Programs and Services

Friends & Supporters

BABYSITTING IS A JOB.
CHILDCARE IS A CAREER.

“The field of early childhood education is no longer one of babysitters armed with televisions.  We are now professionals offering children and their families developmentally appropriate activities and opportunities for learning.
Diana Perez, Director, WHEDCo Home-based Childcare Microenterprise Program

The Network

The core of WHEDco’s Home-based Childcare Microenterprise Program is a Network of 180 licensed childcare providers who receive ongoing professional development and support to ensure that the quality of their childcare is consistently high.  Network members receive everything from regular monitoring to ensure that they adhere to state regulations to assistance with budgeting, tracking expenses, debt reduction and smart tax strategies to maximize their earnings.  Collectively, they generate over $8 million in annual gross revenue while caring for over 2,000 children annually in safe, affordable and educational facilities.  Home-based childcare entrepreneurs in our Network earn $35,000 per year on average – higher than 60% of Bronx workers.  This revenue flows through local businesses and helps strengthen the core of the community.

Read our Report here.

 

Childcare Improvement Project
An outgrowth of the Network, the Childcare Improvement Project (CIP) brings WHEDco’s childcare expertise to a new audience.

CIP offers professional development training to unlicensed childcare providers all over New York City, enabling them to increase their earnings and setting them on a path, if they so choose, to become fully-licensed childcare providers. 

Our goals are to:
1) provide economic advancement and business opportunities for unlicensed providers,
2) significantly improve the quality of care among informal daycare settings throughout New York City, and
3) increase the number of unlicensed providers who open high-quality, licensed daycare businesses.