Little Scholars Child Care Scholarship Fund

Words in [brackets] are blanks you fill in with your own details when you adopt this sample in Supreme Plan AI.

Executive Summary

Little Scholars Child Care Scholarship Fund is a nonprofit in Indiana that pays part of the cost of licensed child care for working families with low incomes. Scholarships go directly to licensed providers, a family navigator helps parents find care and apply for the state subsidy and partner providers receive quality grants.

Child care is among the largest expenses for working families. When a family cannot afford it, a parent may leave a job or children may end up in unsafe care. State subsidies help many families but have waiting lists and do not reach everyone.

With this grant we will help about 80 children in Year 1 through 8 partner providers. We do not operate child care or license providers, we never give cash to families and we do not promise any family a place in care. We promise careful use of every dollar, licensed care and respect for every family.

Our Year 1 budget is about $223,000, growing to about $276,500 by Year 5 as we add sites, coaches and participants. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small surplus each year. We have 3 staff in Year 1 (an Executive Director, a Fund Manager and a part-time family navigator) and 5 by Year 5.

We are asking the Hoosier Early Learning Foundation for $80,000 for child care scholarships paid to providers and part of the Fund Manager position. Our other income and startup support cover the rest. These numbers are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end of this proposal, and we do not promise any result beyond what we describe.

Company Description

Little Scholars Child Care Scholarship Fund is a nonprofit organization in Indiana. We are a registered charity with a volunteer board of directors, a written conflict-of-interest policy and a yearly budget the board reviews.

Our mission. Every working family should be able to afford safe, licensed child care without choosing between care and rent.

What we do.
- Pay child care scholarships directly to licensed providers for children of working families.
- Assign a family navigator to help families find a provider, apply for state subsidies and keep their care.
- Offer quality grants to partner providers that join the state's quality improvement program.
- Help families with transportation to child care when needed.
- Train partner providers in business practices and early learning.
- Track every dollar and report results to funders and partners.

Our values. Respect for every participant, honesty with families and partners, safety first and a place for everyone who wants to belong.

What we do not do. We do not operate child care and we do not license providers; the state does. Scholarships are paid directly to licensed providers and never to families as cash. We do not promise any family a place in care. We follow the rules of our partner sites and our insurer.

How we got here. A group of employers, a pastor and parents began paying part of the child care bills for a few families who were about to lose their jobs. The need was greater than the fund. We kept simple records of who we helped and whether they kept their jobs. This proposal asks for support to move from a small emergency fund to a steady program with paid, trained staff and the materials to match.

Problem & Opportunity

Child care is among the largest expenses for working families, and when a family cannot afford it, a parent may leave a job or children may end up in unsafe care.

Cost. Licensed child care can cost as much as rent, and the state subsidy does not reach every family and often has a waiting list.

Access. Quality providers fill quickly, and families may not know how to apply for help or find an opening.

Safety and trust. Parents want care that is licensed and safe, and funders want money to reach children and providers fairly.

Missed benefits. Children without stable care may miss early learning, and parents lose income and career progress.

What we hear.
- A mother says she turned down a promotion because she could not afford more hours of care.
- A provider says families leave when the subsidy ends.
- An employer says child care is the top reason workers leave.
- A father says he works two jobs to pay for one child's care.

We do not claim that a program can solve every challenge. We believe that paying for safe care and helping families navigate the system keeps parents working and children learning.

Products & Services

Little Scholars Child Care Scholarship Fund gives working families who need help paying for licensed child care a safe, welcoming place to keep safe, stable child care.

How the program works.
1. Application. Families apply through a navigator and confirm work or school and income.
2. Matching. A navigator helps families find a licensed provider that fits their schedule and location.
3. Scholarship. We pay part of the provider's fee directly to the provider.
4. State subsidy. The navigator helps families apply for the state subsidy and move to it when available.
5. Quality grants. Partner providers receive quality grants for materials and training.
6. Transportation. We help families with rides to care when needed.
7. Follow-up. We check in monthly for the first three months and then quarterly.

What a typical session looks like. Participants arrive and check in with a staff member, settle in together, work on the day's activity in small groups and finish with a short talk about what went well. Staff praise effort, correct mistakes kindly and make sure no one is left out.

Staff. Our navigators are trained, pass a background check, complete our training and are paid for their time. Partner providers must hold a current state license.

Access and fairness. Programs are free. Scholarships are free to families. We welcome every eligible family and offer help in English and Spanish.

Market Analysis

Who we serve. Working families with children from birth to age 12 who qualify under our income guidelines and need help paying for licensed care. Eligibility is work or school, income guidelines our board sets and use of a licensed provider, and no family is turned away without a referral to other help.

How we estimate need. We cannot count every young person who could benefit, so we plan from what we can see. In our small fund we received more requests than we could pay each month and kept a waiting list. Employers and child care providers told us that many more families need help than we can reach. For Year 1 we plan to serve about 80 participants at 8 partner providers. By Year 5, with more staff and sites, we plan to serve about 200.

Where participants come from.
- Child care providers and early learning programs.
- Employers and workforce centers.
- Schools, churches and social service agencies.
- Families who tell a friend.

Who else benefits. Parents keep jobs. Providers gain steady, paid enrollment. Employers gain reliable workers.

What the numbers mean. Every number here is a child in a safe classroom while a parent works. We keep our early counts modest and honest so we can do the work well.

Competitive Landscape

What young people can find today, and how we are different.

1. State child care subsidies. Essential and often have waiting lists. We bridge the wait and add navigation.

2. Head Start. Excellent for qualifying families and limited by age and hours. We cover other needs.

3. Employer benefits. Rare for lower-wage jobs. We partner with employers.

4. Informal care. Loving and unlicensed. We help families reach licensed care.

5. Charity funds. Generous and small. We offer a steady program.

What makes us different.
- Payments made directly to licensed providers.
- A family navigator for every family.
- Quality grants for partner providers.
- Help moving to the state subsidy.
- Transportation support.

Why this gap matters. Existing programs do good work, and most serve people who can already pay or who live close to them. The people we serve are the ones left over: they live in the wrong neighborhood, have the wrong schedule or have no one to ask. We are built to reach them.

We have spoken with child care providers, employers and other early learning programs to make sure we are filling a gap and not duplicating services. Their letters of support are in the attachments.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How young people and partners will find us.

Reaching young people.
- Providers. We will share information and a simple enrollment form with partner providers.
- Employers and workforce centers. We will present and share referral steps.
- Schools, churches and agencies. We will leave flyers and talk with leaders.
- Social media and local radio. We will share clear information.
- Word of mouth. Families tell friends.
- A simple website and a phone line with a text option.

Reaching staff and sponsors.
- Recruit navigators through early childhood programs, social work schools and workforce centers.
- Offer an orientation, a background check and training in safety, privacy and respectful practice.
- Give partners a short report each quarter with counts of participants and what they said.

How we decide who joins. We use a simple sign-up form and enroll participants in the order received, with priority for those with the greatest need and for people new to the program. We keep a waiting list when the program is full.

What we watch. Sign-ups, attendance, children in care, parents employed and how many participants return for a second season.

Operations Plan

How the program will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1:
- Months 1 and 2 (July and August): Hire the staff, buy equipment and materials, finalize the waiver, consent form and privacy policy with our attorney and sign site agreements.
- Month 3 (September): Sign agreements with partner providers and open applications.
- Months 4 to 10: Pay scholarships, help families with subsidies and follow up regularly.
- Months 11 and 12: Survey families and providers, report to funders and plan Year 2.

Space. We work from a small donated office and meet families at providers, libraries and community centers.

Safety and privacy.
- Payments go only to licensed providers and are reviewed by two people.
- We verify each provider's license before signing an agreement.
- Every staff member and volunteer passes a background check and completes safety training.
- Staff work in pairs or in view of others whenever participants are minors or in a vulnerable situation.
- We keep an emergency plan at every site, and participants complete an emergency contact form.
- We keep records private, share them only with a participant's permission or as the law requires and follow a written policy.

Equipment. We buy about $4,000 of equipment once at the start: laptops and a secure payment and case system ($2,500), printer and locking file storage ($1,000), tablet for home and provider visits ($500). Later years replace or add a few items.

Staffing. In Year 1 I serve as Executive Director. The Fund Manager, paid $42,000 a year, manages scholarships, providers and reporting. A part-time family navigator, paid $24,000, works with families. We add a navigator in Year 4.

Management & Organization

Denise Carter, Executive Director. I lead the organization, report to the board and am responsible for budgets, partnerships and reporting. I came to this work as a child care director who watched families leave over a few dollars. I will complete the training we require of our navigators so I understand the program from the inside. (Replace this paragraph with your own background.)

Staff. The Fund Manager manages scholarships, providers and reporting, and a part-time family navigator works with families. Each passes a background check. These positions are part of our grant request.

Board of directors. Our volunteer board includes a child care provider, an employer, a parent, a banker who serves as treasurer, an attorney and a pastor. The board meets every other month, approves our budget and reviews our safety plan. No board member is paid, and members with a conflict of interest step out of related decisions.

Advisory partners. A state licensing representative, an early childhood specialist and a workforce center director give guidance twice a year.

Staffing and pay in this plan: Executive Director, paid $50,000 a year; fund Manager, paid $42,000 a year; family Navigator (part-time), paid $24,000 a year.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals, how we will measure them and when we plan to reach them.

Year 1 outcomes (July 2027 through June 2028):
- Serve about 80 participants at 8 partner providers.
- Run at least two full seasons and a summer session.
- Have at least 85 percent of participants attend most sessions.
- Have at least 80 percent of participants return for a second season.
- Receive positive feedback from at least 90 percent of families who answer our short survey.

What we count and how.
- Participants enrolled, sessions and games attended, from our records.
- Skills learned and goals met, from the coach's checklist.
- Equipment issued and returned, from our log.
- Participant and family feedback, from a short, confidential form.
We report what we find, including what did not work, and use it to improve.

Growth over five years.
- Year 2: About 110 participants at 10 partner providers.
- Year 3: About 140 participants at 12 partner providers.
- Year 4: About 170 participants at 14 partner providers.
- Year 5: About 200 participants at 16 partner providers.

Learning along the way. At the end of each quarter, the director and the board review the numbers and decide whether we are on track. If we are behind, we will adjust our outreach, our sites or our schedule before asking for more money.

After the grant. By Year 5, grants make up about 33 percent of our budget, down from about 56 percent in Year 1, as partners and donors give more. We will keep building those relationships every year.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $80,000 from the Hoosier Early Learning Foundation for child care scholarships paid to providers and part of the Fund Manager position, for July 2027 through June 2028.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Other: Child care scholarships paid directly to licensed providers, $60,000.
- Personnel: Part of the Fund Manager position, $20,000.

Other money in the program. This request is about 64% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $223,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $9,200 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: Grant Revenue $125,000; state Child Care Funding $60,000; employer Partners $28,000; individual Donors $10,000. Year 1 costs: executive Director $50,000; fund Manager $42,000; family Navigator (part-time) $24,000; child Care Scholarships Paid to Providers about $70,000; provider Quality Grants about $8,000; family Support and Transportation about $4,000; provider Training about $3,000; outreach about $3,000; administration and Insurance about $9,000; about $2,400 a year for the wear on equipment.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $11,500 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $2,500 for laptops and a secure payment and case system; $1,000 for printer and locking file storage; $500 for tablet for home and provider visits; $2,500 for attorney review of the family agreement, provider agreement and privacy policy; $1,500 for flyers, banners and a simple website; $1,500 for background checks and navigator training; $2,000 for first insurance payment.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($11,500), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $0) and a cash cushion of about $53,300, which is about three months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $65,000. We start with $6,000 from our founding board and $61,000 in startup support from a community foundation and an employer, $67,000 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $223,000 in Year 1 to about $276,500 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $125,000, $109,500, $94,000, $104,500 and $90,500 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows: state Child Care Funding from $60,000 to $100,000; employer Partners from $28,000 to $60,000; individual Donors from $10,000 to $26,000. Our surplus is planned at about $9,200 in Year 1, about $10,000 in Year 2, about $10,400 in Year 3, about $12,500 in Year 4 and about $13,600 in Year 5. We grow from 8 partner providers to 16 by Year 5, adding a part-time coach for each new site.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $64,100, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $8,920 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

Cost per child. In Year 1, our total costs are about $2,673 per child served, which includes setting up the program. By Year 5, with more child served and a trained team in place, that falls to about $1,315 per child.

After the grant. State child care funding, corporate sponsors and individual donors grow every year, so grants become a smaller share of our budget. Participants and families share their stories, and businesses can sponsor a team or a season by name. We will look for partnerships with schools and the city that want a safe, free child care option for every child.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- An injury. Certified coaches, proper equipment, groups matched by age and skill, a written emergency plan and insurance.
- A site is no longer available. We keep agreements with more than one site and a plan for bad weather.
- A coach leaves. We keep a list of trained backup coaches and share lesson plans.
- Low attendance. We adjust sites, times and rides based on family feedback.
- A privacy problem. We follow a written policy, use secure systems and train every staff member and volunteer.
- A grant ends. We keep savings and grow partner and donor support each year.

If you are just starting. A new organization can begin before it has its own 501(c)(3) status through a fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that receives grants for you and passes them to your program, usually for a fee (commonly around 5% to 10% of the grant, sometimes more; ask before you agree). Another way is to start smaller: one neighborhood, a handful of childs and a small team, tracked carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants easier to win.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach with this proposal:

- Your IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your most recent financial statements and your current year budget.
- A list of your board members and what each one does.
- Signed letters of support from partner schools, agencies and sites.
- Your site agreements and your insurance certificate.
- Your consent, waiver and privacy policy.
- Your safety plan and background check policy.
- Your program outline and schedule.
- Quotes for equipment and materials.
- Resumes for your Executive Director and key staff.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Grant Revenue: $125,000 in Year 1, growing to $90,500 in Year 5.
- State Child Care Funding: $60,000 in Year 1, growing to $100,000 in Year 5.
- Employer Partners: $28,000 in Year 1, growing to $60,000 in Year 5.
- Individual Donors: $10,000 in Year 1, growing to $26,000 in Year 5.
- Pay (a full year, per person, including payroll taxes and workers' compensation): executive Director $50,000; fund Manager $42,000; family Navigator (part-time) $24,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: child Care Scholarships Paid to Providers $70,000; provider Quality Grants $8,000; family Support and Transportation $4,000; provider Training $3,000; outreach $3,000; administration and Insurance $9,000. These grow between 4% and 6% a year.
- Equipment: $4,000 at the start, then $1,500 to $2,500 a year.
- Startup costs: $11,500, paid once from $67,000 in startup money.
- Participants served: about 80 in Year 1, growing to about 200 in Year 5. Sites: 8 in Year 1, growing to 16 by Year 5. Scholarships are paid monthly throughout the year, with enrollment open year-round.
- About 4% of each year's income is still owed to us at year end.
- Tax: none, as a nonprofit.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and real budget.

Startup Costs