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Starting a Child Care Center? Workshops To Be Offered

Family child care home providers interested in starting up a child care center are encouraged to attend a free workshop in April to obtain more information about the business, financial, and regulatory process involved. Three organizations, First 5 Riverside, the Riverside County Child Care Consortium, and the Inland Empire Small Business Development Center, are teaming up to present So, You Want To Open A Child Care Center workshops on the evening of April 3 and 11 in Cabazon and Murrieta. The sessions will cover licensing requirements, zoning and land use issues, developing a business plan, budgets and loans, and resources to help potential center owners get started in the process to create a child care center. Scheduled speakers and presentations include: • Vincent McCoy – Small Business Development Center Developing a Business Plan, Loan Information, Budgets & Liability, Planning Your Budget (including dollars for playground and furniture) and Marketing. • Gary Andary – First 5 Riverside, Consultant Licensing Issues, Physical Plant, Staffing, Readiness, Clearance and Overall Regulations. • Nancy Maich – First 5 Riverside, Staff Zoning, Land Use, Site Selection-City vs. County, Technical Assistance • Kathy Alvardo – Program Specialist, Riverside County Child Care Consortium The Role Change from Family Child Care Provider to Center Director • Crystal Neal – Program Specialist, Riverside County Child Care Consortium Resources in the County • How to Conduct a Needs Survey, Demographics, Timelines (presenter to be determined) • Peer Presentation (this is a former Family Child Care Provider who now owns a Child Care Center) Carolyn Seitz, Thousand Palms Child Care Center (April 3) Ari Flanagin, Garden of Life Organic Preschool (April 11) The workshops will be held: Tuesday, April 3, 2007, 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., James A. Venable Community Center, 50390 Carmen Avenue, Cabazon, CA 92230 Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 6:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m., Promise Christian PreSchool, 25664 Madison Avenue, Murrieta, CA 92562 These workshops are one of many ways that First 5 Riverside and our collaborators are addressing the critical shortage of child care options in Riverside County. The county-wide task force of dedicated professionals is working to build a better system for the development of child care centers. March, 2007

On subsidizing childcare: Diane Waterhouse, president of Round Top Window Products, a Canadian company with operations in the United States, suggested a 100 percent write-off for daycare expenses for parent-owned businesses for the first five years. Michele Miller, president of Red Canyon Software in Denver, said that making childcare 100 percent deductible would improve the reporting of expenses, and in turn end many under-the-table transactions, thereby increasing overall tax revenue. Diana Waterhouse is the member of the Women Presidents Organization (WPO) that represents about 500 women who own multi-million dollar companies in the United States.

Initiatives

1996. The federal welfare law affects the state's Child and Adult Care Food Program, which reimburses family day care homes for client meals. Under the new law, the standard reimbursement rate will drop from $1.54 to 95 cents for lunch, and from 85 cents to 27 cents for breakfast. Many family child care homes rely on these reimbursements to stay in business. Gov. Mike Lowry, Olympia.

Awards

Roy Cooper - North Carolina's 51st Attorney General. Has been honored for his work, including awards from the Covenant With North Carolina's Children for new laws to help working families get health insurance for their children, to strengthen the juvenile justice system and to hold day-care centers to high standa