It’s impossible to predict the future, you never know when a natural disaster or emergency can occur. While you can’t prevent all emergencies, you can protect the children in your care, your family, and your business by having adequate insurance protection. This resource by Child Care Aware and Tom Copeland summarizes four types of insurance policies and why they are necessary to have.
How Insurance Protects You in an Emergency
An essential factor of operating a business out of your home is the time-space percentage helping determine the business portion of expenses used for business and personal purposes. The time/space percentage is calculated annually by taking the total number of hours you care for children in your home, the total number of hours you spend on business-related activities when children are not present, and the total number of square feet used for your business. This time tracker sheet will help you track your hours, ensuring that all your time (both with and without children) is included in the time-space calculation.
To use this time tracker, simply print out a copy for each month. Every day write down when the first child arrives when the last child leaves, calculating the time when children are present. Then write down the amount of time you worked on the business when children were not present. We have left some of the columns empty for you to add your own tasks/activities; remember, they must be activities for the business and inside your home. After adding the hours for each day, you will get a final number at the end of the month.
El monitoreo de los gastos e ingresos es vital para cualquier empresa, especialmente para las pequeñas compañías.
El monitoreo de los ingresos requiere el registro de los pagos por niño/familia, ya que ayuda a asegurar que usted está recibiendo fondos, y tiene el beneficio adicional de ser un registro de cada pago. Una adecuada contabilidad le ayuda a usted y tambien a las familias a completar su W-10 y sus impuestos. Heather Mallett es una proveedora de cuidado de niños en Vincennes, Indiana. Ella es la Directora y Propietaria de Happy Hearts Daycare and Preschool LLC, como tal, Heather comparte este formulario de Registro Individual de Pagos Anuales para monitorear los pagos y registrar los totales para las familias. Hace unos años, Heather encontró este recurso a través de una colega directora general de una guardería con sede en otro estado y lo ha utilizado desde entonces.
Para utilizar el formulario
- Prepare uno para cada niño/familia al principio del año
- Ponga el formulario en la documentación del niño.
- Anota el pago cada viernes, o cuando sea necesario.
- Anote el total al final del mes.
- Por último, sume el total anual y añada su número de identificación fiscal.
- Haz una copia para compartirla con las familias y guarda el original para tus archivos.
Heather también incluye una nota en la que se indica si las familias desean otra copia, que costará 2 dólares.
Registro Individual de Pagos Anuales
Este recurso creado por Town Square explora cómo calcular su porcentaje de tiempo y espacio. Saber este porcentaje puede ayudar a reducir sus impuestos al determinar qué cantidad de sus gastos compartidos (de la casa) puede ser reclamada como exenciones de negocios.
Porcentaje de tiempo y espacio
Tracking both spending and income is vital for any enterprise, especially for small businesses.
Tracking income requires logging payments per child/family as it helps ensure you are receiving funds, and has the added benefit of being a record of each payment. Accurate bookkeeping helps both you as well as the families complete their W-10 and taxes. Heather Mallett is a family childcare professional in Vincennes, Indiana. She is the Director and Owner of Happy Hearts Daycare and Preschool LLC, as such, Heather shares this Individual Annual Payment Record form to track payments and record totals for families. A few years ago, Heather came across this resource from a fellow childcare CEO based in another state and has used it ever since.
To use the form:
- Create one for each child/family at the start of the year
- Add the sheet to the child’s folder
- Enter in the payment every Friday, or whenever payment is due
- At the end of the month, tally the total
- At the end of the year, add the annual total and add your EIN
- Make a copy to share with families, and keep the original for your records
Heather also includes a note stating, if families request a second copy, it will cost $2.
Childcare Individual ANNUAL Payment Record
This Town Square created resources explores how to calculate your time and space percentage. Knowing this percentage can help reduce your taxes by determining how much of your shared (household) expenses can be claimed as business exemptions.
Time/Space Percentage resource
A few facts to keep in mind
- Every state/territory/tribe has dollars for the Child Care Stabilization Grants
- These grants are for family child care providers and child care centers to provide financial relief and to help stabilize business affected by the COVID-19 pandemic
- This is not a loan. It’s a grant. You do not have to pay it back
- Explore Tom Copeland’s What You Need to Know About the Child Care Stabilization Grants
Eligibility
- Provider must be licensed/registered as of March 11, 2021.
- No do not need to show proof of financial loss to be eligible.
- Your program can be a Limited Liability Company (LLC) or incorporated or a non-profit organization
- The number of employees does not determine eligibility, you can be the only employee and qualify.
- Updates about your state: https://childcare.gov/covid-19/providers
How can the grant money be used?
- Paying yourself or employees – Explore Tom Copeland’s What Does it Mean to “Pay Yourself” with a Stabilization Grant?
- Rent, mortgage payment, utilities, insurance
- Facility maintenance and improvements
- COVID supplies, equipment, training on health and safety
- General operating expenses
- Other goods and services necessary to maintain or resume child care services
- Mental health supports for you, children and employees
- Professional Development Related to Health and Safety (CPR, First Aid, etc.)
Recordkeeping and Taxes
- You should keep records of how you spent grant money in case you are audited – Keep records for at least 3 years
- Providers must report as taxable income all the money they receive from the Stabilization Grants
- Explore Tom Copeland’s “Child Care Stabilization Grants and New Tax Changes for 2021.” and The Tax Implications of the Child Care Stabilization Grants to learn more
Establecer claramente sus políticas y aplicarlas es útil para las familias, para usted como profesional y para mantener las condiciones necesarias para la licencia y el cuidado de alta calidad.
Este recurso de Town Square fue creado con la ayuda de profesionales del cuidado infantil familiar que compartieron lo que consideraron necesario en el contrato.
Ya sea que usted esté comenzando su programa o sea un veterano, este recurso puede ayudarlo a revisar y pensar más en su contrato.
Hoja de consejos de Town Square – Lo que debes incluir en tu contrato
As the Child Care Stabilization grants start opening up and distribute funds to providers. It is essential to understand how the fund can be utilized. The federal guidance gives broad categories for allowed expense, including
- Personnel costs
- Rent, utilities, facilities, maintenance, and insurance
- Personal protective equipment, cleaning, and other health and safety practices
- Equipment and supplies
- Goods and services
- Mental health services
Remember, this is a grant, not a loan; you do not need to repay it. Understanding ways to use the funds and “pay yourself” will allow you to use the grant for a retirement plan, an emergency fund, additional staff, increase wages, insurance and so much more.
To learn more on how to Pay Yourself, please read Tom Copelands Article.
What Does it Mean to “Pay Yourself” with a Stabilization Grant?
As you think about your environment, you may find this checklist useful for self-assessing quality in your environment and making an improvement plan. The checklist is based on the NAFCC Accreditation Observation Checklist.
