Run your childcare center like the thriving business it deserves to be
Master budgeting, pricing, payroll, and cash flow using plain-English financial skills built specifically for childcare — so you can stop guessing and start growing with confidence.
You don't need to become an accountant — you need to understand your numbers well enough to lead your business, and that's exactly what we build together here.
— Wanda Holmes
What you'll learn
What you'll be able to do
- Build a realistic annual budget tailored to your childcare center's enrollment and staffing model
- Set tuition and fee rates that cover all costs and generate a healthy profit margin
- Manage payroll compliantly and control labor costs — typically the largest expense in childcare
- Read and interpret your Profit & Loss statement, balance sheet, and cash flow report with confidence
- Create a cash flow forecast to survive slow enrollment periods and avoid month-end shortfalls
- Identify the key financial KPIs for childcare businesses and use them to make smarter growth decisions
How it works
A school that adapts to you
This isn't a set of static videos. Every lesson is generated live and tuned to where you actually are.
We learn your level
A quick placement check tailors your starting point so you're never bored or lost.
Lessons adapt as you go
Each lesson is written for your pace and your goal, adjusting as your skills grow.
Your AI coach keeps you moving
Checkpoints, feedback, and gentle nudges turn progress into a real result.
The curriculum
What's inside your school
6 modules · 24 lessons
Childcare Finance Foundations
Builds the essential financial literacy every childcare operator needs before tackling budgets, payroll, or pricing.
- 1.1The Financial Reality of Running a Childcare BusinessIncluded
- 1.2Your Three Core Financial Statements ExplainedIncluded
- 1.3Reading Your P&L with ConfidenceIncluded
- 1.4Understanding Your Balance Sheet and Cash Flow ReportIncluded
Building a Realistic Annual Budget
Guides owners and directors through creating a practical, enrollment-driven budget that reflects real childcare operating costs.
- 2.1How Enrollment Drives Every Number in Your BudgetIncluded
- 2.2Identifying and Categorizing Your True Operating CostsIncluded
- 2.3Building Your 12-Month Budget SpreadsheetIncluded
- 2.4Stress-Testing and Adjusting Your BudgetIncluded
Tuition Pricing and Fee Structures
Teaches owners how to set tuition and fee rates that fully cover costs, remain competitive, and generate a healthy profit margin.
- 3.1Calculating Your True Cost Per Child Per DayIncluded
- 3.2Setting Tuition Rates That Cover Costs and Build ProfitIncluded
- 3.3Designing Your Full Fee ScheduleIncluded
- 3.4Communicating Rate Increases to Families Without Losing EnrollmentIncluded
Payroll Management and Labor Cost Control
Covers compliant payroll practices and proven strategies for managing labor — the single largest expense in any childcare center.
- 4.1Childcare Payroll 101: Compliance EssentialsIncluded
- 4.2Understanding Your Labor Cost PercentageIncluded
- 4.3Scheduling Strategically to Control Labor SpendIncluded
- 4.4Managing Overtime, Turnover Costs, and Substitute SpendIncluded
Cash Flow Forecasting and Slow-Period Survival
Equips operators to predict cash flow gaps before they happen and build financial buffers that protect the business year-round.
- 5.1Why Profitable Childcare Centers Still Run Out of CashIncluded
- 5.2Building a 13-Week Cash Flow ForecastIncluded
- 5.3Planning for Summer Dips, Holiday Closures, and Slow EnrollmentIncluded
- 5.4Building Your Operating Reserve and Emergency FundIncluded
Key Financial KPIs and Growth Decision-Making
Introduces the childcare-specific financial metrics that signal real business health and teaches how to use them to drive confident growth decisions.
- 6.1The 8 KPIs Every Childcare Owner Should Track MonthlyIncluded
- 6.2Setting Up Your Monthly Financial DashboardIncluded
- 6.3Using KPIs to Diagnose Problems Before They EscalateIncluded
- 6.4Making Smart Growth Decisions: Adding Classrooms, Staff, or a Second LocationIncluded
Who it's for
Is this you?
The center director ready to own the numbers
She runs daily operations with confidence but wants to finally take ownership of the financial side without relying on guesswork or outside help to interpret every report.
The longtime daycare owner who never got financial training
She's been running her family daycare for years on instinct and passion — now she wants real financial structure so the business can sustain her the way she's sustained her families.
The new childcare entrepreneur
She's launching her first center and wants to build financial habits from day one — pricing, budgeting, and cash flow — before bad habits get expensive.
The director eyeing expansion
He's thinking about adding a classroom or a second location and needs to understand the numbers well enough to know if — and when — it's actually the right move.
The owner tired of tuition anxiety
She knows her rates are too low but has been afraid to raise them — she needs a clear, cost-based framework and a communication strategy that protects enrollment.
The hands-on operator battling cash flow stress
His center looks profitable on paper but cash gets tight every summer — he needs a forecasting tool and a reserve strategy so the slow seasons stop feeling like a crisis.
Questions
Frequently asked
Your teacher
A note from your teacher
Wanda Holmes
If you've ever sat at your desk late at night wondering whether your center is actually making money — or just staying busy — I want you to know that feeling is more common than you think among childcare owners. And it has nothing to do with how good you are at what you do.
The truth is, most people who start childcare businesses are trained in child development, education, or early childhood care. Almost none of us are trained in financial management. So we do our best — we piece together a tuition rate, we keep an eye on the bank balance, we hope payroll clears — and we call that running the business. But deep down, we know we're flying without instruments.
That's exactly why I built Childcare CFO. I wanted to create the financial education I wish had existed when I was figuring this out — grounded in the real costs, rhythms, and pressures of the childcare world. Not generic small business finance dressed up with a few childcare references, but something that actually understands that your biggest expense is labor, that your revenue is tied directly to enrollment, that summer is a cash flow landmine, and that raising your rates feels terrifying even when you know you have to.
In this course, I'm going to walk you through every core area of your business finances — your financial statements, your annual budget, your pricing structure, your payroll, your cash flow, and the KPIs that tell you the real story of your center's health. We go step by step, with plain language and practical tools you build and keep. No jargon. No fluff. Just the clarity you need to lead your business with confidence.
I also want to address the thing I hear most often: "I'm just not a numbers person." I don't believe that. I believe you haven't had numbers explained to you in a way that makes sense for your life and your business. That changes here. By the time you finish this course, you'll be reading your P&L, forecasting your cash flow, and making growth decisions — things that probably feel out of reach right now — and they'll feel natural, because you'll actually understand what the numbers are telling you.
You built something meaningful when you opened your center. Let's make sure the finances support the mission — and give you a business you can sustain, grow, and be proud of for years to come. I'm glad you're here.
— Wanda Holmes
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- 6 modules, 24 lessons
- AI-adaptive lessons tuned to your level
- Quizzes & checkpoints to lock in progress
- Your own AI learning coach
- Learn on any device, at your pace
- Full access for as long as you're subscribed