Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz presided over the fourth graduating class of the Small Business Workshop for Broward and Miami-Dade Early Learning Child Care Providers held last Saturday at the Broward County Convention Center.
Now graduates of the program, 75 day care center owners spent the last 12 months attending workshops, classes, and lectures, and doing loads of homework, all the while learning how to establish, build and operate a successful day care business.
“Child care centers provide services that are a crucial cornerstone to our economy,” said Wasserman Schultz. “As our economy improves and more South Floridians are able to find jobs, it's important that they are able to access quality, affordable, child care.”
Classes were held on Saturdays at various locations. The idea for the small business workshops was conceived to bring together local, state, professional and federal agencies and organizations to provide assistance to prospective small business owners. Wasserman Schultz helped spearhead the creation of a program specifically for day care providers.
“The training targeted toward day care owners was dead on,” said Arleen Lambert, adding, “we learned things that we were able to take back to our schools right away, like how to set up and computerize financial records, for example.”
Topics covered during the classes and workshops included laws and regulations for operating a day care center, how to implement and employ social media strategies, as well as marketing and public relations techniques, and how to link day care centers to their communities.
“I am a teacher at a day care, not an administrator, but I took the course anyway and I truly appreciate now what it takes to operate a day care business; now I know what my boss has to go through,” said Tangela Guess.
For Valencia Tarvin-Stovall the workshop was life changing.
“This year long program literally turned my dream into reality. I am so glad I took this course; my success is all but guaranteed,” she said.
Graduates were assigned mentors early on and they will continue working with the graduates now that they've completed the coursework.
Sherie Bradley said, “This has been so helpful. I'm a better leader for my faculty and staff now. I can grow my school, write a business plan, decide whether it's better to lease or buy a larger building, how to boost my FICO score and qualify for funds for growth and resources. I learned so much.”
Donna Fong, co-chairperson of the Schultz's Business and Leadership Institute for Early Learning said, “Congresswoman Schultz is working hard in Washington to help President Obama pass programs that help strengthen our working families, and help make a quality education from infancy to college affordable, accessible, and effective.”
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Source:
http://miamitimesonline.com/news/2016/jun/22/day-care-providers-graduate-training-program/
