Starting a New Year

Author: Susan Bencini, BA, BEd, PGDip (Ed)

The new year is the time we often make plans and resolutions to lose weight or exercise more… But January is also a great time to check in with day home your business. What’s going well? What could use improvement? What changes do you want to make over the next year? What will help you and your business thrive this year?

Admin

As is the case with many small business owners, it’s easy to fall behind on paperwork over the course of the year. Now is a great time to look ahead on some of the administrative tasks that may need to be taken care of over the next 12 months.

Fee increases

Are you planning a fee increase or change in fee schedule? People typically expect these types of changes around January so it’s a good time to introduce new fee schedules. Be sure to complete a 2023 Fee Schedule and talk to your Consultant *Fees can increase a maximum of 3%*

Hours

Perhaps you need to update your hours due to a change in your family’s weekly schedule. Again, be sure to let families know and provide as much notice as possible and send an updated 2023 Hours Sheet to the agency.

Holidays and paid closures

Your list of yearly closures should have already been sent to all parents (each family will need a signed copy for their file at the agency). You may also want to update your calendar with holidays or closures that are not paid (e.g., where the parent will receive a credit back) so that families have ample time to plan for alternate care.

Other changes

Have you made / are you planning to make any other changes to your day home operation? E.g., meal times, field trips, illness policy, home renovations or playroom changes, etc. Take this opportunity to let families know- with a community post in Storypark or a quick update flyer on your Parent Board. Feel free to ask your Consultant for help or feedback.

Deadlines/due dates

It’s a good idea to add the following dates to your calendar and set reminders to make sure you don’t miss any!

Credentials, certifications, etc

This is also a great time to check to make sure none of the following are expiring

• police clearance (best to apply for a police clearance 6 months in advance)
• auto insurance
• first aid (best to renew first aid 3 months in advance)

Better to get these renewed early to avoid a temporary hold on your day home

Personal income taxes

Getting organized to file your 2022 taxes – as a self-employed individual you will NOT get a T4 or summary statement. Please make sure you have all your invoices from 2022 and ask your Consultant if you need one resent. You may want to ask a tax expert about filing for day home and if there are any specific deductions available to you.

Professional development

The government of Alberta has set up funding programs to help day home educators access professional development programs and further education (learn more here). Why not take advantage of this??

The Funding year renews April 1st, so it’s a good idea to check in now to see if you have any unused funding and make a plan to use it up (e.g., find a workshop taking place before April)

As noted in the dates table earlier in this article, you have until March 31, 2023 to use funding from 2022. If you are not sure what you have used please reach out to your consultant.

Some online workshops:

• Inspired Minds ECC https://inspiredmindsecc.ca/workshop-events/
• https://nourishingbeginnings.ca/
• https://arcqe.ca/professional-learnings/
• https://instituteofchildpsychology.com/course-library/

Of course, it’s not just about using up funds from 2022. Why not look ahead at 2023 and set some goals for your professional development. Are there workshops on a certain topic you’d like to attend? Are you planning on increasing your education?

Increasing your Early Childhood Education level also increases your Wage Top Up from the government, so it is a great idea to plan for this

NOTE: Wage Top Up has just increased for Level 2s by $1/hr and for level 3s by $2/hr – Effective Jan 1, 2023 (educators will see this on Feb invoices as the government payments are always on month behind). https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-child-care-grant-funding-program.aspx

Reflection

A new year wouldn’t be complete without a bit of personal reflection as well. Here are some ideas you might want to ponder:

• What are some of the highlights from last year?
• What were some great summer / winter activities?
  • What made it so great?
  • What were some challenges?
  • Can you plan more activities like these?
• What was the most memorable activity overall?
• What are some key things you learned
  • about child development
  • about operating your business
  • about yourself
• What are some areas that you would like to improve or focus on?
• What are your goals for the upcoming year?
  • Share these with your consultant so they can help you work towards them

Some of these reflections would be great to do with the children and you can use it to help with your planning.

We hope this helps you plan and be prepared for the new year ahead! Though, remember, we might still receive changes re: Funding/Standards from the government, which often come in April.

If you have any questions, at any time, reach out to your Consultant or the agency for help!