On fifteen different Saturdays since the beginning of the year, a dozen entrepreneurial women came together to grow personally and professionally. Their goal – to build a strong foundation for a family child care business – not only looking at what makes a healthy business but also what helps a child grow and learn. The group gathered again on June 29th with Acre Family Child Care (AFCC) staff and board to celebrate their graduation from the 75-hour Benchmark Training.
For thirty years, Acre Family Child Care has been assisting women establish a path to economic independence through owning their own child care business. When an educator joins the Acre Family network, they are required to complete AFCC’s proprietary Benchmark Training – a hallmark of the training program.
“It is with immense pride that we view the educators that choose to work with us. They are going above and beyond licensing expectations and requirements in order to be the best educator they can be. They are early childhood professionals and they take their work and their professional development incredibly seriously.” shared Lucas Skorczeski, Co-Executive Director. “Our goal is the financial independence of the women we work with. It is our belief that this is only possible by having well trained and prepared educators. These are educators that are well equipped to work with children and families and have resources available to them when there are issues, all while running a business that is fulfilling a crucial need in the community. This leads to children prepared for school and life, parents with consistent schedules to pursue academic and professional goals, and educators with financially viable businesses. This support of educators is really a way of supporting the larger community.”
The women enjoyed the afternoon together, taking time to build their friendships and relax. Many of these hard-working women run their programs 10-12 hours a day, manage their families and households, often take other coursework towards a degree or certification, AND attended the Benchmark Training. They deserved an opportunity to recognize their accomplishment and celebrate one another.