All Our Kin’s technical assistance (TA) team collaborates with organizations across the country engaged in innovative work to grow family child care (FCC) in their local communities.
In this edition of All Our Partners, we caught up with Deb Camp, Manager of Shared Services at 4C for Children in Cincinnati, OH. AOK and 4C for Children have been working together since 2022, focusing on building business acumen for educators and, more recently, providing coaching supports for staff members.
Learn how this partnership is supporting long-term growth for FCC programs.
The Business Services team at 4C for Children: Heather Baker, Deb Camp, and Melina Braun
All Our Kin: Deb, could you please tell us about your role at 4C for Children and the work of the organization overall?
Deb Camp: My role at 4C for Children focuses on leading a team of business services specialists who support FCC educators. This position allows me to work closely with FCC educators to ensure they have the necessary tools and resources to keep their businesses sustainable. You’ll hear me say the word “sustainable” often because it’s important!
4C for Children is the state-designated child care resource and referral agency for a 15-county area that includes Southwest Ohio (Cincinnati) and the Miami Valley (Dayton). Our specialists assist families searching for quality child care, offer training and professional development opportunities to local early childhood educators and provide resources for families, including those providing foster, adoptive and kinship care.
AOK: How did 4C for Children originally connect with AOK? What has the scope of the impact of these projects been over time?
DC: Our Strategic Director, Paige Runion, was committed to the same mission as AOK – uplifting FCC educators. She got us going with the Business Series Train-the-Trainer. Over the two and a half years that we’ve been running the AOK Business Series, we’ve collaborated on 11 cohorts and we have two additional cohorts running currently.
With the strong partnership that we have with AOK, we have been able to equip educators with stronger business tools and help them foster sustainable practices. The cumulative impact is 123 educators graduating from the Business Series, which of course leads to educators growing their businesses and serving more families effectively.
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FCC educators who are graduates of 4C for Children’s 13th cohort of AOK’s Business Series
AOK: What difference do you think it makes to partner with AOK on business and coaching supports for FCC educators? What has the value been of doing projects across our TA programming?
DC: Two of my team members and I participated in AOK’s Grounding Your Coaching in the 3Rs training last year. From that training, combined with our partnership on the Business Series, we’re bringing innovative approaches to our work with FCC educators. Collaborating on these programs has created consistency across our technical assistance offerings.
With the 3Rs in particular, it allowed us to take a pause and think about our training and coaching. It’s great to have that opportunity and think about how everyone in our trainings is going to learn differently. We need to take that pause and say, how can I reach this person? Because at the end of the day, it’s not about checking the box. It's about the impact.
AOK: Do you have any anecdotes or stories to share that show the impact of the 4C for Children-AOK collaboration?
DC: One story that really stands out is about Class 6 of the Business Series, which focuses on the time-space percentage. Providers come back to us with stories of how they've put their knowledge of time-space percentage into practice.
And in one case, a provider reached out to me telling me that she had stopped working with her tax specialist because the specialist said that she didn’t need to worry about time-space percentage. The provider was confident enough about time-space percentage to know that it was essential for her taxes. This comes from the Business Series – educators are transforming their business practices and overcoming significant challenges. And it has a ripple effect on the families they’re serving.
What is “time-space percentage” in family child care business?
Time-space percentage is a calculation that allows educators to identify how much of their shared expenses can be written off as business expenses. Time-space percentage takes into account two factors related to the business use of one’s home: the percentage of time that one’s home is used for business purposes, and the percentage of physical space in one’s home that is dedicated to the business.
AOK: What role do FCC educators play in the work of 4C for Children?
DC: FCC providers are at the heart of our mission. They play a crucial role in providing intimate and flexible care, and meet the diverse needs of families. At 4C for Children, we facilitate leadership trainings for FCC providers. Some of our cohorts are built from individuals who were in the leadership trainings, or even from applicants going through the licensing process.
As staff at 4C for Children, we have the heart of mentors. We mentor educators on a one-on-one basis, making sure that everyone has the tools they need to be successful in their career of early childhood education. Because – here’s that word sustainable again – it’s building sustainability for high quality care for children. It all ties together like a puzzle. I love the business side of early childhood education!
AOK: What’s the vision of your team? How do you hope your work will impact educators and families in your 15-county region of Ohio?
DC: The vision is straightforward: for all children to have a quality learning experience that prepares them to enter school ready to succeed. For our business services team, we live to create a thriving network of early educators who feel empowered.
We want to enhance child care accessibility. And one way you do that is to elevate educators' professional growth and improve family outcomes. Through our continued partnership with AOK, we hope to continue to build resilience and interconnected communities where children can flourish.
AOK: Is there anything else you would like to share about your experience?
DC: The first two words that come to mind are thank you. We are deeply grateful to AOK for your unwavering commitment to educating and empowering FCC providers. Your efforts are tireless. You not only uplift individuals, but you also strengthen entire communities. And we can see that in the 15 counties that we're working in.
Through your Train-the-Trainer program, you equip professionals with the tools and knowledge to spread impactful practices far and wide. I really believe that together we are building a legacy of care, learning, and excellence. I cannot thank AOK enough for inspiring us to do better.
We are grateful to Deb Camp and her team at 4C for Children for their thoughtful and dedicated collaboration! For more information on AOK’s technical assistance, you can sign up for our newsletter here.