funds did not provide childcare owners with the knowledge and skills to manage their childcare business financially, providing lifelong business stability.
Hence, the next chapter of ChildCareOwner is the release of the ChildCareOwner CEO Certification Course. Our goal is to “teach childcare business owners to fish” to provide the financial management training and skills necessary to allow them to create a financially viable, healthy business today and continue to operate at financially consistent levels in the future. With the input and expertise of many very experienced individuals in the childcare industry, the ChildCareOwner CEO Certification Course will include 60+ hours of training focused on business aspects of childcare and the financial management of childcare businesses.
We are excited about conducting our first in-person session in early 2025 and are committed to making it the best! It will all focus on results, helping childcare business owners acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to create a financially healthy and sustainable business. Below is additional information about the curriculum, upcoming classes, and registration. We hope you will register for the ChildCareOwner CEO Certification Course and be part of the continuation of the Why!
What's the Curriculum of the CEO Certification?
Who should take this course?
Child Care Business Owners, Directors and Entrepreneur Dreamers
In the dynamic and competitive world of childcare, the role of an owner, director, or individual who dreams of managing or owning a childcare business is pivotal. You are responsible for making crucial decisions, managing the overall operations, and ensuring the company’s success. For childcare business owners and managers, taking the ChildCareOwner CEO Certification training is not just an option but a necessity to stay ahead and lead their enterprises to new heights.
1. Improving Strategic Thinking
One of the primary benefits of the ChildCareOwner CEO certificate training is enhancing strategic thinking. Childcare business owners and managers often get entangled in day-to-day operations, losing sight of the bigger picture. The ChildCareOwner CEO training programs are designed to refine strategic planning skills, helping childcare leaders think long-term, anticipate market trends, and devise innovative growth strategies.
2. Enhancing Leadership Skills
Corporate governance involves the systems, processes, and policies by which a childcare business is operated. Understanding corporate governance is vital for CEOs to ensure compliance with legal and licensing requirements, uphold ethical standards, and maintain stakeholder trust. The ChildCareOwner CEO training delves into corporate governance principles, equipping business owners with the knowledge to implement best practices and safeguard their organization’s integrity.
3. Building Financial Acumen
A solid understanding of financial management is essential for any childcare business owner or manager. The ChildCareOwner CEO Certification covers comprehensive financial topics, including budgeting, financial reporting, investment strategies, and risk management. By gaining financial literacy, childcare business owners can make informed decisions that optimize resources, maximize profitability, and ensure the financial health of the childcare business.
4. Expanding Knowledge of Corporate Governance
Corporate governance involves the systems, processes, and policies by which a childcare business is operated. Understanding corporate governance is vital for CEOs to ensure compliance with legal and licensing requirements, uphold ethical standards, and maintain stakeholder trust. The ChildCareOwner CEO training delves into corporate governance principles, equipping business owners with the knowledge to implement best practices and safeguard their organization’s integrity.
5. Networking Opportunities
The ChildCareOwner CEO Certification attracts a diverse group of childcare professionals nationwide. Participating in such programs provides childcare business owners with valuable networking opportunities, allowing them to connect with peers, mentors, and industry experts. These connections can lead to collaborations, partnerships, and exchanging ideas, further enriching the childcare business owner’s and manager’s knowledge and experience.
6. Enhancing Crisis Management Skills
In today’s ever-changing childcare business environment, crises are inevitable. How a childcare owner or manager handles a crisis can make or break a business. The ChildCareOwner CEO training includes crisis management training and teaching business owners how to prepare for, respond to, and recover from unexpected events. Effective crisis management skills enable CEOs to mitigate risks, maintain business continuity, and protect their company’s reputation in the community and licensing agencies.
7. Improving Communication Skills
Clear and effective communication is a hallmark of successful leadership. The ChildCareOwner CEO training programs emphasize the importance of communication skills, providing techniques for articulating vision, negotiating deals, and resolving conflicts. Childcare business owners and managers who master these skills can foster transparency, build strong relationships with stakeholders, and create an environment of trust and collaboration.
Some things you will master during our course:
Financial Management and Analysis. How to accurately calculate the true cost o to deliver care in each classroom and program. Providing a firm financial framework for developing tuition rates to cover all cost of care plus a return on investments and profits for savings and future expenditures.
Strategic Thinking and Planning. Learn a strategic framework for planning, minimizing risk and developing both short-term and long-term plans for maximzing childcare business performance.
Leadership and Team Management. Leading a team of often diverse individuals requires extensive people skills. You'll learn how to effectively communicate with individuals, teams and groups of employees. How to inspire, resolve conflict and gain buy in and support.
Corporate Governance. Business ownership and management requires set operating procedures and policies to minimize risk and legal issues. Compliance and following proven procedures is essential in a childcare business.
Increased Confidence. We often Don't Know What We Don't Know. Knowing, learning, understanding, developing new skills increases confidence and professional and personal development.
Problem Solving. Childcare is a dynamic, ever changing industry and business. You'll learn techniques for help you quick access, adjust and adapt. Our training uses real world examples and case studies that will develop your ability to address complex business problems.
ChildCareOwner CEO Certification Program Sponsor
Little something about the creators of this course
Donna Dailey
Founder & CEO
Helen Stahel
Attorney Child Care M & A
Cindy Gibbons
Former Child Care Owner
Cindy Lehnhoff
Advocacy, HR, Leadership
Donna Marcus
Child Care Insurance
Instructor
Ann Nonemaker
Child Care Lending
Instructor
2025 Session Dates
July 21st - 25th, 2025 Atlanta, GA
Sept. 15th - 19th, 2025 New Orleans
Nov. 10th - 14th, 2025 Coming Soon
First Qtr 2026 Coming Soon
Tuition is $2,950.00
Tuition includes 20+ hours of pre-class and post-class online training modules, plus 40+ hours in class, live instruction, all workbooks, handouts, case studies, training materials, quizzes, and the final exam. Tuition does not include travel, hotel, meals, or other expenses. Participants are responsible for scheduling all travel, transportation, lodging, and costs. The ChildCareOwner CEO Certification Program is available to qualifying owners and managers of independent and franchised childcare businesses. Additional information and an application for admission can be found on the ChildCareOwner.com Website.
