Documenting Expenses and Grant Spending Strategies
Included in this guide:
About the Child Care Counts: Stabilization Payment Program
Wisconsin received funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to develop and implement the Child Care Counts: Stabilization Payment Program. Wisconsin has distributed funding to help child care businesses address the impacts of COVID-19, including increased costs of programming and a statewide staffing crisis. The funds have allowed child care providers to make strategic investments in their programs to strengthen their operations and sustain services for our children and families that are furthest from opportunity.
A total of $351 million in funds has been made available and will be distributed in Wisconsin through two programs targeting the challenges early care and education providers face. Regulated child care providers will be eligible to receive monthly payments through 2023, providing the financial stability they need to stay open, enhance and invest in programming, recruit and retain qualified staff, and continue providing high-quality care for children. Information about the two programs is below.
Payment Program A – Increasing Access to High-Quality Care
This payment program is intended to ensure high-quality care is available across the state by supporting the costs to remain in regulatory compliance, enhance health and safety practices, and promote continuous quality improvement.
Payment Program B – Funding Workforce Recruitment and Retention
This payment program is intended to support the costs associated with recruiting and retaining high-quality early care and education providers through funding to increase compensation and provide professional development opportunities.
For more information about the Stabilization Payment Program including the schedule to provide updates and submit applications, please see the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families site here.
This page will help you to better understand what types of expenses are considered allowable for coverage by the stabilization funds, how to make sure you have proper documentation of these expenses and ideas for spending strategies that are allowable, and provide ways to strengthen your program both in the near- and long-term.
Approved Uses of Funding
How can I use my funds?
Generally, grant funds can be used to support maintaining child care business and program operations. Once awarded, funds must be spent within 120 days from the date of the payment letter. Understanding that the grant can cover current and future expenses, it is best to use the funds in accordance with what is allowable and will help you remain in operation.
While the list of specific expenses may vary depending on what is considered necessary for each individual operation, the following business-related costs are generally considered allowable uses for Child Care Counts Stabilization Payments:
Payroll (including self-pay and owner’s draws for sole proprietorships)
Staff benefits (including paid leave and support to access COVID-19 vaccines, appointments, and manage side effects)
Professional development or continuing education
Employment and personnel costs (including bonuses, temporary or permanent increases in compensation, hazard pay)
Rent (see below for additional guidance for family child care programs)
Mortgage (see below for additional guidance for family child care programs)
Utility costs (see below for additional guidance for family child care programs)
Property taxes (see below for additional guidance for family child care programs)
Insurance (related to the business or employee benefits)
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Cleaning supplies
Program and learning supplies and educational materials
Indoor and outdoor equipment
Business software and technology upgrades
Office Supplies
Transportation (vehicles and maintenance)
Minor repairs (construction and major renovations are not considered allowable)
Food
Mental health consultation services and support for children and staff
Copayment or tuition payment relief
Calculating Costs for Family Child Care Providers
Family Child Care providers can use funds towards the above-listed allowable expenses. However, some expenses have both business use and personal use associated with them (i.e., your monthly mortgage or rent for your home). While the Department of Children and Families allows family child care programs to use grant funds for 100% of these costs, you are allowed to determine the percentages of these expenses that are strictly for the business. Calculating Time-Space percentages for your business is also required for tax filings; utilizing it for CCC Stabilization Payments as well would align both together. Here is a helpful worksheet that can guide you through this calculation. If you already have your time-space percentage calculated from last year’s taxes, you can use that.
Spending Strategies
Investment Area 1: Financial Resiliency
Do you need to make up for lost revenue?
The financial impact of the pandemic on child care businesses cannot be understated. Many programs have grappled with closures, decreased enrollment, and inconsistent attendance rates which contributed to a significant loss in revenue. Many child care business owners took out loans, dipped into savings, and paused paying themselves to manage. Grant funds can support your recovery from those losses and help restore wages.
Many businesses took on debt to survive the pandemic. Regardless of the source of the debt – the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), or other commercial debt – accumulated debt makes it significantly harder for your business to recover. Typically, your monthly debt payments consist of a percentage of your remaining loan principal balance. The higher this balance, the higher the interest you pay each month. This is called compound interest, meaning your interest is charged on your interest over time. Prioritizing paying down this debt is a sound strategy that will help you continue to serve families and reposition your business’s ability to make a profit by reducing your monthly costs. As accompanying image illustrates, this strategy will help free up revenue to use on other necessary expenses your program needs to operate.
In addition to paying down debt, funds can be used to keep up with other routine payments while you get back on your feet. For example, if you are having trouble affording regular expenses such as utilities or home payments (mortgage or rent), you may be able to use these funds to keep operations going until conditions have stabilized for you.
Are you prepared for financial emergencies?
Certainly, the pandemic has driven up costs of existing expenses, created new expenses, and has contributed to less income for you. This makes budgeting for your new reality a key feature of your plan for continued operations. Not planning or accounting for these new expenses, and upcoming emergencies could put your business in jeopardy of permanent closure.
A monthly budget may be a good place to start for a smaller operation, like a home-based child care program. Once you’re comfortable with the process of budgeting, a six-month cash flow may be the next option for tracking incoming and outgoing funds.
Once you have an idea of what your budget will allow, you should consider putting aside funds for a rainy day. It’s recommended that a business have three months’ worth of expenses available in an emergency fund so that you can continue to meet your routine bills during times of financial challenges.
Do you have the systems in place to manage your financial and other recordkeeping responsibilities?
Having a defined way of tracking your revenue and expenses will make it easier to follow through with your decision to follow a budget. Having accurate information to inform your budget will strengthen your ability to bounce back. Many providers can track their finances with a basic bookkeeping system and a business bank account. Initially, this tracking can be as simple as having a method to log weekly revenues from tuition and payments, the expenses that you’ve had to pay, and store records of those transactions, or receipts.
Once you have those business basics down, you may consider the use of electronic systems to track these with more ease. Online systems such FreshBooks, QuickBooks, and Gusto can help with bookkeeping and payroll. These systems can give you real-time information on your financial outlook and help you make necessary decisions. These systems will also aid you during tax time so that you can complete an accurate tax return.
Keeping good records is essential to managing your business in general. In addition to the standard accounting tools we mentioned, you need to track child and staff data, attendance rates, meals, and more. Be sure to also consider child care management systems (CCMS) for these needs. Systems such as Alliance Core (ELV), Brightwheel, Wonderschool, Procare, or EZCare can help with billing, attendance, etc.
For more information on the benefits of a CCMS, check out Frequently Asked Questions.
Investment Area 2: Staffing
Are you having difficulty maintaining staff, recruiting new staff, or looking for ways to reward your staff?
A staple feature of the Stabilization Payment Program is that the funds can be used to meet the pressing challenges that the staffing crisis has presented. Now more than ever, staffing is an integral component of the child care business model. Without the necessary staffing in place, other components of the business’s ability to operate are at risk. Using grant funds for temporary pay increases and bonuses is a great way to push much-needed funding in the child care labor force, invest in yourself as a business owner, and reward your hard-working employees if applicable.
Finding ways to increase staff retention may require multiple approaches. There could be some quick actions that you can implement to aid in retention such as offering a bonus or a temporary pay differential, pay substitutes to give your staff some additional time off, and other ways to acknowledge and reward staff. There are also longer-term approaches such as increasing your pay scale, staff benefits, paid time off, and supporting staff career development. Most, if not all, of these strategies, will have budget implications; it is advised that you plan for them in your budget to understand what you can afford.
For more information on structuring and offering these incentives, see Financially Investing in Your Staff.
The same strategies can be applied in your pursuit of attracting qualified staff. In a highly competitive employment market, you should consider using grant funds to offer a sign-on bonus for new employees and offer employee referral incentives to existing staff. The bonus can be timed and structured in a way that aids in retention for your new staff. For example, a new staff member will receive a bonus after six months on the job with satisfactory performance.
While compensation is likely the number one factor in someone choosing to enter and stay in a job, benefits are also a critical piece of their decision.
There are many benefits to offering or enhancing benefits, and here are a few of them:
Improved staff satisfaction which aids in increased staff retention. Happy and healthy employees are more engaged employees!
Makes the employer more competitive in a tight labor market. This is what could separate you from another program offering similar pay.
Lets staff know that they are valued and that you’re supportive of their needs. The pandemic has brought on different needs and considerations for employees, and they need a place of work that can meet those needs.
Providing benefits does not have to be an all-or-nothing concept. Different benefits can be offered, with varying price points (some may be little to no cost, and some may be more significant). Even small increases can make a big difference in a tight labor market. You may be wondering where to start and what your options are. Most importantly, you want to be sure that regardless of what is being offered, your employees can 1) see the value in the benefits and 2) easily understand them, and 3) easily access them.
While this is not a complete list, here are some of the common benefits that a company can offer employees:
Paid Time Off (PTO)
Health Insurance
Retirement
Supplemental Insurance (including Employee Assistance Programs)
Tuition Assistance and Staff Development
Child Care
Programs in WEESSN (Tiers 1 and 2) can purchase telemedicine and teletherapy for $8-13 per month per employee through Allied Health Docs
To learn more about these offerings, you can begin by researching traditional insurance providers. You may find that your existing payroll company or other online payroll service providers like Gusto or Zenefits can provide you with certain benefits. There are also Professional Employer Organizations and shared services networks and other platforms for collaboration such as your local chamber of commerce may offer other ways to provide benefits for your staff or discounts to do so. Outside of offering company-sponsored health insurance, you can still support your employees on an individual basis in accessing low-cost or free health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Ensure that employees are aware of what they may qualify for and facilitate a connection for them to work with a free Health Care Navigator who can walk them through their options. For more affordable healthcare options, click here.
Do you pay yourself?
As a staff person of the child care program, you can, and should, pay yourself regularly. While this may be the last thing on your mind when it comes to your list of expenses, it should not be neglected and should be treated as any other payroll obligation.
To determine how much you should pay yourself, you could begin by drafting a monthly budget and tracking your actual revenue and expenses to understand how much you typically take in and pay out in expenses for the month. This will allow you to see what a reasonable wage may be, noting that if you are a sole proprietor, your pay cannot exceed your revenue.
Any payments to owners should be treated as you would any other pay. If you receive payments as a W-2 employee, then you would use the same documentation as you would for any paid employee. You will need to record payments to yourself and having a business bank account can help you in this process. This will allow you to separate personal from business funds and help you track your payments.
Would you like to continue education or training for staff?
Staff benefits range from pay to benefits that impact career satisfaction. Providing opportunities to invest in your staff and advance their skills will benefit the quality of your program while possibly aiding in the retention of qualified staff. An investment in your staff can pave the way for new art, music, and reading programs, as well as new child learning techniques. These programs can also make your child care business more appealing to families and help stabilize enrollment over time.
For family child care providers, scheduling time for professional development can be a challenge. You could use the additional funds to cover the cost of expenses associated with the time off or site closures for you to take professional development days or pay for the additional staff coverage you may need to attend trainings. Funds can also be used to cover any staff travel expenses or per diems associated with professional development.
Investment Area 3: Enrollment
Are you having difficulty maintaining or boosting enrollment at your program?
The pandemic has spotlighted the need for child care businesses to rethink their marketing efforts, tools, and strategies to drive (or simply maintain) child enrollment. Typically, marketing efforts would be the first expense cut from the already tight operating budget for most programs. However, now that securing enrollments is more critical than ever, it is wise to consider using this funding to conduct marketing activities. Marketing for child care centers can also focus on recruitment, in order to ensure classrooms are fully staffed. This could consist of designing and purchasing promotional materials such as fliers and brochures, starting or upgrading a program website, upgrading signage, offering parent incentives to enroll, and purchasing paid ads.
Some no-cost activities could be done to support your enrollment such as actively maintaining your waitlist and reaching out to those families as soon as you have an opening. (WEESSN members at all tiers can register for Leg Up.)
Investment Area 4: Facility Improvements, Technology, or Equipment
Do you need to make improvements to your Home or Center?
You may have a list of program quality or health and safety improvements that need to happen to your facility. Investing in your facility can help you meet different business goals and aid in a better overall experience for the children and adults that occupy the facility. In addition to the health and safety needs that you may adapt to, grant funds can help you finally address some of those much-needed, long-term investments.
A note on facility improvements:
Just remember that stabilization funds may not be used for capital investments (such as new construction or major renovations to your facility). If you are planning to do (or recently completed) a major renovation, make sure that your stabilization grant funds are put toward other allowable expenses, such as rent or utilities, or wages for staff. The unrestricted revenue sources you originally used or would use for these allowable expenses — such as parent tuition payments — can then cover costs associated with major capital expenses.
Navigating a facility improvement project and finding a good contractor can be challenging, so we have included some tips at the bottom of this page.
Young children are very susceptible to their environments. It may be helpful to have a facility/home assessment done to learn how to improve the environmental health of your facility such as air quality and water quality:
Air quality improvement examples: HVAC repairs, duct cleaning, humidifier, and/or portable air cleaners (purifiers). Providers can contact an HVAC specialist to determine what can be done to improve air quality.
Water quality improvement examples: replacing old, corroded pipes that may be subject to lead and copper contamination. Providers can contact their local health department for water testing.
Do you need to make playground or outdoor area improvements?
Another potential use for funds is to upgrade your playground and outdoor space for safety and quality purposes. Through these improvements, you can create an area that will be more developmentally appropriate and enjoyable for the children you serve.
Outdoor play spaces are often a big factor for families when choosing a program, so improved play space can also potentially impact your revenue by attracting new families as well as retaining the ones you have.
Here are a few ideas to consider for upgrades to your outdoor area:
Play structures and equipment
Rubber surfacing
Pavement repair
Updated fencing
Additional riding toys
Outdoor toys to push and pull
Tunnels or structures to crawl through
Upgraded water or sand play areas
Materials for outdoor creative art or STEM area
Updated tricycles, balance bikes, helmets, or scooters
Natural play space materials
Children’s garden
Play tables
Art station
Additional outdoor seating or shaded areas for book reading and outdoor lessons
Awning for outdoor waiting areas
Are there other purchases, pieces of equipment, or technology that would improve your program operations?
Updating the sign-in and check-out systems used by families or caregivers (for example, an electronic system that may work with a child care operations system)
Updating security systems or camera systems for the building, including classrooms and common areas
Improving technology equipment (such as iPads, laptops, printers/copiers, electronic filing, bookkeeping, tuition or fee payment systems, or child care management systems)
Purchasing a van or bus to facilitate transportation to and from school or other settings
You can also consider adding other physical improvements, such as new laundry machines, replacing a refrigerator or an extra freezer, or any other kind of equipment that may make things more efficient and effective for your program.
With the added sanitation demands of the pandemic, you can also add equipment like:
Portable sinks;
Hand sanitizer dispensers;
Touchless faucets and soap dispensers;
HVAC or ultraviolet air purifiers to improve indoor air quality;
Automatic door opener and flusher toilet;
Touch-free waste bin;
Steam cleaner vacuum;
Childcare waiting area with wall dividers;
Tables with clear tabletop dividers or individual student desks;
Replacement classroom carpets or flooring;
Dishwasher; and
Upgrade sanitizer systems for cleaning toys and other materials in the center.
Are you prepared to carry out an emergency disaster plan?
While most programs are required to have emergency preparedness plans, have you thought about whether you have the necessary resources, equipment, and materials to effectively carry out your emergency plan?
Here are a few ideas to consider in executing your risk management plan:
Establishing or contributing to an emergency fund to cover expenses associated with emergencies, such as insurance deductibles;
Emergency supplies, including portable kits for evacuations and 72-hour supply kits for sheltering in place; and
Text messaging services/parent communication apps to be used for emergency notifications.
Gathering Your Documentation
What do I need documentation for?
Grant funds are provided upfront, so you don’t have to demonstrate a need to submit documentation showing that you’ve already incurred expenses to apply for a Child Care Stabilization Payment Program or receive payments.
However, DCF does require you to submit documents to ensure compliance with grant conditions and approved expenses. You should keep records of and compile documentation of your expenses along the way. This way, you will have your records in one place and will be ready to respond to any request for monitoring of these funds.
To keep records of your expenses, you could create a digital file and save or scan them there or get a large manila envelope ready for your receipts. You must hold onto them for five years, so you will want to have a way to keep the receipts safe until you need them. Programs using a Child Care Management (CCMS) system can use those platforms to easily store and track their receipts and expenses.
How do I make sure I have everything I need if I am randomly selected for monitoring?
The Child Care Counts Stabilization Payment Program offers financial relief to child care providers across the state to support strategic rebuilding investments and help with expenses incurred because of the pandemic. Gathering information about expenses and documenting grant spending can seem daunting but breaking down the steps can help make the process more manageable.
Step 1: Figure Out Previous Pandemic-Related Expenses
First, go month by month through your recent records to review:
Receipts you have already collected
Your credit card bills
App-based system payments (such as Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, and Square Cash)
Bank statements and canceled checks
Third-party payroll systems (like ADP, Gusto, or Paychex)
Collect proof of payment for every cost you want to cover with the grant funds, such as a receipt, or an upcoming or reoccurring invoice. Generally, allowable expenses must be necessary to maintain or resume operations. Assemble information about the following common business expenses for each month:
Rent, Mortgage, Property Taxes, and Insurance: The actual amount you pay for mortgage or rent, insurance, and property taxes. (DCF allows family child care providers to use 100% of these costs as business expenses for grant funds, but using Time-Space Calculation to determine the business use portion will align with tax filing.)
Utility Costs: The actual amount you pay for utilities (must be clearly for business use), including gas, electricity, telephone, and internet. (DCF allows family child care providers to use 100% of these costs as business expenses for grant funds, but using Time-Space Calculation to determine the business use portion will align with tax filing.)
Payroll, Employment & Personnel Costs: This includes those for W-2 employees, including yourself, and employer payments for benefits (i.e., retirement and healthcare).
If you are a sole proprietor paying yourself, you need proof of payment like a payroll report or pay-by-check, bank transfer, or app payment documenting in the memo that this was payroll for a given period, and (2) it does not exceed revenue for the same period. For example, if you took in $1,000 for the month in revenue, you could not claim a payroll of $1,500.
Contractors (often called “1099 employees”) can be included in your costs but make sure they are classified appropriately as contractors.
Employer benefit costs may also be included for company-sponsored programs offered to all employees, and employer payroll taxes for unemployment insurance and other programs.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) & Cleaning Supplies: Including masks, gloves, janitorial services, deep cleaning, and supplies (disinfectants, hand sanitizer, soap, etc.).
Educational and Office Supplies: Includes items necessary for your child care business such as paper products, children’s toys, or books.
Educational and Playground Equipment: Includes items necessary for your program’s operations such as children’s cubbies, age-appropriate climbing structures, etc.
Food: Includes appropriate food/beverage purchases for children in care that have not been covered by the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
Facility Improvements: Includes minor renovations and repairs for health and safety, and security upgrades to your facility. Be sure that the costs for the renovation are properly documented and justified.
It is important to know you cannot claim expenses already paid for by:
Past rounds of Child Care Counts Stabilization Grants from the CARES Act
the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP),
Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC),
Families First Coronavirus Response Act Emergency or Family Leave (FFCRA), or
Any other stimulus and relief funding program.
Shared expenses
In some cases, such as with your telephone or your home, items are used for a mix of personal and business reasons. DCF has indicated that family child care programs can count 100% of these expenses to CCC Stabilization Payments, but you are allowed to utilize your Time-Space Calculation to determine shared cost percentages and align more closely to your tax information and business records.
Business Use of Phone
For phones (cell or home), you can determine what percentage of the time has been used for business by adding the number of minutes used for business. This should only be for the business owner’s or employee’s part of the bill.
As an example:
Jasmine’s phone bill is $250 per month in total. She made 40 calls that totaled 200 minutes, and the 30 calls that were for business totaled 120 minutes. Using the minutes, she could claim business use of 120 minutes divided by 200 which is 60%. If she multiplies the bill of $250 by 60%, that means she can report $150 in business costs for the CCC Stabilization Grant.
120 minutes ÷ 200 minutes = 0.6 (x 100 = 60%)
0.6 (60%) x $250 = $150
Business Use of Home
For family child care providers that regularly use their home for business and are licensed or certified, you can allocate the cost of your home and other related expenses that you typically claim on your federal tax returns. Home-based family child care providers can determine the business use of their home using the Time-Space Calculation. This will enable you to calculate the percentage of your rent, mortgage, property taxes, insurance, and utility costs that can be covered by grant funding.
Whether you rent or own your home, there are two steps you need to take to expense these costs (they are the same as the ones you use for your tax return):
Determine the space and time of your home used for child care, and;
Determine allowable expenses related to providing care in your home.
Step 2: Find Your Receipts
Now that you have a clear picture of the relevant expenses incurred, make sure that you have proper documentation for each expense. A receipt or other proof of payment should show:
That you paid the expense
What you paid for unless it is very clear (like a utility company payment)
The amount you paid
The date you paid it
A description of the item purchased, or service received
Examples of valid receipts or proofs of payment are:
An itemized receipt from Target, Wal-Mart, or Costco
Payment confirmation from the electric company or a canceled check for payment to a utility
A summary report from your payroll company
Pro Tip
Search for your larger allowable expenses first to help to streamline the process. These larger expenses, like rent or payroll, will take less time pulling together than finding multiple individual receipts for smaller expenses, like learning supplies.
Step 3: Managing Your Files
Even if you decide to keep a manila folder for your receipts, you may want to consider creating a digital backup of your receipts and proofs of payment by taking pictures or scanning the documents. You are required to keep receipts for five years, so this will provide a backup in case something happens to the original hard copies of your receipts.
Cost Worksheets
While these are not required to complete, you may find these worksheets helpful to keep your spending organized. Each worksheet is broken out by expense categories. You can use as many as you need based on your costs.
You can take the totals from each worksheet and enter them here to get the total cost for your projected or actual spending.
Worksheet 1: Rent, Mortgage, Property Taxes, and Insurance
Costs to look for:
Monthly Rent
Monthly Mortgage
Property taxes for your home or center (check your mortgage payment – they may be there)
Property Insurance (check your mortgage payment – they may be there)
Liability insurance (insurance in case anyone gets hurt)
Worksheet 2: Utility Costs
Costs to look for:
Gas
Electricity
Oil
Water
Sewer
Telephone
Cell/mobile phone Internet
Worksheet 3: Payroll, Employment, and Personnel Costs
Costs to look for:
Payroll system documents
Pay by check, bank transfer, or app payment where it documents that this was payroll for a given period in the memo section and it does not exceed revenue for the same period. For example, if you took in $1,000 for the month in revenue, you could not claim payroll of $1,500.
Payments for benefits including retirement and health (employer costs only)
Staff development trainings
Note: you can use reports from your payroll company — this can save you time and effort.
Worksheet 4: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) & Cleaning Supplies
Costs to look for:
Cleaning supplies like disinfectants
Paper towels
Cleaning services
Masks
Gloves
Safety glasses
Worksheet 5: Other Costs
Costs to look for:
Equipment and supplies
Learning materials
Renovations and repairs
Security costs
Technology upgrades
Transportation costs
Other
How to Find a Good Contractor
You may find that even though you do have the cash to invest in improvements to your home or center, it is difficult to find a good, fairly priced, reliable contractor to complete the work. Here are some general suggestions on ways to find and vet a contractor that you can be confident will meet the needs of the job.
1. Ask those closest to you for recommendations
Start with people you know and consider to be trusted contacts and ask about their previous experiences with contractors. You can even post on social media within your friend network to get referrals and recommendations.
You may also want to consider approaching home improvement stores or other vendors that you are familiar with. The employees of those establishments may be able to provide recommendations on trusted contractors that they personally know or that they have heard others compliment.
2. Do your research
Whether someone comes to you with glowing recommendations or not, you should conduct your own search for contractors online. Through this process, you can research those that were recommended and find others.
Some of the more popular and reliable sites to perform this search include:
Angie’s List — angieslist.com
Check Book — checkbook.org
Home Advisor — homeadvisor.com
Houzz — houzz.com
Porch — porch.com
Many of these sites are free or low-cost and will give you access to not only contractors but also reviews from actual users of their services. You may also want to check with your local Chamber of Commerce or the Better Business Bureau.
3. Conduct a phone interview
Once you have secured a few referrals, ask the contractor some questions over the phone. Ask:
If they are licensed and insured and can provide proof.
If they typically do projects that are your size.
For references on not only their work but also from suppliers and subcontractors (those who work with them).
For a list of a few past clients, the size of their project, and how it aligns with your needs (it’s a plus if they are familiar with renovating child care facilities).
How many projects do they have going on at the time? Too many projects might mean they won’t have the time to do your project in quality or a timely manner. If they have no projects, that may make you wonder why. Be sure to ask follow-up questions.
4. Meet in person
After the phone interview, have a face-to-face meeting with three or four of your top candidates. It can be difficult to find the time to meet with more than one contractor, but this is a great way to truly understand what they can offer and to get quotes for the work you need to be done. Talk about your project and timeline making sure they understand the magnitude and complexity of it.
Ask them questions about what will happen if there are unforeseen issues that come up.
Ask them when they will be able to start your project, and how long they think it will take.
Consider the hours that the contractor will need to complete your project. Will they need to work outside of your normal business hours so as not to disrupt programming?
If they are working in children’s areas, how are they securing the space and ensuring the safety of children and adults in the facility?
5. Call references
After meeting in person, call the former clients of those contractors you felt most comfortable with and offered competitive quotes. Ask past clients about their finished product, how long it took, how satisfied they were and how close the final price was to the original estimate.
If there is a previous client who is willing, schedule a time to go look at the completed work. Make sure it’s something that really is comparable with the quality and size of the project that you would like to undertake.
Note: This can be tricky since most individuals may not want to receive calls. It may be equally useful if the contractor has a website, pictures, or testimonials that they can share with you instead.
Disclaimer: The information contained on this page has been prepared by Civitas Strategies and is not intended to constitute legal advice. The parties have used reasonable efforts in collecting, preparing, and providing this information, but do not guarantee its accuracy, completeness, adequacy, or currency. The publication and distribution of this presentation are not intended to create, and receipt does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.
Developed by CSES January 2022, revised July 2022.