3.2 Budgeting in Childcare

When creating a sustainable budget for childcare operations, it is important to plan for every day and consider strategies for anticipating and managing unexpected expenses. 

When putting your budgets together, consider the cultural funding that will be needed to bring in knowledge keepers, Cultural supports, or have the staff do a “cedar brushing or the Early Learning programs may need to be brushed out before the children may enter that space.  Some communities shut everything down and are closed; some communities may bring the “loved one” home, which may be the community gym or the Band office, which is the same space that children may use after the funeral is completed, and you will need to have funds set aside for such cultural situations.  Best to ask and learn what is expected from the programs, families, children, staff and what their protocol is for this topic of funerals.  

Due to limited funding, fee caps, or unexpected expenses, getting creative with budgets is sometimes necessary. The hope is that you are in the black, not the red!

Ideally, bringing in stakeholders such as families, children and staff to have input on how funds are spent in the centre is a great way to understand stakeholders' priorities. It also allows ECE educators to feel heard and have input on how the centre is run.

Funds to run a childcare centre are made up of the funding models outlined in 3.1, parent fees, and may also include external grants and fundraising. Keeping track of incoming funding streams and ensuring they align with operating costs is critical.