A new program from the Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship at Chatham University and the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh is looking to address the region's increasing child care needs.
Named the Business of Child Care, the 10-week entrepreneurial training program is being offered at Chatham to those who are looking to begin their careers of providing child care services at their own child care startup, whether they are new to the industry or if they've been doing it for decades. It's also designed for those who are looking to scale and expand their currently operating child care service.
The program, which is at no cost to those who are enrolled in it, will cover topics like business planning, zoning and occupancy laws, marketing and branding plans, building community relationships, staffing and onboarding and accreditations, among others. Those that complete the program will also be eligible to receive up to $25,000 in the form of a forgivable loan to launch or expand their business.
"We're covering a lot of the regulations and all the certifications and compliance that you need to have in place in order to open a facility," Anne Flynn Schlicht, director of the CWE, said. "But it's also covering this is a business, right? So like anything else, that you have insurance, that you have training for your employees, that you understand bookkeeping. It goes into all of those areas."
Those enrolled will receive a tailored child care curriculum to fit the needs of their desired service offering such as at-home care or in a dedicated child care center. They'll also have one-on-one coaching and entrepreneurial education and training through the CWE as part of their one-year membership to the center following completion of the program.
So far, Schlicht said the current cohort, which began at the end of September, consists of 12 individuals who have existing child care services, as well as 12 individuals who are looking to be child care service startup providers.
The program will end in December and the next wave of cohorts, currently undergoing interviews as part of the selection process, will start early next year.
Funding for the Business of Child Care comes from the URA, which itself received a $1.5 million grant from the PNC Foundation to support the endeavor. The URA is also handling the facilitation of the $25,000 in forgivable loans that will be offered to those who complete the program.
"This really came about at a crucial time during the pandemic when we were seeing so many child care businesses having to temporarily shut their doors or seeing massive deficit enrollment," Catherine Murray, URA assistant director of commercial lending, said. "And even pre-pandemic, we didn't have the amount of child care seats needed in Allegheny County to fill these children that are there. … We're really looking to invest in businesses that need working capital. Working capital has been really hard for child care businesses to come by, so this is trying to fill a niche right now."
Murray noted that up to $20,000 of these forgivable loans are also available to any city child care provider who applies for them, however, only those who complete the Business of Child Care program will be able to receive up to an additional $5,000 in forgivable loans as part of the aforementioned $25,000 total.
