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Shared Services MA: Focus on Family Childcare
Shared Services MA: Focus on Family Childcare
An innovative approach to equip family childcare (FCC) educator/entrepreneurs with the resources and tools to build financially strong businesses and enhance program quality.
From pre-licensing to early licensing and beyond, we offer a continuum of supports to stabilize and grow the family childcare industry in Massachusetts and build the wealth and business success of family childcare entrepreneurs with a focus on Black and Latina women.
Centering community voice through a combination of:
- Workforce Development
- Business Training
- Early Screening Training
- Coaching
- Mentoring
- Technical Assistance (Tax and Retirement Planning)
- Investment in a Shared Resource Hub
- Advocacy
- Partnerships
Our programs are specifically designed for family childcare business owners and taught by peer instructors, coaches and mentors in English and Spanish. Our business workshops are also taught in Portuguese and Mandarin.
Workforce Development: Licensing Support Program: Designed to train and coach future family childcare educators through the MA Department of Early Education and Care’s (EEC) licensing process. Deeply embedded in EEC regulations.
Business Training 101: Workshop series covering key topics including recordkeeping, budgeting, marketing, financial management and business planning. Also taught in Portuguese and Mandarin.
Marketing 201: Workshop series covering key marketing topics culminating in creating and publishing a website utilizing WIX.com. Includes search engine optimization, Google My Business and analyzing data for growth.
Early Developmental Screening Training Using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Workshop series covering how to partner with families to complete the ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2, enter and analyze data in our DRIVE online system, and make needed referrals for children and families.
Evaluation of our Business Training Programs
Department of Early Education and Care and Neighborhood Villages
100% of participants in the program indicated that the training helped them to manage their program more effectively and 89% indicated they were satisfied with the coaching support provided. Our 2022 Business Training Annual Report contains information on outcomes and impact.
Mayor’s Office of Women’s Advancement, City of Boston – Deliver foundational business workshops to Family Childcare Entrepreneur Fund grantees. In addition to building technical skills as an entrepreneur, participants reflected on increased confidence and efficacy as an entrepreneur. The Program Evaluation Report by evaluators at UMass Boston provides insights into impact and outcomes.
UMass Boston Institute of Early Education Leadership and Innovation – Partnered to deliver the Small Business Innovation Course to family and small center-based early education and care educators. UMass researchers used a randomized control trial model and reported on the impact of the work in their report. The study provided evidence that business training can effectively promote early childhood educators’ business competencies and self-efficacy. Look for study results soon.
Read our Licensing Support Pilot Report to hear what newly licensed family childcare educators have to say.
Shared Services Membership is Free
Shared Services membership is free for early childhood educators and provides many invaluable benefits, including:
- Up-to-date information about advocacy and legislation on behalf of early educators
- Practical information about how to navigate your business finances
- Vetted information on child development to share with families
An initiative of:
Creating transformative change
I feel so empowered. I know that I have the support.
I feel like I’m not alone.
In the past, I shut down because I couldn’t figure this out.”
Jeannette Merren 9.15.21
