I Am Lean LLC

The implementation of lean systems has helped our Daycare Owner clients to do their already tough job, more efficient. Daycare owners, you are some of the hardest working people in our nation. You plan lessons with limited or no technology, (all year long), provide care and meals for kids, (our youngest learners), run a business, (which presents its own challenges), but also your business just happens to be in a highly regulated childcare industry that seems to run more background checks each year than the FBI. 

Not only does your parents and kids see you, but we see you and care about your frustrations. There is hope. Several of our daycare clients have experienced all the issues found on this list. However, they found solutions to address these problems through lean implementation. If you are similar to our clients and have also experienced any problems listed, take notes because the implementation of lean could be your solution.

Before we get started, welcome if you are new to I Am Lean. We help daycare owners spend less time in the center to pursue other passions. We care about helping daycare owners systematize their daycare operations which include their strategy each year, operating procedures, and training plans. Out of my care to give small businesses in my neighborhood the same advantage that big businesses have, I decided to quit my corporate job and start I Am Lean. Lean is a methodology that saves time, energy, and space, the three things that once spent is very hard or impossible to get back. 

Want to know more? Accept our free gift then join us on a live demonstration session.

#1 Owner working as the director

Why is it a problem? The more time you spend and work in the center directly with kids, the less time you have to expand and grow your business, build key strategic banking or networking relationships, or pursue other passions that you care about to fulfill your personal life. Check out our article here to discover how the job of the owner is to stop being the director.

How does lean solve it? The implementation of lean offers a method to free up to 32 hours of week of the owner’s time. The science of how it works is through building stable processes using good documentation, time management, and tiered management. Then the owner only needs to dedicate 8 hours a week to the operations of the business and work directly with kids.

For example, one daycare owner client refused to expand the business due to pressures of not having enough time in the day. She did not care that it was costing her $400,000 in potential profits loss by not expanding to serve more kids and families. 

However, after only four months of using lean standardized documentation and time management, she applied for a contract to open one an additional location. This time, she focused her care on providing quality to parents using a systematized business model vs. being stressed. 

#2 Child payments and reimbursement delayed

Why is it a problem? The lack of cash flow can affect payroll, vendor payments, and your reputation as the owner, something you gravely care about. Especially, for daycare’s who are small businesses’, a delayed payment could be the difference between using personal rent or mortgage monies to afford food or supplies for the center.

How does lean solve it? The implementation of lean offers the documentation of processes and improved time management, which we’ve been able to use to help our clients save thousands of dollars and increase cash flow.

For example, I’ll highlight one daycare owner client who was not receiving their food reimbursement on a regular basis. After documenting the processes on how to track children’s accounts, how to submit receipts, and when to submit receipts, the checks started rolling on like clockwork every month. 

#3 Staff in various locations/shifts are not working the same way

Why is it a problem? It affects the culture when one location is working harder and playing by all the rules while the second or third location is more relaxed on standards, staff comes in late, etc. 

Parents also notice a difference in quality moving their child from one shift to the next or if they have children of various ages attending both locations. The daycare doesn’t feel like one daycare, with one mission and vision, but rather it feels like totally separate daycares. The owner is usually stressed trying to figure out what happened to their original vision.

How does lean solve it? The implementation of lean uses standardize onboarding and training plans to ensure that everyone new gets trained the exact same way. We’ve created cross training matrixes and staff onboarding plans to help our clients eliminate and avoid this issue.

The implementation of lean also brings people together to share ideas. We’ve facilitated special meetings that brought together staff at different locations to decide what is the best way to do their jobs and how each task should be documented moving forward.

Check out this article to learn about what is a cross training matrix and why it should be the standard for how you train and manage training.

#4 Projects falling by the wayside

Why is it a problem? Project work could have safety or quality implications. It could be the difference between being in compliance with your licensure or facing fines of $20,000 and/or having to close. It could mean losing parents who want to take their children to centers with better execution of projects to ensure the highest quality standards.

How does lean solve it? The implementation of lean involves establishing a strategy to identify all the projects that are currently happening at you childcare center and how much time is needed for each project. It then uses an A3 project model to ensure that all daycare project work is visible, and tasks are visibly tracked. No one has to guess what work is due, who is doing it, and when it will be done.

For example, we established a daycare strategy for one of our clients and listed all the projects currently happening at the center. We had communication with their staff and learned that items were falling by the wayside because projects were not prioritized, checked in on, or assigned to just one person.

Once we assigned a clear owner for every project, established a project priority list, and set a project meeting time cadence, several projects were able to successfully close on time and within budget.

#5 No daily visibility to which action items are due.

Why is it a problem? Daily action items are what lead to weekly milestones being complete and on time. Not having visibility to what tasks are due or who is accountable for those tasks can lead to items getting missed. Missed tasks affect all aspects of early childhood education including safety, quality, delivery, and cost.

Older children have different needs than infants, toddlers, or preschoolers, but they all require teachers, childcare aides, and directors to execute follow up items on a daily basis to meet their needs.

How does lean solve it? The implementation of lean has a step by step process to turn your wall calendar into an accountability board. Imagine a large wall calendar with the names of all your staff going down the left-hand border of the calendar and three weeks of days written across the top of the calendar. Every task for each staff member will have a place on the board.

This type of lean system gives you a clear search result of what task is due today and who is accountable for completing it. The goal of using an accountability board is to never miss the follow-up of a daily action item.

Our clients report to us on a weekly basis the insights they have gained in addition to progress they have made. We pay close attention to their needs, and we would love to hear suggestions you have for new content we should create.

If you are eager to dive deeper into this topic and get results faster I invite you to accept our free gift and book one of our live demonstration sessions.