Family Child Care Publications

Publications: Child Care Centers | Family Child Care | Community Advocates

This list is compiled from a broad range of resources. Some can be downloaded either directly from this site or from linked sites, while others have order forms attached to them.

If you have trouble accessing any of these publications please contact the BCC toll-free line (888-411-3535).

All publications are listed by the step in the facilities development process
for which they are most useful.
(or click here for an Alphabetical List of Family Child Care Publications)

1. The Planning Stage

1. General Planning
2. Identify Market Demand
3. Assess Financial Feasibility and Organizational Capacity

2. The Predevelopment Stage

1. Select a Site and Obtain Site Control and Approval
2. Design the Facility
3. Secure a Contractor
4. Complete the Business Plan
5. Secure Financing

3. The Development Stage

1. Manage the Site Construction Process
2. Ensure the Safety of the Facility and Site
3. Obtain Licensing Approval for the Site
4. Equip the Classroom
5. Hire Personnel
6. Market the Program in the Community

4. The Start-Up Stage

1. Phase in Staffing and Children
2. Sustain the Program

5. Other
(these documents are not specific to one stage but may also be of help during the facilities development process).

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1. Planning

GENERAL
El Comienzo (In Spanish), Second Edition: A product of the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network, this publication covers a range of topics with respect to getting started in the business of family child care, including tips for starting your business, how to become licensed, setting up your environment, age appropriate activities and much more.
Family Child Care Financial Planning and Facilities Development Manual: An expanded version of the Insight Center Maneuvering the Maze materials, specifically for family child care providers. This Manual includes five detailed chapters designed to help family child care providers business owners manage the financial side of their businesses and plan for a facility development project including expanding, renovating, building or purchasing a family child care home. Now available for free download in Spanish and Chinese! *Chapter 1:* Budgeting *Chapter 2:* Basic Financial Statements *Chapter 3:* Understanding Loans and Developing Pro Formas and Determining Debt Capacity *Chapter 4:* Developing a Family Child Care Business Plan *Chapter 5:* Renovating or Expanding a Family Child Care Home
Family Child Care Handbook, 7th Edition: (NEW!) A product of the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network, this book provides a comprehensive anthology of family child care training materials, covering start-up, business aspects, parent-provider relations, child development activities, and child care resources.
Family Child Care Home Facility Development Checklists: A general guideline for understanding the steps involved in the process of financing and developing family child care facilities in California. Also available in Spanish and Chinese.
Family Child Care Homes: Manual of Policies and Procedures (Community Care Licensing Division) Including information about: Licensing; Application Procedures; Enforcement Provisions; Administrative Actions; Continuing Requirements; and the Physical Environment. This resource is also available in Spanish.
SBA How To Start A Quality Child Care Business: Designed to help you plan, prepare and operate a successful child care business. It explains the step by step process of starting the business, from assessing the need for child care services to selecting the service, setting up your business, and preparing for opening day. It also includes information from women who have owned or now operate their own child care businesses.

IDENTIFY MARKET DEMAND
New Report! 2007 California Child Care Portfolio: The 2007 California Child Care Portfolio presents a compilation of California statewide and county-by-county statistics on child care. The Portfolio includes a comprehensive California statewide report in both narrative and graphic format highlighting child care supply, demand, and cost issues in the context of current policy, demographic and labor force trends. 2005 California Child Care Portfolio: The 2005 California Child Care Portfolio presents a compilation of California statewide and county-by-county statistics on child care.
Identifying Local Need and Demand for Child Care: Outlines the difference between Need and Demand for child care, and provides descriptions of community resources that have information about the existing child care market. (New Listing)
See: Family Child Care Financial Planning and Facilities Development Manual, Chapter Four: Developing a Family Child Care Business Plan for information on analyzing market demand.

ASSESS FINANCIAL FEASIBILITY and ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY
Filling the Cookie Jar - Child Care Budgets and Cash Flow: A computer CD that includes budget and cash flow spreadsheets for child care center and family child care businesses.
Financial Readiness Assessment (Red and Green Flags): Identifies criteria for determining "Red and Green Flags" that should respectively discourage or encourage a program in pursuring a facility devlepment project.
How to Open or Improve Your Family Child Care Business: A Workbook that lays the foundation for designing a business plan. Helps family child care providers answer key questions related to their motivation, experience, supply and demand for services to be provided, business administration, pricing and operational budget. This resource is also availble in Spanish.
See: Family Child Care Financial Planning and Facilities Development Manual, Chapter Three: Understanding Loans and Determining Debt Capacity to learn about measuring your financial readiness to apply for a loan.


2. Pre-development

SELECT A SITE and OBTAIN SITE CONTROL and APPROVAL
A Citizen's Guide to Planning: provides information on the process and system of land use planning as it is practiced in California. Its purpose is to explain, in general terms, how local communities regulate land use and to define some commonly used planning terms. The booklet covers the following topics: State Law and Local Planning,The General Plan, Zoning, Subdivisions, Other Ordinances and Regulations, Annexation and Incorporation, The California Environmental Quality Act, A Glossary of Planning Terms. (New Listing)
A Guide to Homeownership for Family Child Care Providers: A BCC publication about becoming a homeowner and investigating specific loan and assistance programs that can help in the process. (New Resource in Chinese and Spanish)
Becoming a Home Owner - A Checklist for Home-Based Child Care Providers: from the Enterprise Foundation, this short guide to the steps in the process of becoming a homeowner can be very useful to any family child care provider considering homeownership. (New Listing)
Directory of California City Planning Departments: Search here to find contact information for your local city planner who can provide information about land use and zoning issues related to your facility. (New Listing)
Glossary of Common Planning Terms: Provided through the Governor's Office of Planning and Research. (New Listing)
See: Family Child Care Financial Planning and Facilities Development Manual, Chapter Five: Renovating or Expanding a Family Child Care Home, for information about zoning and land use issues.

DESIGN THE FACILITY
American Institute of Architects California Chapter Offices: Contact your local AIA Chapter Office to learn about which architecture firms have experience with child care facilities design in your region.
Caring Spaces, Learning Places - Children's Environments that Work: Filled with practical advice on aesthetics, acoustics, room arrangement, outdoor environments, buildings and grounds, storage, and the process of change.
Family Child Care Health and Safety Facility Checklist: Sections include Your Home, Gates and Guards, Storage, Infant and Toddler Equipment, Outdoor Play, Emergency Planning, and Health and Hygiene. Also available in Spanish and Chinese. Lista de Verificacion Sobre La Salud Y Seguridad En Un Establecimiento
Great Places for Childhood (video and booklet): Provides early childhood professionals with examples of environmental designs that meet the developmental needs of children and adults, paying particular attention to the needs of different age groups.
Home Playground Safety Checklist: A one-page checklist of information designed to help you evaluate the safety of your home playground for the children in your care.
How to Write a Disaster Plan for Family Child Care: A handout from the Alameda County R&R, Bananas Inc. Provides excellent ideas for writing a disaster plan, which is required by licensing. This resource is also available in Spanish. (New Listing)
Infant/Toddler Caregiving - A Guide to Setting Up Environments: Informs caregivers and program managers about designing settings suitable for groups of various sizes and children of different ages. Readers learn about dividing space in family child care as well as in center settings. (New Listing)
Safety Factors to Check for in a Family Child Care Home: A handout from the Alameda County R&R, Bananas Inc. Provides a useful checklist of things to consider when making sure your home is safe for the children in your care. This resource is also available in Spanish. (New Listing)

SECURE A CONTRACTOR
Some Things to Consider (Do's and Don'ts When Hiring a Contractor): Excerpted from What You Should Know Before You Hire a Contractor, provides a checklist of items to consider.
What You Should Know Before You Hire a Contractor: A guide produced by the Contractor's State Licensing Board and designed to assist consumers working with building contractors. This resource is also available in Spanish.
See: Family Child Care Financial Planning and Facilities Development Manual, Chapter Five: Renovating or Expanding a Family Child Care Home, for information on hiring and working with a contractor.

COMPLETE THE BUSINESS PLAN
Directory of Small Business Technical Assistance Providers in California (May 1999). Publication from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, provides a detailed account of what types of services and resources each Small Business TA provider offers to California clients.
Dollars and Sense - Planning for Profit in Your Child Care Business: Offers information about making sound business decisions and raising the level of professionalism in the family child care field. Providers can learn to design effective policies, keep essential records, and market their business. Includes sample business documents, forms, and a bibliography.
See: Family Child Care Financial Planning and Facilities Development Manual, Chapter Four: Developing a Family Child Care Business Plan for information on the components to include and the process of writing a business plan.

SECURE FINANCING
California Resources and Training (CARAT) Community Partners: List of and contact information for CARAT's Community Partners, who work to encourage and stimulate partnerships between lending institutions and technical assistance providers.
Fannie Mae Foundation Publications (New Listings) Each one of these resources provides exceptionally useful information that caters to the needs of all child care business owners, but especially to the needs of family child care providers who are interested in purchasing a home. *Borrowing Basics: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You* *Knowing and Understanding Your Credit* *Choosing the Mortgage That's Right for You* *Opening the Door to a Home of Your Own* Available for download in: Spanish Vietnamese Chinese Portuguese Russian Korean Polish Haitian-Creol
Glossary of Loan Terms for Facilities Development Financing: Definitions of terms used in the lending and facility development fields as they relate to child care projects. Glosario de Términos Sobre Préstamos (Now Available in Spanish!)
Matrix of Financial Resources for Child Care Facilities Development in California (Revised June 2007): Designed to help child care providers and child care advocates identify and access financial assistance to build, purchase, expand and/or renovate child care centers and family child care homes in California.
Preparing Child Care Borrowers for Underwriting: LIIF has designed this checklist to help individuals and organizations seeking child care capital financing understand the type of documentation lenders need to determine the viability of a potential borrower.
Understanding Loans: Provides explanations of the advantages to using loans for family child care facilities development projects; information about a lender's perspective when considering an application; and an answer to the question: "what's the best way to apply for a loan?"
The Benefits of Using Loans to Meet Child Care Facilities Development Costs: Provides explanations of the advantages to using loans for child care facilities development projects.
What Does a Lender Look For? The 5 C's of Lending: Provides an overview of the main criteria on which loan applications are judged for facilities development projects.

3 - Development

MANAGE THE SITE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS
See: Family Child Care Financial Planning and Facilities Development Manual, Chapter Five: Renovating or Expanding a Family Child Care Home, for information on overseeing the construction process.

ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE FACILITY and THE SITE
Liability Insurance and the Family Child Care Provider: Extensive information about shopping for liability insurance provided by the National Network for Child Care. (New Listing)
Liability Insurance for Family Child Care Homes and Centers: A sample of information about obtaining liability insurance for a family child care business or a child care center from the National Child Care Information Center. (New Listing)

OBTAIN LICENSING APPROVAL FOR THE SITE
Application for a Family Child Care License
Questions and Answers for Family Child Care Providers: Licensing Visits to Family Child Care Homes This publication by the Child Care Law Center provides questions and answers related to legal issues and licensing visits for family child care homes. This guide is also available in Spanish and Chinese. (New Resource!)

EQUIP THE CLASSROOM
Many Right Ways/Muchas Maneras Correctas: The Enterprise Foundation is pleased to announce the release of a new video to support family child care providers in their communities. This video provides step-by-step guidance to help child care providers set up their homes for child care. It is available in English (Many Right Ways) and Spanish (Muchas Maneras Correctas). The two versions were filmed separately to address differences in language. (New Resource)
Tips for Furnishing the Learning Environment: A list of "what to look for when purchasing or evaluating furniture needs." (New Listing)

HIRE PERSONNEL
Legal Issues for Family Child Care Providers in California - Employing an Assistant Asuentos Legales para Proveedores de Cuidado Infantil Hogar en California - La Contratacion de Asistente

MARKET THE PROGRAM IN THE COMMUNITY
See: Family Child Care Financial Planning and Facilities Development Manual, Chapter Four: Developing a Family Child Care Business Plan for information designing and implementing a marketing strategy for your business.

4 - Start-up

PHASE IN STAFFING and CHILDREN
101 Ways to Build Enrollment in Your Early Childhood Program: Provides practical tips that show you how to attract families to your center or home and how to keep them there. Written specifically with a busy director or family child care provider in mind, these hands-on tips make your job easier and save you time and money.
Family Day Care Provider-Parent Contracts: A handout from the Alameda County R&R, Bananas Inc. Provides an explanation of the importance of using contracts, how to do them, and many sample forms, including: FCC Home Rules, Contract, Authorization to Leave Care, Medical Treatment Authorization; and Field Trip Authorization. This resource is also available in Chinese.
Parent-Provider Contracts and Policies: From the National Network for Child Care, a set of guidelines for providers who need to set up parent contracts and other policies. (New Listing)
Sample Family Child Care Parent Handbook: A sample parent handbook created by a family child care provider in Wisconsin who has many helpful materials on her website.

SUSTAIN the PROGRAM
El Comienzo (In Spanish), Second Edition: A product of the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network, this publication covers a range of topics with respect to getting started in the business of family child care, including tips for starting your business, how to become licensed, setting up your environment, age appropriate activities and much more.
Family Child Care Handbook, 6th Edition: A product of the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network, this book provides a comprehensive anthology of family child care training materials, covering start-up, business aspects, parent-provider relations, child development activities, and child care resources.
Family Child Care 2007 Tax Companion: Written by Tom Copeland, this electronic publication provides worksheets and other tools for family child care providers filing taxes.
Family Child Care Marketting Guide; How to Build Enrollment: This guilde provides best practices for marketting a family child care businesses so that it is fully enrolled.
Home Day Care Complete Recordkeeping System: This 130-page book is packed with all of the financial information necessary to establish and maintain a recordkeeping system for a home daycare. It has been used as a training manual for child care providers and tax professionals throughout the United States and has helped home daycare providers with their recordkeeping since 1995. This is a comprehensive recordkeeping and tax book exclusively designed for the home daycare profession. (New Listing)
Home Day Care Recordkeeping -- Your Financial Guide to Success: This 98-page book offers a lighter look into the recordkeeping required to operate this unique home business. All important topics are covered and insightful recordkeeping tips are shared. Learn how to calculate the Space/Time Percentage, how to track direct and indirect expenses, how to deduct use of your family computer and television, what methods can be used to record the mileage deduction, and much more. This resource is also available in Spanish. (New Listing)
5. Other
New Report! Strategies for Increasing Child Care Facilities Development and Financing: This report identifies seven sets of strategies for local and statewide policymakers and the child care industry itself to address persistent barriers to child care facilities development and financing. Full length Report Executive Summary
A Guideline for Family Child Care Providers Considering Opening a Child Care Center: many successful family child care providers have hopes of owning their own child care center. Outlining the differences between operating a home- versus center-based child care program, this document will discuss the planning and resources (financial and staffing) necessary to open a child care center. Offering steps to help providers determine whether opening a child care center is a viable option, this publication informs both the child care intermediary and provider field.
Child Care Development and Financing: Barriers and Recommendations (A Report to the Legislature): Report submitted by the Building Child Care (BCC) Collaborative Partners in December, 2001 detailing the main barriers to child care center and family child care home facilities development efforts in California, along with recommendations for overcoming these barriers. Executive Summary Full Length Report
Considerations for Child Care Providers Partnering with Housing Developers in California: Offers guidelines on how to work on child care projects within housing developments. It includes an example memorandum of understanding (MOU), lease, and timeline.
Enterprise Foundation Child Care Resources and Publications: The Enterprise Child Care Library provides a reference collection for nonprofit organizations dedicated to increasing the supply and improving the quality and affordability of child care in low-income neighborhoods.
Making Room for Children: Incorporating Family Child Care Homes into Multi-Family Affordable Housing Development.
Questions and Answers for Family Child Care Providers: Licensing Visits to Family Child Care Homes This publication by the Child Care Law Center provides questions and answers related to legal issues and licensing visits for family child care homes. This guide is also available in Spanish and Chinese. (New Resource!)