If running your child care facility was just taking care of children, how great would that be? Unfortunately, there is a lot more to it. When you get into all the paperwork involved with licensing, it can feel overwhelming.
This is where a shared service alliance can help. These models are happening all across the country and are helping local child care businesses prosper. They provide licensing help and so much more with very little cost.
Read on to find out about the benefits of a shared service alliance.
What Is a Shared Service Alliance?
Shared service alliances started as a way for childcare businesses to share expenses and provide services in a more efficient way. By combining resources and manpower, childcare facilities could help each other grow.
The shared service model is often funded through foundations, corporate grants, and other partnerships. Many of the alliances are focused on a specific geographic area. Although some nationwide alliances are growing.
Help can be in the form of business support and accounting or maintenance and operations. Shared service alliance licensing help and other online resources have been a huge benefit to daycares across the nation.
Shared Service Alliance Benefits
When people think of the small businesses of their community, they often don't think of their local child care. However, their business pressure is just as strong as any small business in the community.
The shared service alliance can benefit them in many different ways.
Increased Quality of Child Care
Running a child care business and taking care of the children can be hard. The business and compliance tasks can eat up your time leaving little for the children. This also takes away time for you to assist your team.
An alliance helps you with your many behind the scene tasks so you can focus on the children and your team. It can also help provide resources that give your childcare business a professional feel for your parents.
Increased Stability of Child Care
Studies have shown that children long to be connected to adults and benefit from more one-on-one time. When many of your daily tasks can be automated through alliance help, your team has more time for the children.
Plus, many of the software that alliances help provide, give you more ways to connect with parents and build relationships. They can check in on their children and you can upload pictures and videos for them.
You can also get systems set up to make your billing and payment system automated. This will assist your communication with parents about the finances and bring stability to your business' finances.
Expanded Capacity of Child Care
Alliances are often part of a shared service hub. This connects alliances from across the country who share ideas and resources together. You will gain practical experience that can help you run your business better.
They can help you learn how to use their software to run your business, stay in compliance and connect with parents. You can also get practical ideas to help with licensing tips and staff development.
What Is Expected of Shared Service Alliance Members?
Alliance members are a key part of the shared service model because the services are for them. Their feedback and input will help to direct the local shared service alliance.
Some local and national alliances will have a small yearly fee, but this is more than made up through the help they bring. Alliance members will use the services provided and offer feedback to make them better for everyone.
Alliance members will usually switch over to the shared service software like Alliance Core which is used by shared services across the nation. This helps provide needed technical help to the local childcare provider.
How Does a Shared Service Alliance Simplify Licensing?
Licensing your childcare facility and keeping it up to date can be one of the biggest hassles of running one. Shared service alliances will give you licensing tips and help to provide everything you need to stay up to date on your facility.
Original Application
Through the shared service alliance, you can receive help for your childcare facilities' original application. They can help you know what information you need to have for the forms, where to get the forms, and when any deadlines might be.
Child Care Compliance Updates and Resources
Shared services also take the time to keep up with any possible changes in compliance. They will let you know what updates are happening and how they will affect you.
Online Training For Licensing Requirements
Keeping you and your team updated on all licensing requirements is much easier through the shared services online portal. All training can be done online which automatically registers each person.
This will show up in your compliance paperwork without you having to do any extra work. Your team will be trained and up to date and your paperwork will be taken care of by the software.
Your Complete Online Management System
State and national licensing often involve completing the intensive paperwork reporting and monitoring requirements. Having a shared service alliance program helps to carry the weight of these requirements.
The online component will keep your compliance information for you. You won't have to dig through files or worry about forgetting something because the program will store your information and guide you toward full compliance.
Simplifying Licensing and So Much More
A shared service alliance is an ultimate partnership that helps child care businesses thrive. Using state-of-the-art technology and providing regular resources and information, the alliance can help your business improve.
Instead of trying to do everything yourself, why not partner with other like-minded facilities and share the load? Joining the alliance could provide you with the tools and resources you need to take your facility to the next level.
As an example of their help, check out our free guide: Common Licensing Violations Revealed. We guide you to fixing any possible overlooked violation to protect your facility.
Are you looking for more child care management information? Check out our Ultimate Guide to Child Care Management.
Our child care management system makes running your child care program simple and efficient. Get back to what's most important. You shouldn't have to spend more time on the administrative tasks than you do with children and staff.
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Or schedule a demo with us to learn more about how our child care management system, Alliance Core, can streamline your administrative processes.
Do you run an early childhood association made up of child care providers? If so, check out our Ultimate Guide to Shared Service Alliance.
Header image courtesy of Stockunlimited.
