One of the hardest parts of starting any business is setting your prices. Even if you have worked in childcare or enrolled your child in a childcare facility, the prices you remember may not be valid for your particular facility. There are several factors that go into calculating the right price as well as ways to get an idea what the market finds acceptable.

Late tuition payments can cause your cash flow to stutter. They also take time to administer. You and your staff must take the time to ensure all payments have been made and remind parents who have not caught up on their bill.

The owner of a childcare management facility wears many hats, just like any other small business owner. The accountant hat may be one of the most time-consuming and least liked of them all. However, using a software solution that combines all the required applications for invoicing and billing, accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, and general ledger can streamline your bookkeeping process while reducing errors.

Now that tax time is past you can start to focus on preparing for the next one. Isn’t that a cheery thought? Maybe not, but it is a necessary one if you want to maximize your tax deductions and make the next tax season a little less stressful.

Let’s take a look at how the IRS defines different types of daycares and ten potential deductions you might take advantage of the next time around and run the best daycare service possible.

Reducing costs for your after school program may be necessary to stay afloat. The business expenses and costs of operating an after school program continue to rise as prices for supplies, equipment, and other necessities go up while wages remain stagnant.

Campground management software does more than handle your registration and scheduling. It also contains financial applications that can help you track accounts and manage your cash.

Before you can increase your cash flow, you need to monitor and measure all sources of income and expenses, so you have data to make an educated revenue projection for the future.

Unlike long-term childcare accounts for which tuition is charged and collected every month throughout the year, summer camp payments are for short term programs that last from a few days to a few weeks with a definite start and end date. Typically, payments are made as a single lump sum by a particular date before the beginning of camp or billed on a recurring weekly basis.

Parents are busy people as they no doubt tell you every time they drop off or pick up their child at your facility. They arrive with a pinched look on their faces and move like a film being played at top speed. Mentioning the bill or, worse, a delinquent payment may spur an outburst to rival their toddler's.

Simplifying billing to make the parents’ lives easier takes part of the stress off them and your staff.

Here are some ideas on streamlining your billing process.