1. Developing Your Family
Child Care Business
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Module 1 – Exploring Business Ownership
Session 1
Facilitator: Janet Owen, M.Ed.
Smart Beginnings Appalachian Region Coordinator

2. Welcome to our 1st session –
Exploring Business Ownership.
I am so happy to have you join
us.

3. Introduction of Facilitator
O Janet Owen -Currently serving as Coordinator for the Smart Beginnings
Appalachian Region made up of Lee, Scott, and Wise counties and the
city of Norton, VA
O Bachelor’s degree in elementary education w/ early childhood certification
O CDA credential
O Master of Education in Reading w/ emphasis on early literacy
O 25+ years of working with young children in:
Christian Schools: preschool, kindergarten, 1st grade
teacher, early childhood director
Head Start: teacher and mentor teacher (on-
site director for program serving 60 low income children & families,
supervised 13 employees)
Public School Teacher – 1st grade, Title I reading, & TN Pre-K
teacher(8 yrs.)
O Tennessee Professional Teaching Certificate w/ endorsements in Elem.
1-8, Early Childhood Pre-K-3, & Reading Specialist Pre-K – 12
O Married for 30+ years to a minister and currently residing in Kingsport,
TN, 2 grown & married children – Ashlee & Jared

4. Look at page 1 in your Participant
Manual
O Goals for Module 1:
O Distinguish among the three roles played by a family
child care business owner.
O Discover your own strengths and weaknesses in
relation to the three roles of a family child care business
owner.
O Write and evaluate your own business concept
statement.
O Recognize the scope and value of the business
planning process.
O Module Outline

5. What Is My Vision? The goal of this
program is to help you create the family
child care business YOU envision.
O What’s an Entrepreneur?
O 3 Traits of Entrepreneurs:
1. Recognize opportunity:
1. Identify an unmet need or want
2. Identify a product or service that meets that
unmet need or want
3. Confirm that people will pay for the product or
service.

6. O 3 Traits of Entrepreneurs (continued)
2. Leverage resources:
1. Determine what resources they need.
2. Determine where to get those resources.
3. Determine how to get those resources.

7. O 3 Traits of Entrepreneurs (continued)
3. Manage risk:
1. Educate themselves about the potential risks or
problems.
2. Plan to reduce or eliminate those risks or
problems.

8. Activity 1.1 The Story of the Three
Little Pigs from an Entrepreneurial
View

14. And they lived happily ever after!

15. Take 3 minutes to answer questions 1-6
on pages 3-4 in the Participant
Manual.
O The last two questions are the most
important.
O Doing things in an entrepreneurial way in
part means:
O planning ahead
O imagining what might get in the way of achieving
your goal
O figuring out how to be prepared for obstacles
when they appear

16. Entrepreneurship and Me – page 5
O Your first entrepreneurial decision was to start your own
family child care business.
O Be clear about what you want from starting and
operating a family child care business
Me + Business Reality = A Fit?
Look at Activity 1.2 beginning on page 6. Write your
answers to these questions before the next session.
Determine how closely the family child care business fits
your personal goals and life style. Spend time thinking
about the Reflection questions on bottom of page 7 before
the next class.

17. What Hats Do I Wear?
O Introduce 5 Icons – page 8 in Participant Manual:
Child Care Provider, Entrepreneur, Business
Manager, Business Plan, & Parent Handbook
O 3 Roles of a Family Child Care Provider:
O Child Care Provider loves, appreciates, & respects
children & is happiest when caring for them
O Entrepreneur recognizes opportunities, envisions even
better business, & imagines playing significant part in
creating brighter future for children
O Business Manager sets policy, gets needed
governmental approvals, monitors cash flow, & deals
with the IRS
Which role best describes how you think of
yourself?

18. Are the 3 legs of this stool equally
important?

19. Family Child Care Business Owner
Business
Manager
Child Care Provider
Entrepreneur

20. This Family Child Care Business
program will help you strengthen your
skills as Entrepreneurs and Business
Managers.
O Business Plan will be created later in this program. It will
serve as guide to developing a solid family child care
business.
O Parent Handbook will be created later in this program. It
is a tool to communicate to parents the nature of your
business and your program policies.
O We’ll focus on each of 3 roles of Family Child Care
Provider by itself after a 10-minute break.
PAUSE THIS SESSION AND TAKE A 10 MINUTE BREAK

21. The Child Care Provider
O Read “The Child Care Provider” on page 9 in the
Participant Manual.
O List 3 key details about the Child Care Provider
role
O Loves, appreciates, and respects children and is
happiest when caring for them
O Provides developmentally appropriate interaction
and services
O Promotes the health and safety of all children
being cared for
These details relate to the Parent Handbook
because they establish credibility and reassure
customers of quality.

22. Activity 1.3 The Child Care Provider
Loves Children
O Take 3 minutes to write your answers to the nine questions on
page 10
O Child Care Connect Resource & Referral Agency:
Sherry Tabor, Program Manager
Ph. (276) 386-9881
Fax (276) 386-3387
stabor@appcaa.org
O Reflection Questions
What strengths do I bring to my child care business?
How can I improve my answers to questions 5-8?
Does my answer to question 9 limit my chance of success?
Think about these questions at home before the next
session.

23. The Entrepreneur
O Read “The Entrepreneur” on pages 11 & 12 in your Participant
Manual.
O List the 3 key details about the Entrepreneur’s role
O Identifies opportunity – already done
O Manages risk – willingness to take a calculated risk
Go beyond what is familiar and safe
Willing to risk failure – success rests on ability to plan and
put the plan into ACTION
Willing to risk losing money invested in the
business to get it up & going
Willing to risk losing ongoing income
while getting the business started and
operational.
Look at the TIP at bottom of page 11.
O Leverages Resources – asking for help when it’s needed is
critical to the success of any business.
Look at the list of those you need to know & why you need to
know them at bottom of page 12.

24. Activity 1.4 The Entrepreneur Manages
Risk
O Look at the questions on page 13. Write the answers
to them before the next session. There are NO right
or wrong answers.
O Look at the Reflection Questions on the bottom of
page 13
What risks will be the most difficult for me?
What can I do to reduce my risks?
I will know it’s not working out if/when
_________________.
I am willing to invest up to $________ to get
started.
I am willing to go without income until
__________(date).
Think about these key questions before the
next session.

25. Activity 1.5 The Entrepreneur
Leverages Resources
O Look at page 14 in your Participant Manual. This activity
will help you understand your resources as a family child
care entrepreneur. Knowing your resource people will help
you write the Management and Organization section of
your Business Plan at the end of Module 3.
O Take 3 minutes to fill out the chart on page 14.
O Continue to think about & make notes of your potential
resources before you come to the next session.
PAUSE THIS SESSION AND TAKE A 10 MINUTE BREAK

26. The Business Manager
O Read “The Business Manager” on page 15 in your
Participant Manual.
O List some things the Business Manager does:
Set policy
Get governmental approvals
Monitor cash flow
Deal with the Internal Revenue Service
O Look at TIP on page 15.
O Business and personal finances should be kept
separate.

27. Activity 1.6 The Business Manager
Supervises Operations
O Look at pages 16 & 17 in the Participant Manual. These details
relate to the Business Plan and Parent Handbook you will be
writing. You can use this information in both your Parent
Handbook and in the Operations section of your Business Plan.
O Take 5 minutes to write your answers to the 10 questions on
pages 16 & 17. There are NO right or wrong answers. You will
need to start thinking about these kinds of details and specifics
before starting your business.
O Look at the Reflection Questions at the bottom of page 17:
How confident are you in your ability to handle all the
business responsibilities reflected in these
questions? Which ones could you use help with?
Who can you ask for help?
Continue to think about these during this
session & at home.

28. Activity 1.7 The Business Manager
Oversees Finances
O Look at pages 18 through 20. These details relate to the
Business Plan. If you must look for outside financing, your
personal finances will become part of the Financial section of the
Business Plan. The key to gaining financing is being in good
financial shape.
O Answer the 6 questions on page 18.
O Fill out the Small Business Administration Personal Financial
Statement on pages 19 and 20 before the next session. No one
here will see your answers.
O Look at the Reflection Questions on page 18:
What areas of my personal finances need the most
attention? Where can I find help for my personal finances?
How long will it take for me to clear up any
personal financial issues I have discovered?

29. Activity 1.8 Summarizing the Three
Roles of a Family Child Care Business
Owner
O On page 21 in your Participant Manual, take 5 minutes
and write in the tasks you perform every day in a child
care business according to the 3 hats you wear.
O Look at the Reflection Questions on page 22 in your
Participant Manual.
Do I spend enough time in each role?
Do I manage an appropriate balance
among the roles?
If not, what do I need to change?
Which of these tasks could be done
more effectively by someone else?
Continue to think about these
key questions during this session & at
home.

30. Session 1 Summary
O On page 23 of your Participant Manual, focus on “Things I
Want to Remember”. Take 3 minutes and write down your
key learnings from this session.
O Look at “Things to Do Before the Next Module”.
O Complete Activities 1.2, 1.4, & 1.7.
O Contact one of the following child care associations to inquire
about membership fees, subscriptions to newsletters, & other
services.
O Write, email, or call your local Child Care Resource and
Referral Agency and ask for information about services
provided to family child care entrepreneurs.