What Every Church Should Know Before Launching a Childcare Program

During the COVID-19 pandemic, two million women left the workforce. The number one reason they left? The cost of child care. Since then, federal funding, persistent inflation, and other financial and cultural uncertainties have made childcare challenging for many. Our team recently reported that there are 16,000 additional childcare spots needed in El Paso County, Colorado alone.

This wide, persistent gap has opened up an opportunity for the church to serve its local communities through childcare programs. When done well, these can relieve local needs, help with outreach for a ministry, and offset the costs of maintaining church buildings.

If you’re considering a childcare program for your church, though, you need to get a proper strategy in place first. Here are things to think about before you launch your new program.

Understand the Purpose

We already touched on this in the introduction, but let’s unpack it in more detail. What’s the purpose of a childcare program for your church? There are three main reasons our team sees churches invest in this area:

• Meeting local needs: Forget summer softball leagues and a booth at the local county fair. A childcare program meets your local neighbors where they are and answers a need staring many of them in the face on a daily basis.
• Initiating effective outreach: In Galatians 6:10, Paul calls the church to  “do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Childcare programs help us do good to everyone, while also encouraging those in spiritual need of support and salvation to become part of that household of faith.
• Address financial burdens: We’re big on making sure the church building works for your ministry and not the other way around. A childcare program activates your spaces and makes sure that they’re supporting, not draining, your ministry’s resources.

Things will vary depending on your circumstances, but all of these factor into the equation. It’s important for church leadership and implementation teams to understand the larger reasons they are engaging in setting up childcare offerings to help the project move forward and stay effective.

Key Considerations With Church Childcare Programs

Along with understanding the bigger picture, you want to think of the details that go into a childcare program. If you’ve run a program out of your own church in the past, you probably already know that there are a lot of things you have to think about.

We’re talking about things like regulatory requirements. What do you need to have in place based on building codes? What about state and local guidelines for childcare programs? Do you need a state license? Are there safety standards? Staff qualifications?

Financial planning is another key area. Done right, childcare programs can be a great additional source of revenue for your church. But they can also come with unexpected costs that strain its resources. You want to protect your church’s budget as well as its spaces. 

Strategic partnerships are also essential here. Our team at Ministry Solutions always encourages churches to avoid the DIY trap. You might have people on your team who have a passion in this area, and that’s wonderful. But you have to match passion with professional experience and sound infrastructure if you want long-term success. 

It’s worth working with an experienced partner like Ministry Solutions Group to set things up the right way. That’s how you avoid unforeseen headaches, wasted costs, and weak infrastructure. 

We help you vet and choose a reputable third-party childcare organization that aligns with your mission and values. Working with an established provider means you immediately have access to high-quality systems, licensing, and experience. Childcare at scale requires the right team, space, situation, and circumstances. Understanding the critical role of a qualified partner has been a game-changer for churches we’ve worked with, like Chase Oaks and Willow Creek.

Measuring Success

This is an area that is easy to overlook in a ministry setting. You might see that you’re doing some sort of “good for the local community” and leave it at that. We encourage you to go further and look at the actual facts.

If you’re going to invest in a weekday childcare ministry, make sure it’s worth it. This starts with strategy and ends with data. 

What are the metrics of success? Again, this is a complex process. Some metrics are easy. Is the childcare program making or losing money? Are you following regulations?

There are also more nuanced factors. Are more people attending church because of the program? Is it boosting your church’s reputation and awareness in your community?

This is another area where our team can walk with you over time, making sure your program is working and having the impact you intended in key areas like finance and community engagement.

Launching Your Childcare Program

Childcare programs are one of the best ways you can activate your church spaces and make the most of the physical real estate God has given your ministry. However, it’s important that you engage with an initiative of this scale and responsibility the right way.

Reach out, and our team can help you create a Clear Path Forward.  We can help you assess your options, gauge community need in this area, build a strategy, and lay out the steps to launch your program.

Let’s talk. Together, we can help you engage in the vision God has given your ministry.