On July 21, Procare Solutions hosted “The Business of Child Care,” our first virtual conference. It was a delight to share this half day of learning with the more than 3,000 Procare clients who registered!
It was a packed half day of 36 sessions designed to help our Procare family get the most value from Procare software, as well as learn the latest strategies and tools to run their child care business more efficiently.
“The Business of Child Care Conference gave us a unique way to bring together thousands of our customers to learn from and connect with Procare team members, industry experts and each other,” said JoAnn Kintzel, CEO of Procare Solutions. “Having a strong community is a vital part of the child care industry, and we’re honored we had the opportunity to offer this supportive and engaging experience to so many child care providers across the country and beyond.”
The conference included software circles, which were user-focused sessions for all levels, from beginners to super users. Participants could filter events by topic, or scroll to see all of the sessions.
The software circles covered a wide range of Procare’s software uses, including parent engagement tips and tricks, forecasting and billing, ways to maximize usage of Tuition Express, contactless sign-in/out,how to create and deliver well-designed newsletters as well as a session guiding participants through the reports needed to prepare for back-to-school. Attendees could ask questions and interact with each other using the chat feature. Presenters had a great time responding to queries from incredibly engaged attendees in the circles.
The software circles were followed by breakout circles, which were inspiring presentations from top child care industry experts on topics including finances, hiring and staffing, marketing, time management and more.
The day of learning ended with a message we all need to hear from Dr. Aditi Nerurkar, a Harvard-trained, mind-body medicine physician with an expertise in the science of stress and resilience. She is the co-director of the Harvard Medical School Clinical Clerkship in Community Engagement, and a mom who uses child care to care for her young daughter.
Dr. Nerurkar shared her insights on building resilience, optimism and well-being, while minimizing stress. Based on the comments that popped up on the screen during her talk, it was a message that resonated with attendees dealing with stress caused by staffing shortages and the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Procare would like to thank the sponsors who helped make this conference happen and for sharing their expertise: ChildcareCRM, Checkr, Gusto, Learning Beyond Paper and Intellikid Systems.  Â
And we’ll keep offering you ways to keep learning and optimize your business! Don’t forget to subscribe to Procare’s The Child Care Business Podcast and please join us for the following upcoming free webinars held each month as part of the Thrive in 2021 series:
- How to Stop the Revolving Door of ECE Staff Turnover: On Aug. 18 at 1 p.m. ET, Tony D’Agostino, CEO & founder of Inspire Care 360, will share tactics and strategies on how to better engage your staff, build your culture and optimize your operations.
- The Overwhelm Loop: Running Your Business So It Doesn’t Run YOU: On Sept. 15 at 1 p.m. ET, Kris Murray, president and founder of The Child Care Success Company, will tell you how to approach your business with a “systems mindset” and how to be a more productive leader in any ECE environment.
- 9 Reasons Why Child Care Businesses Are Thriving with Systems for Operations and Management: On Oct. 20 at 1 p.m. ET, Andrea Dickerson, owner of IOwnADaycare.com, will share the foundational must-haves happy child care owners use for optimizing their organizational structure.
Click here to register to attend the webinars!
And did you miss a software circle or breakout session from The Business of Child Care Conference? Don’t worry! If you registered for the conference, you can log into the conference platform until Aug. 21 to catch up. Procare also is working on posting the sessions so they’ll be available after that date as well.
And remember, we’re always here to help or answer questions. If you’re a center not yet using Procare to manage your business and help with billing, request a free demo today!
