Child care business startup boot camp to be held Friday

Published 11:10 am Tuesday, May 14, 2019

First Children’s Finance is presenting a program this Friday for those interested in possibly starting a child care business.

The Child Care Business Startup Boot Camp will be held from 8 a.m. to noon on Friday at the Mower County Government Center’s large ballroom (201 First Street Northeast, Austin, MN).

Topics that will be discussed include refining business ideas, creating marketing plans, develop budgets, manage finances, define business policies and secrets to long-term success.

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The camp was conceived through business and community collaboration as one of the final steps with First Children’s Finance and its Rural Child Care Innovation Program that was initiated late in 2017 according to Brady Engelby, a family child care licensor for Freeborn and Mower Counties.

“First Children’s Finance’s Rural Child Care Innovation Program (RCCIP) is an innovative community engagement process designed to increase the supply of high quality affordable child care in rural communities,” Engelby said through an email. “The purpose of RCCIP is to guide communities in identifying the scope and size of their child care challenges, and to empower and support communities to develop solutions to address these challenges.”

Engelby is hoping events like this camp will bring awareness and interest to individuals who are already moving toward the possibility of opening their own child care operation.

To that end, the boot camp is designed to encourage that interest into a successful business.

“We hope that this boot camp can be a useful tool to assist providers in sustaining and being successful in their child care programs for many years into the future as there will always be a need for child care programs,” Engelby said. “In the future, we’d like to be able to have recognition programs that highlight the quality and innovative contributions that child care providers are providing in the community.”

For those attending, there will be resources on hand including licensing related handouts detailing Minnesota Rules and Statutes regarding licensed child care, as well as information about how providers can qualify for forgivable loans to start their business.

Registration deadline is Wednesday at noon. Those interested should call Sheri Dankert at 1-507-437-9800.