February 28, 2022 • 48 mins
Monique Reynolds is the vice president of business support services with Quality Care for Children in Atlanta. She has worked in leadership roles in the child care industry for more than 25 years and has an extensive knowledge of child care business management and early education.
Monique previously owned and operated successful multi-site programs and her passion is helping child care business owners become successful and sustainable through shared services.
When she describes this model, she said she's reminded of the African proverb that it takes a village to raise a child. When you think about child care businesses, it's the same concept. It's basically having a community of people who put tools and resources together to make each business sustainable with increased profitability, Monique says.
In this podcast, she shares more about shared services and how they can help those in the child care industry.
,
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Welcome to the childcare business podcast
brought to you by pro caresolutions.
This podcast is all about givingchildcare, preschool, daycare
after school and other educationprofessionals, a fun and upbeat
way to learn about strategiesand inspiration you can use to
thrive.
You'll hear from a variety ofchildcare thought leaders,
(00:30):
including educators, owners, andindustry experts on ways to
innovate, to meet the needs ofthe children you serve from
practical tips for managingoperations, to uplifting
stories, transformation, andtriumph.
This podcast will be chalk fullin insights.
You can use to fully realize thepotential of your childcare
business.
(00:50):
Let's jump in.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Hello everybody.
Uh, and again, welcome to thechildcare business podcast.
Really excited to have today'sguest with us.
So I'm gonna jump right into toat Monique Reynolds, um, is the
vice president of business, uh,and support services.
And I'm gonna let her add alittle color to that if needed
for quality care for children inAtlanta, Georgia.
(01:14):
Um, you know, I've actuallyworked with Monique for many
years and, and she's been inleadership roles in our industry
for, I think more than 25 years,she has an extensive knowledge
of childcare, businessmanagement and early education.
She's a great resource.
Um, I think not just for centersin, in the state where she works
, which we'll get into down inGeorgia, but really has
(01:36):
expertise that I think willtranslate, um, to our audience
from coast to coast.
So, um, you know, in the past,Monique has owned and operated
successful multi-site programsand her passion, uh, which I
think you'll hear is in helpingchildcare business owners become
successful and sustainable.
Uh, and today she's gonna betalking to us a little bit about
(01:57):
her role, uh, in shared servicesdown in Georgia.
So Monique, welcome to thepodcast.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Hi Ryan.
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm so glad to be here.
I'm glad for all of you that arelistening in, we're gonna have
some fun today.
I hope that I can share somegreat information about what we
do in Georgia and some sharedresources.
Awesome.
I'm so excited to be here aswell.
Well,
Speaker 2 (02:20):
I love it.
Bringing the energy on a, Imean, I don't know exactly when
this, I actually go live, butyou know, for me, it's Monday
morning, first meeting of theweek, appreciate the energy.
I still have a cup of coffeegoing too.
So I agree.
We're gonna have some fun.
So I, I, I'm gonna start withthis cuz I, I always try when we
have guests on, I try to do justenough research so that, you
(02:42):
know, maybe we can have a littleof a roadmap of what we talk
about, but I try to do not verymuch, cause I don't wanna feel
like I know about you and aboutwhat you do so I can let you
kind of hopefully spend most ofthe time talking.
But I did see on your bio on thewebsite that, uh, a hobby or
interest of yours, and this isthe first time I've ever heard.
(03:04):
This is exploring lighthouses.
Is this true?
Is this a true statement?
Speaker 3 (03:08):
That is a true statement.
So I, um, used to work for theAmerican cancer society.
I was the patient servicedirector.
So from many years I worked withcancer patients and one, um,
patient I actually got veryclose to and she brought me a
lighthouse at the end of hertreatment and said that I was
(03:29):
lighting the way to so manypatients.
So then that began, a lot ofpatients started bringing the
lighthouse and I startedvisiting.
So I have over 300 and in my, uh, collection and I travel and I
visit different lighthouses.
And so I do feel like, uh, itkind of fits me that I'm at
guiding light.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
I love that.
All right.
So, so I gotta, I gotta diveinto this a little bit.
So like if Monique's scheduling,you know, holiday vacation,
you're gonna take some time awayfrom work and check out.
So your vacations, a lot oftimes will center around
visiting lighthouses.
So it is that true.
And then where, so where is thebest?
Like if you're like, all right,I can only go to one region to
(04:11):
go visit.
Li is there like a, like alighthouse destination for
lighthouse lovers that is thelike Mecca or is it different
everywhere?
Where are you gonna go?
Speaker 3 (04:21):
It's so different everywhere.
I haven't been able to go, um,out of state to, uh, out of
country to see some of the mostbeautiful ones that you can.
My favorite though is Jupiter,Florida, because it's my
favorite color is a red brick.
So that is my absolute favorite.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Is Jupiter.
Is Jupiter an island or am Ithinking Bel island?
I, I don't know the state thatwell is Jupiter Gulf coast or
Atlantic side?
Speaker 3 (04:48):
Gulf coast.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Okay.
It's okay.
So Jupiter's number one.
Have you been up to like theNortheast?
Cause I would imagine like forsome reason why I think a
lighthouse is, um, I'm from thewest coast.
So we do have like on the Oregoncoast light, but upper Northeast
coast.
Is that a, I
Speaker 3 (05:03):
Say I'm more north.
I go to North Carolina area.
Um, yeah, more that region.
I haven't got, I need to gocheck you at guys out on the
west side.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Yeah.
There's always gonna be placesyou can go.
Exactly.
All right.
All right.
So that's, that's the lighthouseand then walk me through just
so, so our O has like a littlecontext on your career path,
Monique.
So I know that right now we'regonna talk more and more about
quality care for children andwhat's going on down in Georgia.
But do you mind just talking alittle bit about your path to
(05:34):
get to where you are today?
Like what's kind of led to thatand then maybe, maybe talk a
little bit specifically aboutlike, what is your role for the
organization right now, if youwere to describe it?
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Yeah, thank you for that.
So I actually wanted to be, be alawyer.
And so I got into childcare withmy, um, children, uh, did a lot
of research on a lot ofchildcare programs in my
community.
I was in Gainesville, Florida.
And I, you know, like withanything you want the best,
especially for your first child.
So I said, you know what, I cando this.
(06:07):
And there was a lot of need inlower income areas, um, in
neighborhoods that I would oftenvisit.
So I opened my own and I startedit, uh, just transferring the
knowledge that I had from schoolinto that and went back to
school to educate myself more oneducation.
And then it grew from there.
(06:27):
Um, from there I owned multiplesites, but then I started
working in corporations to, Iwould take low performing
childcare, um, center and makethem profitable and sustainable,
absolutely love that work.
But sometimes when you'reworking for corporations, you go
in and you're, you're not, youknow, you can work with someone
that may not want you there orhave a different opinion.
(06:51):
So I think when I finally in thelast three years found quality
care for children, it has been,um, amazing because the passion
of what I do is going in andcreating sustainable programs
with programs that really,really want the support, but
didn't have a means or didn'thave an organization who can
(07:12):
support them in the way that wecan
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Now.
All right.
So it, and so you were inGainesville originally, this has
nothing to do with what we'regonna talk about either because
you were in Gainesville, but Iread that you are a seminal
right.
Florida state.
So is that like, so, but howdoes somebody leave Gainesville
university of Florida?
And is it just like, Hey, I'mleaving home.
I gotta go somewhere else orwhat, what I,
Speaker 3 (07:35):
So that's a great question.
So, um, I I'm born, I'm aseminal, but my, um, husband,
uh, lived in Gainesville.
So that kinda happened there.
And then I relocated, I gotremarried.
And so that's how I came toGeorgia.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
All right.
That's how you enjoyed now.
We know the story.
All right.
So still was seminar.
Were you there?
Were you there during like theglory day?
Seminals cause I know like I'myeah,
Speaker 3 (07:59):
We won the national championship.
93 gold semis.
Yes.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Was that like the Charlie ward or Chris win?
That
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Was that's the Charlie ward.
Yes.
Charlie
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Ward.
All right.
Legend.
He was, uh, he was one of thegreatest.
All right.
So we got a little bit offootball S E foot or no, they're
they're ACC ACC,
Speaker 3 (08:17):
ACC.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
All right.
All right.
I got all right.
So now we're at quality care forchildren.
And can you define we'veactually, so one of the reasons
I wanted to have you on theshow, you and I were meeting, I
don't know, like a month or soago, literally talking about,
you know, some of the work thatyou're doing in Georgia and you
were kind of laying out for me,um, you know, what you guys are
doing, the model you create.
(08:40):
And I thought we, to be sohelpful because this
conversation about sharedservices has gained so much
momentum in the last few years.
It's just a topic and astructure and, and a, um, I
guess a conversation that'shappening so much more.
And, and I maybe I've asked thisto other guests too.
We had Louise, um, you know,Stony on the, on the show.
(09:00):
Yeah.
Love Louise, you know, I guess afew months ago, but can you
define, maybe in your own words,what shared services is like,
what is a shared service hub?
What is a shared serviceAlliance and then maybe we'll go
from there.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
Yeah, absolutely.
So when I think about sharedservices, um, I'm reminded of an
old African proverb.
It takes a village to raise achild.
So when you think aboutchildcare businesses, it's the
same concept.
It's basically having acommunity of people, whether
it's individual communityorganizations coming together to
(09:38):
say, Hey, we have an interest inchildcare businesses.
And so we wanna put tools andresources together so that that
business can be sustainable.
Profitable can grow, whichtrickles down to our children
and families.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
I like the, and so did it, is it fair to say that
the model stemmed from I, cuz Iheard you say sustainability a
lot.
I've seen it on, on, you know,on, on the website for quality
care for children a lot.
Is that one of the reasonsshared services this model came
about because there was the, asense, or maybe a reality that
(10:16):
childcare in a lot of wayswasn't sustainable for small
business owners.
Is that a fair statement?
Like
Speaker 3 (10:23):
That is a fair statement, especially over the,
of course with the pandemic.
I think before the pandemic, thefocus has been more on program
side, making sure that childcareprograms were high quality and
they had those, uh, assessmentsand those tools and resources
focusing mainly on the child andtheir families.
(10:44):
So you saw a shift even with theshared service model to
sustainability because we knewbefore the pandemic, they were
fragile.
Now it's like we really need tofocus on the business style on
the sustainability piece ofshared services.
Because without that we won'thave, uh, uh, high quality care.
Even if you had a high qualitycare, you won't be in business.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Yeah.
You not gonna be able to stayaround.
So the sustainability has becomea big focus.
So rewind for me.
If you could now, were you atquality care for children when
the shared services pro started?
Were you, have you been therefrom the beginning or did you
come in?
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Yeah, I came in later, so I love our
organization.
We've been in business for 40years.
So part of the shared service wehave is, uh, the provider
resource hub.
That's our name of our sharedservices.
And that actually came about in2004.
And it's a site that providesresources and tools for, um,
(11:43):
everything that you would needto know to operate a program in
the state of Georgia over time,it is grown to something
different.
And so I came in in 2019 andwe've exploded.
So from that, if you wanna thinkabout like an octopus or a
spider and it has thoseantennas, our shared service at
(12:03):
the core of that is thatwebsite.
But then expanding from that, wehave business coaching and
automation.
We have provider back office,will we actually go in and do
those services for the childcareproviders so they can focus on
what they love and that's, uh,you know, focusing on their
children.
We have a staff family childcarenetwork that mimics our center
(12:25):
side, where we do businesscoaching and automation.
We have a Facebook page, but allof that centers back to our
provider resource hub.
If we do business trainings, younot gonna find it unless you go
on the hub.
If business coaching, everythingthat we do lives on our hub.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Got it.
And so the hub is the website.
And so going back to 2004, just,just for learning for me too.
So in terms of funding fororganizations and for like
quality care for children is itis government funding that comes
in to then support and provideadditional resource for
providers in the state.
Cuz the state of Georgia says,you know, look, if you wanna
open up a business as achildcare business, you gotta
(13:03):
get a business license, yougotta get license for childcare,
but really now you're kind of onyour own.
And so is it quality care forchildren is an resource where
those providers can go and getmore information and support and
it's funded by the government oris it funded by like outside
Speaker 3 (13:21):
Dollars?
And I think, um, what's whatworks great for the state of
Georgia.
Unlike some other states, ourlicensing agency for childcare
providers, um, gov pays for ourservices.
So we for we're funded by thestate who says, okay, here's
some other resources that youcan have.
But in addition to that, we alsohouse the quality rated system.
(13:44):
So our TAs go out, um, to helpthem get quality rated.
So in Georgia you have to bequality rated in order to, um,
offer a subsidy care one, two orthree star.
So that's with quality quality,uh, uh, that's with quality care
for children, our nutritionprogram, we're the largest, uh,
childcare sponsor in the stateof Georgia.
So we have that in our programand we also have early head
(14:06):
start and uh, parent services.
So my department businesssupport service is just an
extension of all of that, whichis funded by the state.
We have local communityorganizations United way, um,
that really have rallied around,um, this model to say, wow, this
is amazing.
We need to continue to offerthis service.
(14:27):
So it's a community of peoplethat fund us
Speaker 2 (14:30):
That come together to fund, okay.
That, that helps understand likethe model and the initiative.
And then one of the things thatI wanted to try to spend time
talking with you about, becauseI, I think you've done a good
job of building a framework foryour model in Georgia.
It can you and maybe this is2019 Monique, or maybe it
started prior to you joining theorganization, but specifically
(14:53):
around the shared serviceAlliance where as a provider, I
can join and participate andshare and best practices.
Were you there when thatstarted?
And, and can you talk a littlebit about like the initial
intent of creating a sharedcertain is what are the things
that you wanted to provide toproviders in terms of outcomes
(15:16):
and how did you guys startputting that together?
How did you get the word out?
How did you attract providers?
Maybe just talk about theprocess.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
Yeah.
So, okay.
This is what I get excited aboutbecause we do feel we're the
biggest cheerleaders for, um,chat healthcare providers.
So in the past, again, you maysee programs and services that
are offered, but nothing reallysolidified anything for
providers.
So we said, you know what, we'regonna change that.
We want to be a shared serviceplatform where when people call
(15:48):
us, we're gonna give themtangible solutions up to the
point.
We will do it for them so thatthey can be profitable,
sustainable, and successful.
So with our model, initially, itwas a service where people had
to pay into.
So you had a monthly fee thatyou would have to pay with more
funding that we receive, um,around 2019, and then definitely
(16:11):
going into COVID, we're able tooffer this wonderful service
absolutely free.
So in general, yeah.
So in general, any childcare,licensed childcare program in
the state of Georgia can be apart of our platform.
They can receive the, the basicbusiness coaching, the tools,
(16:32):
resources, all of that, but wewanted to do even more.
So what we've developed isbusiness, um, operations
trainings, which is about sixmonths to a year and it is a
selection process.
They fill out an application, wecall'em up on the phone and kind
of go into depth about ourprogram.
(16:53):
What we're gonna do.
We're gonna teach you businessfiscal management.
We're gonna coach you throughthe process.
We have a Georgia specificbudget.
That's going to align witheverything that you do.
We're gonna set you up onautomation.
We've done our research on nine,10 different automation systems.
And we're gonna show you the onethat we use in, in order for you
(17:14):
to operate more efficiently,we're gonna show you how to have
a work life balance.
So you're not putting in 10, uh,10, 12, 14 hour, day, weeks.
And so we're, we're gonna gothrough that process.
And once you're in our program,it's about a six months to a
year.
We pay for everything we pay forthat automation.
(17:34):
We pay for their training.
We pay for their laptop.
We pay for their tablet,everything that they need in
order to be successful.
We take care of it, even talkingto an accountant to make sure
that their taxes are filedcorrectly, everything, and it is
absolutely successful.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
Wow.
That's amazing.
So full built in business coachlike business like consultants,
advisors, you know, providersget all of this as part of
joining, you know, I think it'scalled an Alliance.
There's different terms thatI've heard, but joining the
shared service.
So for you guys, like in termsof identifying centers that
participate, is it, is it from asupply and demand standpoint
(18:14):
standpoint?
Is it we're having a hard timefinding enough providers to
participate or is it there's toomany that wanna participate and
there's a criteria process, orcan you accept as many providers
as you as want to participate inGeorgia?
What does that look like?
Speaker 3 (18:30):
So this is the beautiful thing.
So at the beginning of this newtype of, we wanna expand our
shared services, we kind of didit as a pilot, but
overwhelmingly so many providerswere like, I wanna be a part of
the group.
And we were like, we want you tobe a part of the group.
So again, it's the focus on, weknow that the economy is not
(18:51):
gonna get back to where it needsif childcare businesses are not
in business.
So everyone has rallied aroundour model and is funding it.
So we are able to offer moreservices to more providers.
So within the last year, we'veaccomplished over a hundred.
This year alone, we'll have over175 childcare programs that we
(19:13):
will serve.
So, uh, it's never ever, um, a,a situation where people, um, we
can't find them.
It's more of, wow, we need tocontinue to scale this model so
that we don't have to turnpeople away because we do put
them in different cohort groups.
Um, because we just don't haveenough staff in order to meet
(19:35):
the demand of this service.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
And that would be the constraint then is, you know, in
terms of like, if funding isavailable and providers wanna
sign up, the constraint wouldbecome staffing and support on
your end, in terms of like, wejust don't have enough coaches
and advisors to be able to meetwith all these individual owners
that would, is that inaccurate,
Speaker 3 (19:55):
I would say.
Absolutely.
And because our program, we werevery intentional on every single
thing that we do, um, to yieldthe best outcome.
So we didn't wanna chop it up.
It's very comprehensive.
So of course we could have, youknow, processes where we just
paid for a, or we pay forautomation, but that in itself
is not enough.
(20:16):
We wanted to make sure if webring anybody into our program,
it is extremely comprehensive.
It's robust.
And that we're gonna take themthrough a, through Z and we're
not gonna short change it.
We're not gonna put a bandaid onthe issue.
We're gonna fix it.
We're gonna make sure thatthey're successful.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
And so when you first sign up, uh, a new pro, so let's
say I'm a childcare owner inGeorgia, and I hear about you
and I reach out and I talk toMonique's team.
When you first meet with me asthe owner, Monique, is it, is it
kind of like, like I'm a coachat a gym and I'm about to tell
you, Hey, look, the outcomesthat we're gonna help you, you
know, achieve are gonna beamazing, life changing.
You're gonna feel better, yourbusiness gonna be more
(20:56):
successful, but it's also gonnabe painful.
And it's also gonna requirework.
Is, is that a fair like analogy?
Like, do you sit down with theseowners and explain what they're
signing up for?
Because I'm a, I, I would assumethat there's a requirement of
them to buy in and participate.
Is, is that accurate?
What kind of conversationhappened with
Speaker 3 (21:15):
Them?
Yeah, so you have it.
And so it's more like, um, theonly difference is, uh, when you
go to the gym, like you do haveto put a lot of work in the
difference with us is similar ina way we are your absolute
biggest cheerleader.
We just need you to say yes,yes.
To automation, yes.
To we're gonna do this budget.
(21:35):
And when you don't say, yes,we'll come and show up.
We'll call you every day.
Um, we are your accountabilitypartner.
So we have this conversationwith you to say, look, this is
where you are.
You can't compete with anybodyelse.
You're competing with yourself.
Your facility, uh, costs moremoney than the one down the
street.
So we're not even gonna look at,you know, the tuition rate that
(21:57):
everyone else is doing in thecommunity.
So we really break it down wherethey understand what the benefit
is.
And so when we give a couple ofexamples or show our results, we
never ever, ever have someonethat don't buy into the program.
And we it's, we don't even havepeople that would drop out.
They, they tend to just love it.
(22:19):
And, and it's more like, thankGod, this is here.
We love it.
So just for our results, just inour first year alone, we focus
on the iron triangle.
You mentioned Louise Stoney.
So she's the kind of the creatorof the E C E R triangle.
So we focus on three categories,enrollment, bad debt and revenue
(22:40):
covers cost per child.
So our results are amazing andthey continue to get better.
So people participating in ourprogram, their enrollment will
grow 24% and it has grown 24%.
Their bad debt has beeneliminated.
So the first year we had$52,000worth of bad debt, not
(23:02):
collecting on time, not, youknow, calling the parents when
they left out of our program, itwas reduced to about 835.
And that was just for a coupleof centers.
But the majority of the centershad zero bad debt and revenue
increased by 34%, largely due tobalance systems, working more
(23:23):
efficiently using automation tomake sure that they are working
efficiently.
There's can balances in there.
And there's that cheerleader inthe background saying, you can
do this.
We're here to help.
Let's do it.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Yeah.
I love that.
And so it's not like you guysare ever like, Hey, we gotta
kick you out of the programbecause you know, that gym
analogy of like, all you'redoing is sitting on the couch,
eating Cheetos and bomb bonds.
Like you haven't shown up at thegym in six weeks.
This isn't working.
You guys, you provide obviouslythe tools, but the support as
well.
And so once you're in, you guysdon't see
Speaker 3 (23:56):
Attrition.
No, we, we, um, we really doprovide the support.
And so I tell my team when we'regoing through the selection
process, unlike when I wasworking with a corporation or
where you have to go in and youhave to make those changes,
whether people want it or not,we have a unique, we're in a
unique situation where as we'regoing through these assessments
(24:18):
and these applications, I tellmy team, you get to choose out
of this bunch of people here,you know, your with, within
these guidelines who we wannawork with, do they want to work
with you?
Do they want to be better?
And if they're in our program,guess what, no matter what,
you've gotta get them throughit.
So you may pick someone that,Hey, they get it.
(24:40):
They're, they're ready to go.
And they do everything that weask and they're compliant and
they're go going forward.
And then you have otherproviders where we have to be
very patient.
We have to hold our hands alittle bit more.
So we slow that pace down forthat provider.
And we make them feel like weare a part of their team and we
take them through the process sothat they can be successful.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
That's amazing.
And, and then obviously you haveoutcomes to support that.
I mean, I, and that's what Iwanna talk a little bit about.
I know you talked about the irontriangle about, you know,
boosting enrollment, reducingbad debt, increasing revenue,
and your program has shown,like, not just that we're
saying, that's what we're hopingto do, but it's factual outcomes
that we can show you.
(25:22):
Our providers have actuallyexperienced these things.
So in terms trying to, to get tothose outcomes, are there some
best practices and, and I'll letyou speak to this.
I don't know if it's differentfor every provider or if there's
some things that you guys, youknow, require like, look, this
is standard best practice forproviders that are gonna go
(25:44):
improve those areas of the irontriangle.
And I know a little bit of ashameless plug.
This isn't like a pro carepodcast, but I do know like
management software, as anexample, to maybe lead the
question a little bit issomething that you guys have
found.
Like you can't provide thoseoutcomes if everything's being
done manually.
It are there other things like,I know, like automation is one,
(26:05):
you've talked about other thingsthat you can talk about around
in raw enrollment, bad debt,increasing revenue.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
Yeah.
I definitely think that's keywhat you said.
So we, um, and you mentionedProCare, but we, we, we use
ProCare.
And so one of our requirements,when we go in and we talk to a
provider is you have to use, um,our system, which is ProCare.
And one of the reasons why weuse ProCare are system is we're
(26:29):
able to use the enterpriseversion.
So what that means is my team.
We're able to go behind thescenes.
We're able to see if what we'reimplementing is working.
If they need help, if they needadditional support, we're able
to flag it.
We're able to see that.
And so we, it is kind of apartnership together.
So the automation piece is one,and then the other is their
(26:52):
budget following a, a particularbudget, looking at their revenue
cost per child.
Um, having their willingness tosay they're committed to not
working 15 hours a day.
So we restructure their wholeprogram and make sure that they
are following those guidelinesthat we've set.
And it's not an option.
(27:12):
I think a lot of shared servicesare a lot of pieces.
Um, go kind of crazy becausethere's so many options.
People get so overwhelmed wherethey get lost again in the
shuffle, we kind ofstrategically say, these are the
steps that you have to do in ourprogram in order to be
successful.
(27:33):
We're called QCC works forsustainable childcare.
That's the reason if you followwhat we say, if we help you
along the way it works.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
Yeah.
That's amazing.
And it's amazing to me.
Oh, always like in working withshared services, this is the
same one as we've worked withyou guys.
Um, it, there's so manydifferent personalities
involved.
You know, if we work with likean enterprise, you know,
organization, you know, you'vegot a corporate office that is
setting all the, the systems andbest practices and requirements
and directors and administratorskind of follow what the
(28:04):
corporation sets shared servicehas some of those same, you
know, like, like some of thosesame scenarios where there's the
standardization, but you're thedifference is you've got 170
different owners that havedifferent opinions that have
different personalities.
Is that a challenge like for ashared service?
Is it a challenge to get it buyin or because of maybe as it's
(28:27):
gained more momentum, when youhave outcomes that you can point
to, it's easier to get people onboard.
I,
Speaker 3 (28:33):
I think when you have outcomes that you can point to
you definitely, um, it makes iteasier.
I do feel there's so much, likeyou said, there's so many
different personalities, sothere's different options for
people to chew, which we supportthat as a business owner.
However, in our particularprogram, for that reason, we
narrow down those options.
(28:54):
Because if you have so manydistractions, you're not focused
on your business.
So a childcare provider ingeneral, they have things that
they're working about, thechild, the quality rated, um,
the food program compliance.
And that's great.
That's not our focus.
Our focus is on the businessside.
(29:14):
So we're intentional when we'reworking with childcare
providers, yes.
You could be on our platform,but when you're in our extended
program, we focus primarily onthe business.
So there is, is one model forus.
There are several ways toimplement that model, but that's
the model that we prefer to usein order to yield the best
result.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Yeah.
Cuz then what you guys aresaying is like, look, if you can
get the business on solidground, all those other things
downstream are easier to dealwith.
Right?
Like all you
Speaker 3 (29:43):
Got it, you got it, Ryan.
Yes.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
So are there some common things that you guys see,
I mean, working with as manyproviders as you, do you have a
unique perspective?
I think in terms of you're,you're constantly hearing from
individual owners what theirbusiness struggles are, and
what's hard for them about inrural and bad debt.
Like are there some con likewhen it comes to enrollment,
like, and, and providers thatsay, look, we can't fill all of
(30:08):
our spaces.
Are there some common, likemisconceptions from owners that
they have about why they don'thave all their seats full that
you guys come in and say, look,you know, you're not marketing
your business properly, or it'sa staffing issue.
Are, are there some commonthings that you guys constantly
hear that you immediately startwith when it comes to
enrollment?
Speaker 3 (30:28):
Yeah.
So the biggest issue right nowCOVID is staffing.
And so one of the things that wealways say, when a provider
call, are you on our providerresource hub, are you on our
shared service platform?
Why?
Cause if you're on our platform,we pay for additional services
for every childcare provider toadvertise free on our platform.
(30:49):
So the job board goes out to NDLinkedIn, Google search.
So they don't even have to payfor it.
So it's more so of are youutilizing all the resources and
tools that we actually have havethat can put you in a better
position?
So that's first.
So the staffing issue is a majorone.
The other thing is I'm a firmbeliever in automation.
(31:12):
I just, I cannot emphasizeenough that every single
childcare program period shouldbe on automation.
It just makes your life easier.
You can see things quicker, youunderstand where you need to
market.
You see where you need to fillyour spaces.
You see where your teacher, uh,are in and out and you can
reduce your, uh, payroll costs.
(31:34):
Automation just wins.
It just helps you win and be abetter efficient provider.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
Automation wins.
I'm gonna, we need to make thata tagline.
Somehow automation wins hashtagLeah, just I, our marketing team
in the background will have toremember that hashtag automation
wins.
I like that.
Speaker 3 (31:52):
Um, yes.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
What, what about on the revenue side?
Because we, you know, just likeyou Monique, I mean, the reason
our paths have crossed is wehave, you know, shared, I guess,
customers and shared interest inthe industry.
Certainly the outcomes ofproviders, the piece around
revenue is I've found is alwaysa, like, I don't know if
touchy's the right word, butlike providers, like I'm scared
(32:14):
to increase my tuition becausecompetitively in my area, um,
I'm worried if it gets too highpeople, aren't gonna bring their
kids here.
You guys go and look at like thefinancials of a provider and,
and you realize, look, yourcurrent tuition, isn't going to
be sustainable.
Speaker 3 (32:33):
Right.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
Walk me through that conversation.
How do you help a provider seethat, you know what?
The link between tuition andsustainability is so key to help
them overcome those fears, Iguess.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
Okay.
So all of you that are listeningin this is key.
This is important.
This is the number one concernthat we have with every single
provider in our program.
And with every single we tellthem, after the assessment, you
will increase your rate.
They haven't increased theirrate.
It could be five years or itit's the same thing.
(33:07):
What are my parents gonna say?
You know, I fear what's gonnahappen.
And what we tell them again, isour re results.
And the first year we had peoplethat were so hesitating.
We're like, well, we're gonnaraise it be because your, your
home, if it's a FA familychildcare provider, your home
expenses is more than whatpeople are charging in your
(33:28):
community.
So you're not in competitionwith miss Sue down the street,
that's paying or charging 150.
You have to be at 175 in orderto even break even.
So now let's go ahead and dothat.
And then we'll talk about whatis your unique difference and
why someone would pay you 175versus the person down the
(33:51):
street, 150.
So we really break all of thatdown and they are very fearful,
but we help them through that.
Pro every single provider hasincreased their rate, and that's
why we have the 34% increase inrevenue overall.
And then we tell them, I'm not adaycare.
(34:14):
You are not a drop off service.
You are a small business owner.
That means that you have toincrease your rate every year,
just like everybody else to thetwo to 4% increase so that you
can be sustainable.
We understand that you careabout your families and, and
that's great, but you arerunning a business.
(34:35):
And in order to run a business,you have to look at your
numbers.
Speaker 2 (34:38):
Yeah.
I love that you guys are, aremessaging that message, cuz it,
it, it actually translate likefor so long, like part of my
career in the industry has been,you know, talking with
individual owners and, and, youknow, an example that, you know,
often comes up is, you know, allmy families wanna pay us with
electronic forms of payment, butwe, you know, there's fees for
that.
And so we just wanna take checksand cash and understanding the
(35:00):
cost of, you know, know chasingmoney and bad debt versus how do
I set my business up to makesure I've covered my cost of
doing business so that there's amargin left that I can sustain
my livelihood and provide greatoutcomes for my community.
I mean, that's kind of theformula, right,
Speaker 3 (35:19):
Right.
That is a formula.
And, and the, the point that Iwanna make is it's not the
parent, it's the provider,because when we've made those
changes, um, let's say out of ahundred parents, it may have
been two parents that complainedor kind of said, oh my God, what
, what are you guys doing?
But all of the other parentspaid.
(35:40):
And even those two paid more of,and some parents are saying,
wow, I just never, I, I waswondering when you were gonna
increase your rate or when I'dmuch rather pay you through a
credit card or a debit, or canhave my grandparents pay it or
my on, or someone thatgodparents pay it.
I was wondering, were you gonnago through this system?
So it's really not the familiesper se.
(36:02):
It's the provider that has beenjust taught in this industry for
so long one way of doing things.
And we have to just kind ofchange with time and embrace it.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
Yeah.
I think it's, you know, tell meif you think this state and is
true.
I think one of the challengesfor providers has been for so
long, they've been so serviceminded to their community.
Yes.
And there's this like almost,they feel like there's this
conflict of interest.
Like if I'm here to serve mycommunity and I raise my prices,
I I'm counter I'm counteractingthat, or it's being
(36:34):
counterproductive.
And so they feel almost like I,customers are the ones that
control how I run my business.
And I think the shift thatyou're talking about and the
shift that you see between acenter that is sustainable and
maybe one that is constantlylike on the edge of being able
to survive is getting to thatpoint where you say, I'm gonna
(36:55):
build the business in a way thatmakes the business wrong and
trust that that's gonna attractclients in my community that
want to participate in that.
Right.
Speaker 3 (37:06):
Yeah.
I agree.
And the bottom line is, um, ifyou are building that
foundation, if you are makingsure that your business is
successful, then you will serveyour community and you'll serve
your C well, you won't struggleto pay Paul for Peter, Peter for
Paul, you're actually in abetter situation to support, not
(37:27):
just your community, but yourstaff they'll be able to, you'll
be able to raise your rates.
You'll be able to have vacationtime.
You'll be healthier, um, as abusiness owner, in order to
serve the community, trying toserve.
So I, I do, I see that we areservice-minded, but I feel like
we can have both.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
Yeah.
I love how you said that.
I love like, if you wanna serveyour community, well, build a
strong, sustainable business.
And
Speaker 3 (37:54):
There you go
Speaker 2 (37:55):
Do that and you're serving your community.
I, I, I like that.
I, I do think if, if I heardyou, right, I'm probably gonna
paraphrase this, but like thefear of man, if I make a
business decision, that's gonnaraise my tuition.
Parents are gonna lead myprogram.
That's an irrational fear.
It's not what you see happeningin any way
Speaker 3 (38:14):
Shape.
It's not, that's not, that's thebiggest myth that I think I
would want to emphasize today.
They won't.
Now you can't just outoutrageously increase your
rates, but you should have aplan of action that it will
increase every year becauseinflation increases every year.
You have to have that mindset ofhow can you offer, how can you
(38:35):
be sustainable and offer greatquality care in your community?
And there's ways to do that.
And we're behind the wholeentire industry is behind.
And so now these are theopportunities in the time where
we have to fix it now so that wecan move forward and be a
business that can serve ourcommunity will.
Speaker 2 (38:55):
Yeah.
Well said.
What, what about, um, what aboutthe bad debt piece?
Because that's another one, youknow, there's the enrollment,
there's the increasing, youknow, of revenue, bad debt is a
huge issue for a lot ofproviders.
How do you guys tackle that?
Like if are there some key, likedo these things and you'll
reduce bad debt.
Speaker 3 (39:14):
Yes.
Yeah.
So it goes back to automation,automation, automation,
automation.
And here's the thing when you,um, just a segue, when you think
about service, like, we don'twant to say we don't wanna
offend our parents.
They know they owe us and wedon't wanna have that tough
conversation.
What I love about automation isyou don't have to have that
(39:34):
conversation.
It's there, it, you, itautomatically sends out notices
when the parent is behind.
When they get ready to clock infor the day, it can stop them to
say you owe this balance and sothey can pay it.
So it really, really is in theadministrative and support
partner of what you're trying todo, especially when you have a
(39:55):
heart hard time, having thosetough conversations, automation
helps alleviate that, alleviatesthat process.
And then you begin to set up forpeople that are way behind set
up those type of systems, whereyou can say, I'm gonna, you
know, put you on this type ofplan.
You have to, you know, gothrough our automated system
where it's automat, it's not,you're taking checks and you're
(40:18):
waiting for this check to clear.
It's just a better way.
And you, I, I promise, I promiseif you're using automation, you
will eliminate bad debt period.
It's not an O you will
Speaker 2 (40:31):
Period, because where you see bad debt is where
there's the, the honor systemfor parents.
And there's a lot of annualpayments.
And I mean, I know this hashistorically been, it's gotten
so much better, but it's beenkind of that community minded
I'm here to serve.
And so parents, if they pay meon Mondays, when they're
supposed to or not, it all worksitself out.
You guys are all about eliminatethat mentality require payment
(40:55):
on time, reduce bad debt, cuzthe that's being a good
community minded business.
You're you're sustainable
Speaker 3 (41:02):
And you wanna be a good steward of your finances.
So what I tell providers all thetime is when you're not
collecting your tuition in fulland on time, you don't have a
steady cash.
So that means you are gonna nowstart paying your bills late.
You're you're gonna get intosituations where your teachers
are not paid on time or you'reborrowing money to help pay
(41:24):
that.
So you're not helping yourselfby trying to, uh, offset that to
a parent who actually, mostparents are willing to do this
process and feel that theprocess is easier.
So it's just getting theprovider's mindset over the hump
of thinking differently.
And it's almost like a ahamoment.
(41:47):
We have all of our providerssaying, I wish I knew this many
years ago because I would've, Iwould've done it.
They just didn't know.
Speaker 2 (41:57):
Yeah.
That's amazing.
Yeah.
It's, it's shared service.
Like when I think about yourteam, it's like part business
coach, part advisor part, youknow, financial, you know,
advocate part like just coach,like mentality, coach, like
having the right mindset of howto approach your business every
day makes all the difference.
What, what about like Monique,you guys think in Georgia about
(42:20):
your program specifically, youknow, as you look down over the
next six months, year, maybe twoyears.
Like if, if I were to ask youlike, we're, we're talking two
years from now, so what's thedate February?
Well, February, 2024 betweennow.
And then what, what does successlook like for you guys?
Is it in terms of your program?
(42:42):
Is it expanding the reach?
So there's more providers, is itas simple as sheer numbers?
Like what are the things thatyou guys are focused on in the
next year or two in terms ofimproving your program and what
you're doing?
Speaker 3 (42:54):
Yeah, so we're definitely, um, it's it's
expansion.
We have over 4,000 childcareprograms, um, in the state of
Georgia, we want every singleprogram, one on our shared
platform.
And then more importantly, goingthrough our process, we believe
that you just can't teach oneside.
We want it comprehensive.
Like you need the businesscoaching, but you also need the
(43:16):
advisement.
You also need the automation.
And so we wanna be able to givethat, um, service to all of our
providers so that Georgia canhave, um, childcare, sustainable
childcare, not just in, inpockets of Georgia, but the
entire state of Georgia.
So we look to expand and we alsolook to have like a substitute
(43:37):
pool.
We wanna really, we know thatthat is a, uh, a massive area
that, uh, that everyone isstruggling to have.
So we wanna be able to, um, havea system where it is a great
substitute pool that is notcosting a provider 19$20, you
know, on our shared platform,they can purchase things from
(43:59):
Kaplan and Lakeshore, all onlike a major discount.
We wanna be able to expand allof our services so that
providers win at the end of theday.
We want them to be successful.
Speaker 2 (44:10):
Yeah.
Nice.
So providing more outreach.
So you is the, is the substitutepool, is that something that has
ever or happened before?
That's an interesting, you know,concept, cuz you know, obviously
you mentioned staffing and Ithink on every episode we do on
some level or another staffingchallenges come up.
I mean it is the topic in theindustry right now.
I saw you guys have talked a lotabout a minimum, you know, kind
(44:32):
of wage for childcare providers.
And so it's just a lot ofconversation happening is the
substitute pool.
Is that, is that a thinghistorically or is that kind of
a new concept?
Speaker 3 (44:43):
Um, no, I think it's it's is gaining traction.
So there some states that arealready doing a substitute pool,
so in Georgia, we're trying tofind what works.
It is gonna take resources, um,for us to kind of think about
how does that look and how do wemake that happen?
We are very fortunate because wehave the job board, so that's a
start, but we want to be able toattract and share that resource.
(45:07):
And maybe there is opportunitiesfor us to set that up up where
that resource, those teachershave health benefits, um, and
different things that providerscan afford to pay.
And we're able to offer thisservice where you can get really
good teachers at affordablerates.
Speaker 2 (45:26):
Yeah.
That's amazing.
I it'll be interesting to seehow that plays out.
I'm gonna have to keep my eyeson that because I think if you,
you, if you're a provider andyou have access to that now all
of a sudden, I mean, we hearthis all the time from our
customers that like I have roomsavailable that I can't open
because I don't have staff andat least it provides a pathway
to temporarily having teachersand staff in a classroom so
(45:48):
that, you know, they can open upmore seats for kids.
So, um, love to hear that, keepour eyes on it.
Um, moving forward, like, so if,if I'm the center in Georgia,
Monique I'm, you know, I knowwe're kind of coming to the end
here of our time together, butif I'm a provider in Georgia and
I wanna find out more about whatyou guys are doing, can you just
talk about the different waysproviders can find you, how they
(46:12):
could get, can connected withyou get more information?
Um, so we can kind of helppromote what you guys are doing
down there.
Speaker 3 (46:18):
Yeah, absolutely.
So we definitely want people toreach out.
It's a really simple, um, QCCworks, QCC works@qccga.org.
So you can reach us on, you canGoogle us quality care for tool
we're on Facebook.
We have a wonderful Facebookpage.
We do webinars and trainings forour childcare providers.
(46:39):
We're on Instagram, um, or youcan email us directly.
So, um, we would definitely loveto hear, um, from anybody, but
definitely if you're in thestate of Georgia and you haven't
connected with us, we're waitingfor you.
Speaker 2 (46:51):
Yeah.
I like, I like that.
And look, you know, little plugfrom our side, you know, we've
worked with Monique and hergroup for many years and they're
doing amazing work down there.
Great resource if you're aprovider in Georgia and you're
looking for resources, even ifyou just have questions, reach
out to them.
They're great, you know, set ofprofessionals that have a ton of
experience.
Um, so don't hesitate to reachout to'em you're gonna be down
(47:15):
in, in Austin for the OPEX stuffin April.
Is
Speaker 3 (47:19):
That I'm hoping, I guess, with everything that's
going on, I'm hoping that I'llbe able to participate.
Speaker 2 (47:24):
Yeah.
It's a little, I know it's alittle bit crazy for everybody,
but um, I, I think it'll be,even if it's virtual for some
people, I think it'll be greatcontent.
So, um, Monique, I reallyappreciate you carving out part
of your Monday to, to come meetwith us.
I was excited to spend some timeI could chat with you for a lot
longer.
I think there's a lot to talkabout.
So maybe we'll have, uh, asession too at some point, but
(47:46):
thank you so much for being apart of it.
Speaker 3 (47:48):
Thank you for letting me be a part of it.
Um, I've really enjoyed it.
It's kind of like motivationalMonday.
So I've enjoyed spending thistime with you, Ryan and your
audience.
Speaker 2 (47:57):
Yeah.
Love motivational Monday.
I like it.
Keep up the good work down thereand we'll, we'll stay in touch.
Okay,
Speaker 3 (48:02):
Great.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (48:04):
You bet.
Speaker 1 (48:05):
Thank you for listening to this episode of the
childcare podcast, to get moreinsights on ways to succeed in
your childcare business, makesure to hit subscribe in your
podcast app.
So you never miss an episode.
And if you want even morechildcare business tips, tricks
and strategies, head over to ourresource
center@procaresoftware.com untilnext time.
Welcome to the childcare business podcast
brought to you by pro caresolutions.
This podcast is all about givingchildcare, preschool, daycare
after school and other educationprofessionals, a fun and upbeat
way to learn about strategiesand inspiration you can use to
thrive.
You'll hear from a variety ofchildcare thought leaders,
(00:30):
including educators, owners, andindustry experts on ways to
innovate, to meet the needs ofthe children you serve from
practical tips for managingoperations, to uplifting
stories, transformation, andtriumph.
This podcast will be chalk fullin insights.
You can use to fully realize thepotential of your childcare
business.
(00:50):
Let's jump in.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Hello everybody.
Uh, and again, welcome to thechildcare business podcast.
Really excited to have today'sguest with us.
So I'm gonna jump right into toat Monique Reynolds, um, is the
vice president of business, uh,and support services.
And I'm gonna let her add alittle color to that if needed
for quality care for children inAtlanta, Georgia.
(01:14):
Um, you know, I've actuallyworked with Monique for many
years and, and she's been inleadership roles in our industry
for, I think more than 25 years,she has an extensive knowledge
of childcare, businessmanagement and early education.
She's a great resource.
Um, I think not just for centersin, in the state where she works
, which we'll get into down inGeorgia, but really has
(01:36):
expertise that I think willtranslate, um, to our audience
from coast to coast.
So, um, you know, in the past,Monique has owned and operated
successful multi-site programsand her passion, uh, which I
think you'll hear is in helpingchildcare business owners become
successful and sustainable.
Uh, and today she's gonna betalking to us a little bit about
(01:57):
her role, uh, in shared servicesdown in Georgia.
So Monique, welcome to thepodcast.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Hi Ryan.
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm so glad to be here.
I'm glad for all of you that arelistening in, we're gonna have
some fun today.
I hope that I can share somegreat information about what we
do in Georgia and some sharedresources.
Awesome.
I'm so excited to be here aswell.
Well,
Speaker 2 (02:20):
I love it.
Bringing the energy on a, Imean, I don't know exactly when
this, I actually go live, butyou know, for me, it's Monday
morning, first meeting of theweek, appreciate the energy.
I still have a cup of coffeegoing too.
So I agree.
We're gonna have some fun.
So I, I, I'm gonna start withthis cuz I, I always try when we
have guests on, I try to do justenough research so that, you
(02:42):
know, maybe we can have a littleof a roadmap of what we talk
about, but I try to do not verymuch, cause I don't wanna feel
like I know about you and aboutwhat you do so I can let you
kind of hopefully spend most ofthe time talking.
But I did see on your bio on thewebsite that, uh, a hobby or
interest of yours, and this isthe first time I've ever heard.
(03:04):
This is exploring lighthouses.
Is this true?
Is this a true statement?
Speaker 3 (03:08):
That is a true statement.
So I, um, used to work for theAmerican cancer society.
I was the patient servicedirector.
So from many years I worked withcancer patients and one, um,
patient I actually got veryclose to and she brought me a
lighthouse at the end of hertreatment and said that I was
(03:29):
lighting the way to so manypatients.
So then that began, a lot ofpatients started bringing the
lighthouse and I startedvisiting.
So I have over 300 and in my, uh, collection and I travel and I
visit different lighthouses.
And so I do feel like, uh, itkind of fits me that I'm at
guiding light.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
I love that.
All right.
So, so I gotta, I gotta diveinto this a little bit.
So like if Monique's scheduling,you know, holiday vacation,
you're gonna take some time awayfrom work and check out.
So your vacations, a lot oftimes will center around
visiting lighthouses.
So it is that true.
And then where, so where is thebest?
Like if you're like, all right,I can only go to one region to
(04:11):
go visit.
Li is there like a, like alighthouse destination for
lighthouse lovers that is thelike Mecca or is it different
everywhere?
Where are you gonna go?
Speaker 3 (04:21):
It's so different everywhere.
I haven't been able to go, um,out of state to, uh, out of
country to see some of the mostbeautiful ones that you can.
My favorite though is Jupiter,Florida, because it's my
favorite color is a red brick.
So that is my absolute favorite.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Is Jupiter.
Is Jupiter an island or am Ithinking Bel island?
I, I don't know the state thatwell is Jupiter Gulf coast or
Atlantic side?
Speaker 3 (04:48):
Gulf coast.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Okay.
It's okay.
So Jupiter's number one.
Have you been up to like theNortheast?
Cause I would imagine like forsome reason why I think a
lighthouse is, um, I'm from thewest coast.
So we do have like on the Oregoncoast light, but upper Northeast
coast.
Is that a, I
Speaker 3 (05:03):
Say I'm more north.
I go to North Carolina area.
Um, yeah, more that region.
I haven't got, I need to gocheck you at guys out on the
west side.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Yeah.
There's always gonna be placesyou can go.
Exactly.
All right.
All right.
So that's, that's the lighthouseand then walk me through just
so, so our O has like a littlecontext on your career path,
Monique.
So I know that right now we'regonna talk more and more about
quality care for children andwhat's going on down in Georgia.
But do you mind just talking alittle bit about your path to
(05:34):
get to where you are today?
Like what's kind of led to thatand then maybe, maybe talk a
little bit specifically aboutlike, what is your role for the
organization right now, if youwere to describe it?
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Yeah, thank you for that.
So I actually wanted to be, be alawyer.
And so I got into childcare withmy, um, children, uh, did a lot
of research on a lot ofchildcare programs in my
community.
I was in Gainesville, Florida.
And I, you know, like withanything you want the best,
especially for your first child.
So I said, you know what, I cando this.
(06:07):
And there was a lot of need inlower income areas, um, in
neighborhoods that I would oftenvisit.
So I opened my own and I startedit, uh, just transferring the
knowledge that I had from schoolinto that and went back to
school to educate myself more oneducation.
And then it grew from there.
(06:27):
Um, from there I owned multiplesites, but then I started
working in corporations to, Iwould take low performing
childcare, um, center and makethem profitable and sustainable,
absolutely love that work.
But sometimes when you'reworking for corporations, you go
in and you're, you're not, youknow, you can work with someone
that may not want you there orhave a different opinion.
(06:51):
So I think when I finally in thelast three years found quality
care for children, it has been,um, amazing because the passion
of what I do is going in andcreating sustainable programs
with programs that really,really want the support, but
didn't have a means or didn'thave an organization who can
(07:12):
support them in the way that wecan
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Now.
All right.
So it, and so you were inGainesville originally, this has
nothing to do with what we'regonna talk about either because
you were in Gainesville, but Iread that you are a seminal
right.
Florida state.
So is that like, so, but howdoes somebody leave Gainesville
university of Florida?
And is it just like, Hey, I'mleaving home.
I gotta go somewhere else orwhat, what I,
Speaker 3 (07:35):
So that's a great question.
So, um, I I'm born, I'm aseminal, but my, um, husband,
uh, lived in Gainesville.
So that kinda happened there.
And then I relocated, I gotremarried.
And so that's how I came toGeorgia.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
All right.
That's how you enjoyed now.
We know the story.
All right.
So still was seminar.
Were you there?
Were you there during like theglory day?
Seminals cause I know like I'myeah,
Speaker 3 (07:59):
We won the national championship.
93 gold semis.
Yes.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Was that like the Charlie ward or Chris win?
That
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Was that's the Charlie ward.
Yes.
Charlie
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Ward.
All right.
Legend.
He was, uh, he was one of thegreatest.
All right.
So we got a little bit offootball S E foot or no, they're
they're ACC ACC,
Speaker 3 (08:17):
ACC.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
All right.
All right.
I got all right.
So now we're at quality care forchildren.
And can you define we'veactually, so one of the reasons
I wanted to have you on theshow, you and I were meeting, I
don't know, like a month or soago, literally talking about,
you know, some of the work thatyou're doing in Georgia and you
were kind of laying out for me,um, you know, what you guys are
doing, the model you create.
(08:40):
And I thought we, to be sohelpful because this
conversation about sharedservices has gained so much
momentum in the last few years.
It's just a topic and astructure and, and a, um, I
guess a conversation that'shappening so much more.
And, and I maybe I've asked thisto other guests too.
We had Louise, um, you know,Stony on the, on the show.
(09:00):
Yeah.
Love Louise, you know, I guess afew months ago, but can you
define, maybe in your own words,what shared services is like,
what is a shared service hub?
What is a shared serviceAlliance and then maybe we'll go
from there.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
Yeah, absolutely.
So when I think about sharedservices, um, I'm reminded of an
old African proverb.
It takes a village to raise achild.
So when you think aboutchildcare businesses, it's the
same concept.
It's basically having acommunity of people, whether
it's individual communityorganizations coming together to
(09:38):
say, Hey, we have an interest inchildcare businesses.
And so we wanna put tools andresources together so that that
business can be sustainable.
Profitable can grow, whichtrickles down to our children
and families.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
I like the, and so did it, is it fair to say that
the model stemmed from I, cuz Iheard you say sustainability a
lot.
I've seen it on, on, you know,on, on the website for quality
care for children a lot.
Is that one of the reasonsshared services this model came
about because there was the, asense, or maybe a reality that
(10:16):
childcare in a lot of wayswasn't sustainable for small
business owners.
Is that a fair statement?
Like
Speaker 3 (10:23):
That is a fair statement, especially over the,
of course with the pandemic.
I think before the pandemic, thefocus has been more on program
side, making sure that childcareprograms were high quality and
they had those, uh, assessmentsand those tools and resources
focusing mainly on the child andtheir families.
(10:44):
So you saw a shift even with theshared service model to
sustainability because we knewbefore the pandemic, they were
fragile.
Now it's like we really need tofocus on the business style on
the sustainability piece ofshared services.
Because without that we won'thave, uh, uh, high quality care.
Even if you had a high qualitycare, you won't be in business.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Yeah.
You not gonna be able to stayaround.
So the sustainability has becomea big focus.
So rewind for me.
If you could now, were you atquality care for children when
the shared services pro started?
Were you, have you been therefrom the beginning or did you
come in?
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Yeah, I came in later, so I love our
organization.
We've been in business for 40years.
So part of the shared service wehave is, uh, the provider
resource hub.
That's our name of our sharedservices.
And that actually came about in2004.
And it's a site that providesresources and tools for, um,
(11:43):
everything that you would needto know to operate a program in
the state of Georgia over time,it is grown to something
different.
And so I came in in 2019 andwe've exploded.
So from that, if you wanna thinkabout like an octopus or a
spider and it has thoseantennas, our shared service at
(12:03):
the core of that is thatwebsite.
But then expanding from that, wehave business coaching and
automation.
We have provider back office,will we actually go in and do
those services for the childcareproviders so they can focus on
what they love and that's, uh,you know, focusing on their
children.
We have a staff family childcarenetwork that mimics our center
(12:25):
side, where we do businesscoaching and automation.
We have a Facebook page, but allof that centers back to our
provider resource hub.
If we do business trainings, younot gonna find it unless you go
on the hub.
If business coaching, everythingthat we do lives on our hub.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Got it.
And so the hub is the website.
And so going back to 2004, just,just for learning for me too.
So in terms of funding fororganizations and for like
quality care for children is itis government funding that comes
in to then support and provideadditional resource for
providers in the state.
Cuz the state of Georgia says,you know, look, if you wanna
open up a business as achildcare business, you gotta
(13:03):
get a business license, yougotta get license for childcare,
but really now you're kind of onyour own.
And so is it quality care forchildren is an resource where
those providers can go and getmore information and support and
it's funded by the government oris it funded by like outside
Speaker 3 (13:21):
Dollars?
And I think, um, what's whatworks great for the state of
Georgia.
Unlike some other states, ourlicensing agency for childcare
providers, um, gov pays for ourservices.
So we for we're funded by thestate who says, okay, here's
some other resources that youcan have.
But in addition to that, we alsohouse the quality rated system.
(13:44):
So our TAs go out, um, to helpthem get quality rated.
So in Georgia you have to bequality rated in order to, um,
offer a subsidy care one, two orthree star.
So that's with quality quality,uh, uh, that's with quality care
for children, our nutritionprogram, we're the largest, uh,
childcare sponsor in the stateof Georgia.
So we have that in our programand we also have early head
(14:06):
start and uh, parent services.
So my department businesssupport service is just an
extension of all of that, whichis funded by the state.
We have local communityorganizations United way, um,
that really have rallied around,um, this model to say, wow, this
is amazing.
We need to continue to offerthis service.
(14:27):
So it's a community of peoplethat fund us
Speaker 2 (14:30):
That come together to fund, okay.
That, that helps understand likethe model and the initiative.
And then one of the things thatI wanted to try to spend time
talking with you about, becauseI, I think you've done a good
job of building a framework foryour model in Georgia.
It can you and maybe this is2019 Monique, or maybe it
started prior to you joining theorganization, but specifically
(14:53):
around the shared serviceAlliance where as a provider, I
can join and participate andshare and best practices.
Were you there when thatstarted?
And, and can you talk a littlebit about like the initial
intent of creating a sharedcertain is what are the things
that you wanted to provide toproviders in terms of outcomes
(15:16):
and how did you guys startputting that together?
How did you get the word out?
How did you attract providers?
Maybe just talk about theprocess.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
Yeah.
So, okay.
This is what I get excited aboutbecause we do feel we're the
biggest cheerleaders for, um,chat healthcare providers.
So in the past, again, you maysee programs and services that
are offered, but nothing reallysolidified anything for
providers.
So we said, you know what, we'regonna change that.
We want to be a shared serviceplatform where when people call
(15:48):
us, we're gonna give themtangible solutions up to the
point.
We will do it for them so thatthey can be profitable,
sustainable, and successful.
So with our model, initially, itwas a service where people had
to pay into.
So you had a monthly fee thatyou would have to pay with more
funding that we receive, um,around 2019, and then definitely
(16:11):
going into COVID, we're able tooffer this wonderful service
absolutely free.
So in general, yeah.
So in general, any childcare,licensed childcare program in
the state of Georgia can be apart of our platform.
They can receive the, the basicbusiness coaching, the tools,
(16:32):
resources, all of that, but wewanted to do even more.
So what we've developed isbusiness, um, operations
trainings, which is about sixmonths to a year and it is a
selection process.
They fill out an application, wecall'em up on the phone and kind
of go into depth about ourprogram.
(16:53):
What we're gonna do.
We're gonna teach you businessfiscal management.
We're gonna coach you throughthe process.
We have a Georgia specificbudget.
That's going to align witheverything that you do.
We're gonna set you up onautomation.
We've done our research on nine,10 different automation systems.
And we're gonna show you the onethat we use in, in order for you
(17:14):
to operate more efficiently,we're gonna show you how to have
a work life balance.
So you're not putting in 10, uh,10, 12, 14 hour, day, weeks.
And so we're, we're gonna gothrough that process.
And once you're in our program,it's about a six months to a
year.
We pay for everything we pay forthat automation.
(17:34):
We pay for their training.
We pay for their laptop.
We pay for their tablet,everything that they need in
order to be successful.
We take care of it, even talkingto an accountant to make sure
that their taxes are filedcorrectly, everything, and it is
absolutely successful.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
Wow.
That's amazing.
So full built in business coachlike business like consultants,
advisors, you know, providersget all of this as part of
joining, you know, I think it'scalled an Alliance.
There's different terms thatI've heard, but joining the
shared service.
So for you guys, like in termsof identifying centers that
participate, is it, is it from asupply and demand standpoint
(18:14):
standpoint?
Is it we're having a hard timefinding enough providers to
participate or is it there's toomany that wanna participate and
there's a criteria process, orcan you accept as many providers
as you as want to participate inGeorgia?
What does that look like?
Speaker 3 (18:30):
So this is the beautiful thing.
So at the beginning of this newtype of, we wanna expand our
shared services, we kind of didit as a pilot, but
overwhelmingly so many providerswere like, I wanna be a part of
the group.
And we were like, we want you tobe a part of the group.
So again, it's the focus on, weknow that the economy is not
(18:51):
gonna get back to where it needsif childcare businesses are not
in business.
So everyone has rallied aroundour model and is funding it.
So we are able to offer moreservices to more providers.
So within the last year, we'veaccomplished over a hundred.
This year alone, we'll have over175 childcare programs that we
(19:13):
will serve.
So, uh, it's never ever, um, a,a situation where people, um, we
can't find them.
It's more of, wow, we need tocontinue to scale this model so
that we don't have to turnpeople away because we do put
them in different cohort groups.
Um, because we just don't haveenough staff in order to meet
(19:35):
the demand of this service.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
And that would be the constraint then is, you know, in
terms of like, if funding isavailable and providers wanna
sign up, the constraint wouldbecome staffing and support on
your end, in terms of like, wejust don't have enough coaches
and advisors to be able to meetwith all these individual owners
that would, is that inaccurate,
Speaker 3 (19:55):
I would say.
Absolutely.
And because our program, we werevery intentional on every single
thing that we do, um, to yieldthe best outcome.
So we didn't wanna chop it up.
It's very comprehensive.
So of course we could have, youknow, processes where we just
paid for a, or we pay forautomation, but that in itself
is not enough.
(20:16):
We wanted to make sure if webring anybody into our program,
it is extremely comprehensive.
It's robust.
And that we're gonna take themthrough a, through Z and we're
not gonna short change it.
We're not gonna put a bandaid onthe issue.
We're gonna fix it.
We're gonna make sure thatthey're successful.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
And so when you first sign up, uh, a new pro, so let's
say I'm a childcare owner inGeorgia, and I hear about you
and I reach out and I talk toMonique's team.
When you first meet with me asthe owner, Monique, is it, is it
kind of like, like I'm a coachat a gym and I'm about to tell
you, Hey, look, the outcomesthat we're gonna help you, you
know, achieve are gonna beamazing, life changing.
You're gonna feel better, yourbusiness gonna be more
(20:56):
successful, but it's also gonnabe painful.
And it's also gonna requirework.
Is, is that a fair like analogy?
Like, do you sit down with theseowners and explain what they're
signing up for?
Because I'm a, I, I would assumethat there's a requirement of
them to buy in and participate.
Is, is that accurate?
What kind of conversationhappened with
Speaker 3 (21:15):
Them?
Yeah, so you have it.
And so it's more like, um, theonly difference is, uh, when you
go to the gym, like you do haveto put a lot of work in the
difference with us is similar ina way we are your absolute
biggest cheerleader.
We just need you to say yes,yes.
To automation, yes.
To we're gonna do this budget.
(21:35):
And when you don't say, yes,we'll come and show up.
We'll call you every day.
Um, we are your accountabilitypartner.
So we have this conversationwith you to say, look, this is
where you are.
You can't compete with anybodyelse.
You're competing with yourself.
Your facility, uh, costs moremoney than the one down the
street.
So we're not even gonna look at,you know, the tuition rate that
(21:57):
everyone else is doing in thecommunity.
So we really break it down wherethey understand what the benefit
is.
And so when we give a couple ofexamples or show our results, we
never ever, ever have someonethat don't buy into the program.
And we it's, we don't even havepeople that would drop out.
They, they tend to just love it.
(22:19):
And, and it's more like, thankGod, this is here.
We love it.
So just for our results, just inour first year alone, we focus
on the iron triangle.
You mentioned Louise Stoney.
So she's the kind of the creatorof the E C E R triangle.
So we focus on three categories,enrollment, bad debt and revenue
(22:40):
covers cost per child.
So our results are amazing andthey continue to get better.
So people participating in ourprogram, their enrollment will
grow 24% and it has grown 24%.
Their bad debt has beeneliminated.
So the first year we had$52,000worth of bad debt, not
(23:02):
collecting on time, not, youknow, calling the parents when
they left out of our program, itwas reduced to about 835.
And that was just for a coupleof centers.
But the majority of the centershad zero bad debt and revenue
increased by 34%, largely due tobalance systems, working more
(23:23):
efficiently using automation tomake sure that they are working
efficiently.
There's can balances in there.
And there's that cheerleader inthe background saying, you can
do this.
We're here to help.
Let's do it.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Yeah.
I love that.
And so it's not like you guysare ever like, Hey, we gotta
kick you out of the programbecause you know, that gym
analogy of like, all you'redoing is sitting on the couch,
eating Cheetos and bomb bonds.
Like you haven't shown up at thegym in six weeks.
This isn't working.
You guys, you provide obviouslythe tools, but the support as
well.
And so once you're in, you guysdon't see
Speaker 3 (23:56):
Attrition.
No, we, we, um, we really doprovide the support.
And so I tell my team when we'regoing through the selection
process, unlike when I wasworking with a corporation or
where you have to go in and youhave to make those changes,
whether people want it or not,we have a unique, we're in a
unique situation where as we'regoing through these assessments
(24:18):
and these applications, I tellmy team, you get to choose out
of this bunch of people here,you know, your with, within
these guidelines who we wannawork with, do they want to work
with you?
Do they want to be better?
And if they're in our program,guess what, no matter what,
you've gotta get them throughit.
So you may pick someone that,Hey, they get it.
(24:40):
They're, they're ready to go.
And they do everything that weask and they're compliant and
they're go going forward.
And then you have otherproviders where we have to be
very patient.
We have to hold our hands alittle bit more.
So we slow that pace down forthat provider.
And we make them feel like weare a part of their team and we
take them through the process sothat they can be successful.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
That's amazing.
And, and then obviously you haveoutcomes to support that.
I mean, I, and that's what Iwanna talk a little bit about.
I know you talked about the irontriangle about, you know,
boosting enrollment, reducingbad debt, increasing revenue,
and your program has shown,like, not just that we're
saying, that's what we're hopingto do, but it's factual outcomes
that we can show you.
(25:22):
Our providers have actuallyexperienced these things.
So in terms trying to, to get tothose outcomes, are there some
best practices and, and I'll letyou speak to this.
I don't know if it's differentfor every provider or if there's
some things that you guys, youknow, require like, look, this
is standard best practice forproviders that are gonna go
(25:44):
improve those areas of the irontriangle.
And I know a little bit of ashameless plug.
This isn't like a pro carepodcast, but I do know like
management software, as anexample, to maybe lead the
question a little bit issomething that you guys have
found.
Like you can't provide thoseoutcomes if everything's being
done manually.
It are there other things like,I know, like automation is one,
(26:05):
you've talked about other thingsthat you can talk about around
in raw enrollment, bad debt,increasing revenue.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
Yeah.
I definitely think that's keywhat you said.
So we, um, and you mentionedProCare, but we, we, we use
ProCare.
And so one of our requirements,when we go in and we talk to a
provider is you have to use, um,our system, which is ProCare.
And one of the reasons why weuse ProCare are system is we're
(26:29):
able to use the enterpriseversion.
So what that means is my team.
We're able to go behind thescenes.
We're able to see if what we'reimplementing is working.
If they need help, if they needadditional support, we're able
to flag it.
We're able to see that.
And so we, it is kind of apartnership together.
So the automation piece is one,and then the other is their
(26:52):
budget following a, a particularbudget, looking at their revenue
cost per child.
Um, having their willingness tosay they're committed to not
working 15 hours a day.
So we restructure their wholeprogram and make sure that they
are following those guidelinesthat we've set.
And it's not an option.
(27:12):
I think a lot of shared servicesare a lot of pieces.
Um, go kind of crazy becausethere's so many options.
People get so overwhelmed wherethey get lost again in the
shuffle, we kind ofstrategically say, these are the
steps that you have to do in ourprogram in order to be
successful.
(27:33):
We're called QCC works forsustainable childcare.
That's the reason if you followwhat we say, if we help you
along the way it works.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
Yeah.
That's amazing.
And it's amazing to me.
Oh, always like in working withshared services, this is the
same one as we've worked withyou guys.
Um, it, there's so manydifferent personalities
involved.
You know, if we work with likean enterprise, you know,
organization, you know, you'vegot a corporate office that is
setting all the, the systems andbest practices and requirements
and directors and administratorskind of follow what the
(28:04):
corporation sets shared servicehas some of those same, you
know, like, like some of thosesame scenarios where there's the
standardization, but you're thedifference is you've got 170
different owners that havedifferent opinions that have
different personalities.
Is that a challenge like for ashared service?
Is it a challenge to get it buyin or because of maybe as it's
(28:27):
gained more momentum, when youhave outcomes that you can point
to, it's easier to get people onboard.
I,
Speaker 3 (28:33):
I think when you have outcomes that you can point to
you definitely, um, it makes iteasier.
I do feel there's so much, likeyou said, there's so many
different personalities, sothere's different options for
people to chew, which we supportthat as a business owner.
However, in our particularprogram, for that reason, we
narrow down those options.
(28:54):
Because if you have so manydistractions, you're not focused
on your business.
So a childcare provider ingeneral, they have things that
they're working about, thechild, the quality rated, um,
the food program compliance.
And that's great.
That's not our focus.
Our focus is on the businessside.
(29:14):
So we're intentional when we'reworking with childcare
providers, yes.
You could be on our platform,but when you're in our extended
program, we focus primarily onthe business.
So there is, is one model forus.
There are several ways toimplement that model, but that's
the model that we prefer to usein order to yield the best
result.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Yeah.
Cuz then what you guys aresaying is like, look, if you can
get the business on solidground, all those other things
downstream are easier to dealwith.
Right?
Like all you
Speaker 3 (29:43):
Got it, you got it, Ryan.
Yes.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
So are there some common things that you guys see,
I mean, working with as manyproviders as you, do you have a
unique perspective?
I think in terms of you're,you're constantly hearing from
individual owners what theirbusiness struggles are, and
what's hard for them about inrural and bad debt.
Like are there some con likewhen it comes to enrollment,
like, and, and providers thatsay, look, we can't fill all of
(30:08):
our spaces.
Are there some common, likemisconceptions from owners that
they have about why they don'thave all their seats full that
you guys come in and say, look,you know, you're not marketing
your business properly, or it'sa staffing issue.
Are, are there some commonthings that you guys constantly
hear that you immediately startwith when it comes to
enrollment?
Speaker 3 (30:28):
Yeah.
So the biggest issue right nowCOVID is staffing.
And so one of the things that wealways say, when a provider
call, are you on our providerresource hub, are you on our
shared service platform?
Why?
Cause if you're on our platform,we pay for additional services
for every childcare provider toadvertise free on our platform.
(30:49):
So the job board goes out to NDLinkedIn, Google search.
So they don't even have to payfor it.
So it's more so of are youutilizing all the resources and
tools that we actually have havethat can put you in a better
position?
So that's first.
So the staffing issue is a majorone.
The other thing is I'm a firmbeliever in automation.
(31:12):
I just, I cannot emphasizeenough that every single
childcare program period shouldbe on automation.
It just makes your life easier.
You can see things quicker, youunderstand where you need to
market.
You see where you need to fillyour spaces.
You see where your teacher, uh,are in and out and you can
reduce your, uh, payroll costs.
(31:34):
Automation just wins.
It just helps you win and be abetter efficient provider.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
Automation wins.
I'm gonna, we need to make thata tagline.
Somehow automation wins hashtagLeah, just I, our marketing team
in the background will have toremember that hashtag automation
wins.
I like that.
Speaker 3 (31:52):
Um, yes.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
What, what about on the revenue side?
Because we, you know, just likeyou Monique, I mean, the reason
our paths have crossed is wehave, you know, shared, I guess,
customers and shared interest inthe industry.
Certainly the outcomes ofproviders, the piece around
revenue is I've found is alwaysa, like, I don't know if
touchy's the right word, butlike providers, like I'm scared
(32:14):
to increase my tuition becausecompetitively in my area, um,
I'm worried if it gets too highpeople, aren't gonna bring their
kids here.
You guys go and look at like thefinancials of a provider and,
and you realize, look, yourcurrent tuition, isn't going to
be sustainable.
Speaker 3 (32:33):
Right.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
Walk me through that conversation.
How do you help a provider seethat, you know what?
The link between tuition andsustainability is so key to help
them overcome those fears, Iguess.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
Okay.
So all of you that are listeningin this is key.
This is important.
This is the number one concernthat we have with every single
provider in our program.
And with every single we tellthem, after the assessment, you
will increase your rate.
They haven't increased theirrate.
It could be five years or itit's the same thing.
(33:07):
What are my parents gonna say?
You know, I fear what's gonnahappen.
And what we tell them again, isour re results.
And the first year we had peoplethat were so hesitating.
We're like, well, we're gonnaraise it be because your, your
home, if it's a FA familychildcare provider, your home
expenses is more than whatpeople are charging in your
(33:28):
community.
So you're not in competitionwith miss Sue down the street,
that's paying or charging 150.
You have to be at 175 in orderto even break even.
So now let's go ahead and dothat.
And then we'll talk about whatis your unique difference and
why someone would pay you 175versus the person down the
(33:51):
street, 150.
So we really break all of thatdown and they are very fearful,
but we help them through that.
Pro every single provider hasincreased their rate, and that's
why we have the 34% increase inrevenue overall.
And then we tell them, I'm not adaycare.
(34:14):
You are not a drop off service.
You are a small business owner.
That means that you have toincrease your rate every year,
just like everybody else to thetwo to 4% increase so that you
can be sustainable.
We understand that you careabout your families and, and
that's great, but you arerunning a business.
(34:35):
And in order to run a business,you have to look at your
numbers.
Speaker 2 (34:38):
Yeah.
I love that you guys are, aremessaging that message, cuz it,
it, it actually translate likefor so long, like part of my
career in the industry has been,you know, talking with
individual owners and, and, youknow, an example that, you know,
often comes up is, you know, allmy families wanna pay us with
electronic forms of payment, butwe, you know, there's fees for
that.
And so we just wanna take checksand cash and understanding the
(35:00):
cost of, you know, know chasingmoney and bad debt versus how do
I set my business up to makesure I've covered my cost of
doing business so that there's amargin left that I can sustain
my livelihood and provide greatoutcomes for my community.
I mean, that's kind of theformula, right,
Speaker 3 (35:19):
Right.
That is a formula.
And, and the, the point that Iwanna make is it's not the
parent, it's the provider,because when we've made those
changes, um, let's say out of ahundred parents, it may have
been two parents that complainedor kind of said, oh my God, what
, what are you guys doing?
But all of the other parentspaid.
(35:40):
And even those two paid more of,and some parents are saying,
wow, I just never, I, I waswondering when you were gonna
increase your rate or when I'dmuch rather pay you through a
credit card or a debit, or canhave my grandparents pay it or
my on, or someone thatgodparents pay it.
I was wondering, were you gonnago through this system?
So it's really not the familiesper se.
(36:02):
It's the provider that has beenjust taught in this industry for
so long one way of doing things.
And we have to just kind ofchange with time and embrace it.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
Yeah.
I think it's, you know, tell meif you think this state and is
true.
I think one of the challengesfor providers has been for so
long, they've been so serviceminded to their community.
Yes.
And there's this like almost,they feel like there's this
conflict of interest.
Like if I'm here to serve mycommunity and I raise my prices,
I I'm counter I'm counteractingthat, or it's being
(36:34):
counterproductive.
And so they feel almost like I,customers are the ones that
control how I run my business.
And I think the shift thatyou're talking about and the
shift that you see between acenter that is sustainable and
maybe one that is constantlylike on the edge of being able
to survive is getting to thatpoint where you say, I'm gonna
(36:55):
build the business in a way thatmakes the business wrong and
trust that that's gonna attractclients in my community that
want to participate in that.
Right.
Speaker 3 (37:06):
Yeah.
I agree.
And the bottom line is, um, ifyou are building that
foundation, if you are makingsure that your business is
successful, then you will serveyour community and you'll serve
your C well, you won't struggleto pay Paul for Peter, Peter for
Paul, you're actually in abetter situation to support, not
(37:27):
just your community, but yourstaff they'll be able to, you'll
be able to raise your rates.
You'll be able to have vacationtime.
You'll be healthier, um, as abusiness owner, in order to
serve the community, trying toserve.
So I, I do, I see that we areservice-minded, but I feel like
we can have both.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
Yeah.
I love how you said that.
I love like, if you wanna serveyour community, well, build a
strong, sustainable business.
And
Speaker 3 (37:54):
There you go
Speaker 2 (37:55):
Do that and you're serving your community.
I, I, I like that.
I, I do think if, if I heardyou, right, I'm probably gonna
paraphrase this, but like thefear of man, if I make a
business decision, that's gonnaraise my tuition.
Parents are gonna lead myprogram.
That's an irrational fear.
It's not what you see happeningin any way
Speaker 3 (38:14):
Shape.
It's not, that's not, that's thebiggest myth that I think I
would want to emphasize today.
They won't.
Now you can't just outoutrageously increase your
rates, but you should have aplan of action that it will
increase every year becauseinflation increases every year.
You have to have that mindset ofhow can you offer, how can you
(38:35):
be sustainable and offer greatquality care in your community?
And there's ways to do that.
And we're behind the wholeentire industry is behind.
And so now these are theopportunities in the time where
we have to fix it now so that wecan move forward and be a
business that can serve ourcommunity will.
Speaker 2 (38:55):
Yeah.
Well said.
What, what about, um, what aboutthe bad debt piece?
Because that's another one, youknow, there's the enrollment,
there's the increasing, youknow, of revenue, bad debt is a
huge issue for a lot ofproviders.
How do you guys tackle that?
Like if are there some key, likedo these things and you'll
reduce bad debt.
Speaker 3 (39:14):
Yes.
Yeah.
So it goes back to automation,automation, automation,
automation.
And here's the thing when you,um, just a segue, when you think
about service, like, we don'twant to say we don't wanna
offend our parents.
They know they owe us and wedon't wanna have that tough
conversation.
What I love about automation isyou don't have to have that
(39:34):
conversation.
It's there, it, you, itautomatically sends out notices
when the parent is behind.
When they get ready to clock infor the day, it can stop them to
say you owe this balance and sothey can pay it.
So it really, really is in theadministrative and support
partner of what you're trying todo, especially when you have a
(39:55):
heart hard time, having thosetough conversations, automation
helps alleviate that, alleviatesthat process.
And then you begin to set up forpeople that are way behind set
up those type of systems, whereyou can say, I'm gonna, you
know, put you on this type ofplan.
You have to, you know, gothrough our automated system
where it's automat, it's not,you're taking checks and you're
(40:18):
waiting for this check to clear.
It's just a better way.
And you, I, I promise, I promiseif you're using automation, you
will eliminate bad debt period.
It's not an O you will
Speaker 2 (40:31):
Period, because where you see bad debt is where
there's the, the honor systemfor parents.
And there's a lot of annualpayments.
And I mean, I know this hashistorically been, it's gotten
so much better, but it's beenkind of that community minded
I'm here to serve.
And so parents, if they pay meon Mondays, when they're
supposed to or not, it all worksitself out.
You guys are all about eliminatethat mentality require payment
(40:55):
on time, reduce bad debt, cuzthe that's being a good
community minded business.
You're you're sustainable
Speaker 3 (41:02):
And you wanna be a good steward of your finances.
So what I tell providers all thetime is when you're not
collecting your tuition in fulland on time, you don't have a
steady cash.
So that means you are gonna nowstart paying your bills late.
You're you're gonna get intosituations where your teachers
are not paid on time or you'reborrowing money to help pay
(41:24):
that.
So you're not helping yourselfby trying to, uh, offset that to
a parent who actually, mostparents are willing to do this
process and feel that theprocess is easier.
So it's just getting theprovider's mindset over the hump
of thinking differently.
And it's almost like a ahamoment.
(41:47):
We have all of our providerssaying, I wish I knew this many
years ago because I would've, Iwould've done it.
They just didn't know.
Speaker 2 (41:57):
Yeah.
That's amazing.
Yeah.
It's, it's shared service.
Like when I think about yourteam, it's like part business
coach, part advisor part, youknow, financial, you know,
advocate part like just coach,like mentality, coach, like
having the right mindset of howto approach your business every
day makes all the difference.
What, what about like Monique,you guys think in Georgia about
(42:20):
your program specifically, youknow, as you look down over the
next six months, year, maybe twoyears.
Like if, if I were to ask youlike, we're, we're talking two
years from now, so what's thedate February?
Well, February, 2024 betweennow.
And then what, what does successlook like for you guys?
Is it in terms of your program?
(42:42):
Is it expanding the reach?
So there's more providers, is itas simple as sheer numbers?
Like what are the things thatyou guys are focused on in the
next year or two in terms ofimproving your program and what
you're doing?
Speaker 3 (42:54):
Yeah, so we're definitely, um, it's it's
expansion.
We have over 4,000 childcareprograms, um, in the state of
Georgia, we want every singleprogram, one on our shared
platform.
And then more importantly, goingthrough our process, we believe
that you just can't teach oneside.
We want it comprehensive.
Like you need the businesscoaching, but you also need the
(43:16):
advisement.
You also need the automation.
And so we wanna be able to givethat, um, service to all of our
providers so that Georgia canhave, um, childcare, sustainable
childcare, not just in, inpockets of Georgia, but the
entire state of Georgia.
So we look to expand and we alsolook to have like a substitute
(43:37):
pool.
We wanna really, we know thatthat is a, uh, a massive area
that, uh, that everyone isstruggling to have.
So we wanna be able to, um, havea system where it is a great
substitute pool that is notcosting a provider 19$20, you
know, on our shared platform,they can purchase things from
(43:59):
Kaplan and Lakeshore, all onlike a major discount.
We wanna be able to expand allof our services so that
providers win at the end of theday.
We want them to be successful.
Speaker 2 (44:10):
Yeah.
Nice.
So providing more outreach.
So you is the, is the substitutepool, is that something that has
ever or happened before?
That's an interesting, you know,concept, cuz you know, obviously
you mentioned staffing and Ithink on every episode we do on
some level or another staffingchallenges come up.
I mean it is the topic in theindustry right now.
I saw you guys have talked a lotabout a minimum, you know, kind
(44:32):
of wage for childcare providers.
And so it's just a lot ofconversation happening is the
substitute pool.
Is that, is that a thinghistorically or is that kind of
a new concept?
Speaker 3 (44:43):
Um, no, I think it's it's is gaining traction.
So there some states that arealready doing a substitute pool,
so in Georgia, we're trying tofind what works.
It is gonna take resources, um,for us to kind of think about
how does that look and how do wemake that happen?
We are very fortunate because wehave the job board, so that's a
start, but we want to be able toattract and share that resource.
(45:07):
And maybe there is opportunitiesfor us to set that up up where
that resource, those teachershave health benefits, um, and
different things that providerscan afford to pay.
And we're able to offer thisservice where you can get really
good teachers at affordablerates.
Speaker 2 (45:26):
Yeah.
That's amazing.
I it'll be interesting to seehow that plays out.
I'm gonna have to keep my eyeson that because I think if you,
you, if you're a provider andyou have access to that now all
of a sudden, I mean, we hearthis all the time from our
customers that like I have roomsavailable that I can't open
because I don't have staff andat least it provides a pathway
to temporarily having teachersand staff in a classroom so
(45:48):
that, you know, they can open upmore seats for kids.
So, um, love to hear that, keepour eyes on it.
Um, moving forward, like, so if,if I'm the center in Georgia,
Monique I'm, you know, I knowwe're kind of coming to the end
here of our time together, butif I'm a provider in Georgia and
I wanna find out more about whatyou guys are doing, can you just
talk about the different waysproviders can find you, how they
(46:12):
could get, can connected withyou get more information?
Um, so we can kind of helppromote what you guys are doing
down there.
Speaker 3 (46:18):
Yeah, absolutely.
So we definitely want people toreach out.
It's a really simple, um, QCCworks, QCC works@qccga.org.
So you can reach us on, you canGoogle us quality care for tool
we're on Facebook.
We have a wonderful Facebookpage.
We do webinars and trainings forour childcare providers.
(46:39):
We're on Instagram, um, or youcan email us directly.
So, um, we would definitely loveto hear, um, from anybody, but
definitely if you're in thestate of Georgia and you haven't
connected with us, we're waitingfor you.
Speaker 2 (46:51):
Yeah.
I like, I like that.
And look, you know, little plugfrom our side, you know, we've
worked with Monique and hergroup for many years and they're
doing amazing work down there.
Great resource if you're aprovider in Georgia and you're
looking for resources, even ifyou just have questions, reach
out to them.
They're great, you know, set ofprofessionals that have a ton of
experience.
Um, so don't hesitate to reachout to'em you're gonna be down
(47:15):
in, in Austin for the OPEX stuffin April.
Is
Speaker 3 (47:19):
That I'm hoping, I guess, with everything that's
going on, I'm hoping that I'llbe able to participate.
Speaker 2 (47:24):
Yeah.
It's a little, I know it's alittle bit crazy for everybody,
but um, I, I think it'll be,even if it's virtual for some
people, I think it'll be greatcontent.
So, um, Monique, I reallyappreciate you carving out part
of your Monday to, to come meetwith us.
I was excited to spend some timeI could chat with you for a lot
longer.
I think there's a lot to talkabout.
So maybe we'll have, uh, asession too at some point, but
(47:46):
thank you so much for being apart of it.
Speaker 3 (47:48):
Thank you for letting me be a part of it.
Um, I've really enjoyed it.
It's kind of like motivationalMonday.
So I've enjoyed spending thistime with you, Ryan and your
audience.
Speaker 2 (47:57):
Yeah.
Love motivational Monday.
I like it.
Keep up the good work down thereand we'll, we'll stay in touch.
Okay,
Speaker 3 (48:02):
Great.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (48:04):
You bet.
Speaker 1 (48:05):
Thank you for listening to this episode of the
childcare podcast, to get moreinsights on ways to succeed in
your childcare business, makesure to hit subscribe in your
podcast app.
So you never miss an episode.
And if you want even morechildcare business tips, tricks
and strategies, head over to ourresource
center@procaresoftware.com untilnext time.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.