Family child care homes and child care centers are important small businesses in the City of Los Angeles. CID strives to improve the economic climate of Los Angeles through the provision of financing, technical assistance, training, business tax incentives, and workforce programs.
The resources below are here to help family child care homes and child care centers grow, thrive and provide high-quality services, particularly to underserved communities.
Business Resources by Topic
- Resource & Referral agencies
Resource & Referral agencies (R&Rs) are publicly funded community-based organizations that connect families to child care and support local child care providers, including in their business needs. To get connected to the R&R that serves your area, type in your business zip code on the California Child Care Resource & Referral Network website, or call the statewide hotline at 800-KIDS-793.
- Child Care Initiative Project
Child Care Initiative Project (CCIP) is a statewide initiative to increase and strengthen licensed family child care homes in the community. CCIP helps providers start up or expand family child care homes and offers training, technical support, and targeted resources.
- BusinessSource Centers (City Resource)
EWDD’s BusinessSource Centers offer free services to Angeleno business owners and entrepreneurs, helping small businesses succeed. Services and programs include one-on-one consultations, trainings, and information on accessing capital. Services are available in Spanish, Armenian, French, Korean, Mandarin, Russian and Vietnamese, depending on the location.
- LA Business Navigator (City Resource)
The Los Angeles City Business Navigator is a comprehensive website with content on planning, starting, managing, and growing businesses.
- Los Angeles Small Business Development Center Network
Los Angeles Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network has centers throughout Los Angeles County to provide customized free business advising, training, and resources to help start, run, and expand a small business.
- Women’s Business Centers
Run by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) are local hubs for women entrepreneurs to access free and low-cost counseling, training, and resources. WBCs exist to support women who want to start and grow small businesses. Find your nearest WBC on the Small Business Administration website.
- Minority Business Development Agency
The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is a national network of Business Centers managed by the U.S. Department of Commerce that supports businesses owned and operated by African Americans, Asian Americans, Hasidic Jews, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders. The PACE Business Development Center, an MBDA location, offers services that include one-on-one counseling, technical assistance, small business certification assistance and more.
- Economic Mobility Initiative
The County of Los Angeles Department of Economic Opportunity’s Economic Mobility Initiative offers free individualized support for LA County small business owners, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits. The hub offers comprehensive business support through local community-based organizations that provide services and resources including individualized technical assistance, training, entrepreneurship academies, and access to capital.
- Open Air Economy Collaborative
The Open Air Economy Collaborative provides holistic business supports such as micro-loans, business coaching, legal assistance, and financial education to Black and Latina women micro-entrepreneurs working to formalize and sustain their small businesses in Los Angeles. These integrated services support micro-entrepreneurs, like family child care providers, to build and grow strong businesses.
- Home-Based Child Care Resource Portal
The Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles’ (CCALA) Home-Based Child Care resource portal is a collection of resources designed specifically for home-based care providers. The platform includes links to training opportunities, funding information, and essential child care resources all in one place.
The Economic and Workforce Development Division offers an array of financial services to local business owners and entrepreneurs that include small business loans, credit and debt counseling, grants and more.
- Legacy Business Program (City Resource)
The Legacy Business Program, created by the Los Angeles City Council, Mayor Karen Bass, and the EWDD, is an initiative to support the visibility and sustainability of long-standing Legacy Businesses, offering benefits including technical assistance, promotional support, and access to grants and loans. A “Legacy Business” is defined as a publicly accessible business that has been operating in the same community for 20 or more years.
- Los Angeles’s Bureau of Contract Administration (City Resource)
The City of Los Angeles’s Bureau of Contract Administration (BCA) administers City of LA business certifications at no cost. Certifications administered by the City include the Women Business Enterprise (WBE) and Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certifications. BCA also recognizes certifications administered by other agencies. Child care businesses may wish to get certified to strengthen their appeal to families or to get bid preference when contracting with the City. Businesses can hold multiple certifications.
- WorkSource Centers (City Resource)
WorkSource Centers provide free employment support to both jobseekers and employers. WorkSource centers can support child care employers and entrepreneurs in advertising and recruiting for positions, interviewing and screening candidates, and training new hires.
- America’s Job Centers of California
America’s Job Centers of California (AJCC) are administered by the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity and provide free workforce services to businesses, nonprofits, and micro-enterprises. Their services include subsidies for employee training and support with workforce challenges, recruitment, employment law compliance, and tax credits.
- Child Care Law Center
Child Care Law Center provides information for California’s child care providers on their rights when it comes to business ownership, housing for home-based providers, and other legal topics.
- Public Counsel
Public Counsel is a Los Angeles area nonprofit law firm working to advance racial and economic justice. Its Early Care and Education Law Unit offers free legal assistance and support to home-based child care providers and nonprofit child care centers, including help navigating contracts and employment laws. Public Counsel also hosts law-related trainings for child care providers
- LA Regional Small Business Legal Aid Program (City Resource)
LA Regional Small Business Legal Aid Program offers free representation, legal assistance, and legal education to qualifying small businesses. The program can assist with drafting and reviewing leases and contracts, employment law, eviction protection, and business structure.
- Mediation services
Los Angeles County offers free mediation services to its residents and businesses through the Department of Consumer & Business Affairs. Mediation is a simpler and lower cost alternative to settling a dispute in court.
- My Child Care Plan
My Child Care Plan is a state-run resource where families can search for child care available near them. Child care businesses can claim their public profile on My Child Care Plan to market their business by posting photos and program information and advertising open seats.
- Shop Local LA initiative
The County of Los Angeles Department of Economic Opportunity’s Shop Local LA initiative supports LA County’s small businesses and offers an overview of business resources on their webpage. One of their programs, Digital Skills LA, equips small and micro businesses with the skills to thrive in the digital age. In addition to live workshops, Digital Skills LA is home to Digital50, where 50 small and micro-businesses will be selected to receive one-on-one coaching to strengthen their websites, online marketing, and social media strategy.
SCORE Los Angeles is a nonprofit network of volunteer expert business mentors that provide no-cost, area-specific advice to small businesses. SCORE also provides training, workshops and webinars, and other online resources.
- Starting Strong Toolkit (City Resource)
CID has developed a comprehensive toolkit that walks providers through the steps to open or expand their child care programs in the City of LA. Check out the Starting Strong toolkit in English, Spanish, Korean, Armenian, and Chinese, or check out one-page overviews of key processes in 11 languages.
- Child Care Technical Assistance Network
Child Care Technical Assistance Network offers a national resource guide for starting and operating child care businesses. Learn about choosing a type of child care business, licensing requirements, business plans, and more.
- Child Care Aware of America
Child Care Aware of America offers guides on opening and operating child care centers and family child care homes that cover key steps and considerations.
- California Department of Social Services (CDSS)
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) is the licensing body for licensed child care programs and has created educational videos for providers on topics such as starting and operating child care programs. Watch these videos to see whether opening a family child care or child care center is right for you.
- Civitas Strategies
Civitas Strategies is an organization that offers online resources for child care businesses. Explore the business resources, including guides on taxes for child care businesses and how to grow a program, or learn about choosing a retirement plan for your business.
- Taking Care of Business
Taking Care of Business offers business management resources in English and Spanish for family child care providers. They have an extensive list of helpful resources, including information on record-keeping, contracts, marketing, and retirement planning, all written for family child care providers.
- Business Response Unit (City Resource)
The Business Response Unit is available to help businesses in the City of Los Angeles with questions about the City’s business requirements and incentives.
- Quality Start Los Angeles
Quality Start Los Angeles offers quick guides on digital tools to help you get familiar with the tech you may come across as a child care provider and tech that may help your business be more successful.
- LA Optimized 2.0 (City Resource)
The LA Optimized 2.0 offers no-cost services to help you boost your brand's online visibility and impact. They can assist with creating and enhancing a website, building a social media presence, and providing complimentary coaching and training.