In 2008, Sholom Strick and his business partner opened their first child care center on Chicago's Southside. Since that time, his operation has expanded to include 10 centers serving the needs of various communities in the Greater-Chicago area, while providing employment opportunities for more than 100 full and part-time staff.

Sholom in office

Having previously worked in real estate, Strick's path to child care wasn't a traditional one. As a result, he understood that it was important to align himself with a partner who could offer the expertise needed to run a successful business while providing a rewarding experience for the families, employees, and children entrusted to his care.

Therefore, he sought out a business mentor to help him tackle some of the business's biggest challenges, including executive-level consistency, recruitment, enrollment, organizational structure, and process development.

After working unsuccessfully with various partners, Strick met Caroline Jens, the owner and founder of Child Care Biz Help (CCBH) and immediately knew she was the partner he needed.

After striking up a partnership in 2018, Strick and CCBH got to work. Their first initiatives included:

ESTABLISHING EXECUTIVE-LEVEL CONSISTENCY

With nearly a dozen locations, it's extremely important that everyone is on the same page when it comes to business operations. Caroline and her team worked closely with Strick and his executive team to establish executive level consistency, which consisted of providing clarity around quarterly goals and then establishing consistent weekly leadership meetings to track progress. CCBH's role is to keep the leadership team on track while holding them accountable to the company's core values.

SUCCESSFUL RECRUITMENT AND ENROLLMENT

With the cyclical nature of the child care industry, establishing a solid practice for both employee recruitment, as well as child enrollment, is extremely important. And in a world driven by online reviews, a positive recommendation can go a long way. As such, the CCBH team worked with Strick to create a process encouraging families and employees to be cheerleaders for the business. The process, referred to as BLOSSOM, refers to the following:

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raving fan process
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Through BLOSSOM, CCBH trains directors twice a month to ensure that the process is at the forefront of all decisions.

As a result, Strick's locations have close more enrollments than ever and continue to cultivate raving fans by offering an elevated experience.

DEVELOPMENT OF ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Following recruiting, CCBH worked with Strick and his team to establish a high level of structure and consistency across the organization. This included:

organizational structure

CCBH also worked with each individual location to establish a scorecard that makes it easy for leadership to ensure that standards are being upheld - which includes care of children, culture, learning, atmosphere, activities, cleanliness, etc.

"Sholom doesn't have a traditional background in child care, so our role has been to give him and his team insight into that industry to help inform his business decisions," said Caroline Jens, founder, and owner of Child Care Biz Help.

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Reflecting on the partnership, Strick credits the CCBH team as honest and supportive, without being overwhelming.

"Honestly, our list of initiatives is endless," Strick said. "Caroline and her team help give me the perspective I need to ensure we are cultivating success in all facets of the business. They are offering what no one else can."

ABOUT CHILD CARE BIZ HELP

Child Care Biz Help is the child care industry's premier consulting firm, offering a variety of customized, holistic solutions to help its partners run a more successful business. With a team comprised entirely of individuals with child care backgrounds, Child Care Biz Help has the experience and expertise to provide solutions and insights that cannot be found anywhere else.

Call us today to see how we can help your business!

2 Comments

  1. Julie Bartkus on August 23, 2021 at 10:03 pm

    Awesome story and testimonial to the amazing work Caroline and her team does!! Way to go, Sholom!!

    • Child Care Biz Help on November 25, 2022 at 6:11 pm

      Thank you Julie for saying that! We love working with Sholom and his team.

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