304: How Can Home-Based Childcare Providers Thrive in a Competitive Landscape? With Jerletha McDonald

In this episode of "Childcare Conversations," hosts Carrie and Carrie sit down with Jerletha McDonald, CEO of Family Tracker, to chat about the joys and challenges of home-based childcare. Julia shares her inspiring journey from hospital lab tech to passionate childcare advocate, and they all swap stories about why many providers love the flexibility and community of small, family-focused programs. 

You’ll pick up tips on building support networks, collaborating with centers, and advocating for quality care. If you’re curious about the heart behind home-based childcare, this one’s a must-listen!

Learn more about Jerletha here: https://www.adfwchildcare.org/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerletha-mcdonald-74705812b/

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Transcript

Carrie Casey (00:01)
Welcome back guys. We have an amazing guest today, Jolitha McDonald, and we're taking a little bit of a different, we're going a little bit to the side from where we typically go with people we bring on the podcast, but it is a good childcare conversation because Jolitha has been a leader and an advocate for home-based childcare programs.

around the state of Texas and actually on a national level. And she's going to talk to us a little, we're going to have a conversation about how we all should be working together and some of the great things that she's able to do in her advocacy role. And she's gotten ⁓ onto the workforce board in her local area. So, Jolita, welcome, welcome. ⁓

Jerletha McDonald (00:56)
Thank you.

Kate Young (00:57)
So why don't

you, Jolita, why don't you start by telling us a little bit about your story and how you ended up in childcare. And from there, I know Carrie's got some questions. was all ready, she was ready to start. And I'm like, no, no. All right.

Jerletha McDonald (01:11)
Okay, hey you guys, thank you so much for having me here. I'm such a fan of you guys. So as they said, my name is Jaleetha McDonald, the Family Child Care CEO, and I'm a national speaker trainer and consultant, but I did not start that way. I started out in a family home child care in Arlington, Texas. I was a lab tech at a hospital here in the Dallas area.

I lost my job and I was pregnant with my son. So I was like, I was at home as a stay home mom, all of sudden with a whole bunch of kids in the neighborhood. So one day my husband at the time came home and he was like, you need to start a childcare. And I was like, you know what? I think I will. And I looked it up on ⁓ childcare regulations and I just did everything I needed to do, started a family childcare business in Arlington, Texas. And I am here now.

Kate Young (02:01)
love that. think that's such a great story. And if you're listening and you don't already know, both Carrie and I started registered ⁓ home-based childcare centers over 30 years ago when our oldest kids ⁓ were born. So with that, Carrie, I know you have questions and we'll let you start.

Carrie Casey (02:19)
I do. ⁓ one of the questions that I'm sure the person listening is wondering is, so you started a home-based program, which a lot of people do, and then they grow it into either a licensed program in their home or a licensed childcare center. So what are some of the reasons why someone would decide to stay in a home-based program instead of go bigger?

Jerletha McDonald (02:45)
because sometimes some women, they just want it that way. I was one of those women. So I went from like you said, a registered home to a licensed home. And I was able to make a great living that way. And also I wanted to really niche down. So I did three niches when I first started. Like you guys, I had three children, all different levels, at great levels. So I was like, you know what? I'm going to do transportation after school. I'm going to do

transportation after school and I want to have mixed age groups because that fits my lifestyle. Then my children got older and then I stopped doing transportation because they were able to walk back and forth to school. And then they got went out the house. So I started infant and toddler care. So it fit my lifestyle because I like to I did a lot of extracurricular activity with my children. And so I was able to do that. And I made a great income doing that. So so I just wanted to stay in my home.

But some women do decide to go on to have a childcare facility, which I think owning and operating a registered or licensed childcare home is a great stepping stone because you learn all the basics, the foundation that you need to run an actual childcare center. Yes, there's more when you go to a center, but you have that foundation and you already build up that clientele. So I think it's a great segue for women who would love to go on to start a childcare business center.

Kate Young (04:12)
you but I think one of the things I learned was my personality and whether or not I needed layers between parents. ⁓

Jerletha McDonald (04:16)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah. ⁓

Carrie Casey (04:21)
Well, and I

learned that I have to have another person who knows how to conjugate verbs in the building. ⁓ cause I had an infant toddler only home-based program and I did not make it six months before I had to hire a part-time assistant just so I had somebody to talk to who could talk back.

Jerletha McDonald (04:33)
huh.

you

Yeah,

mm-hmm, absolutely, absolutely. I did too. My mom was my assistant and then I had two ladies in my community that went to my church were later on my assistants as well. But as you bring that up, it's a great, when you have a family child care home or even a center, it is good to build a network, become ⁓ a, be a part of an association, your local association. If you don't have one, start one yourself. I did.

that is so, so important to build ⁓ or be a part of a community of practice of women who have, like-minded women, not just childcare business owners, but all women in all businesses as well.

Carrie Casey (05:24)
I and I think that we sometimes people get very hung up on we have to be in a license center. And I made more money when I had just a few kids in my house than I did for the first 20, 30 kids in a license center, because I only had to pay one mortgage or rent and I only had, and I could live upstairs in the same place and I could write off some of my own food.

Jerletha McDonald (05:34)
you

huh.

Kate Young (05:51)
One staff person.

Jerletha McDonald (05:54)
Yeah. Yes. Yes. Exactly. Exactly.

Kate Young (05:55)
One staff person, one staff person. Yeah. Now the other thing, mean, most of us get into childcare because we care about kids, right? So you have a story similar to ours, which was related to you had kids, right? Your kid needed a place to go. And that's a pretty...

pretty common theme. mean, we've been doing this podcast now for almost six years. And so, yes, it's a very common theme as far as hearing folks who started in the industry when their own children were born. But one of the things that I think is really exciting and a great way for a child care center or school to collaborate in the community is because we know that there are some kids that

are overstimulated with, you know, 12 other kids in their room in a facility that holds 200, where being in a registered family home for infants and toddlers and there's only four kids, that might be the perfect place. Carrie, how could a director make that referral, identify it? What is something they might look at or see in the child that's really going to thrive better in a different location?

Jerletha McDonald (06:43)
I'm here.

Carrie Casey (07:09)
Well, I mean, the way I got my first clients was that I had worked at a program that was an infant toddler program and they had a two year waiting list. So by the time somebody got in, they probably didn't qualify anymore. I, the center that I'd worked at referred kids to me to go to the school. So getting people off the waiting list who you think would be a good match.

Jerletha McDonald (07:18)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Carrie Casey (07:37)
is one

way, but then also if a child is just really having a lot of attention seeking behavior ⁓ and they're not understanding dynamics with other kids their age, starting them in a smaller group is often very helpful. So if a kid went from being the only child at home

Jerletha McDonald (07:47)
Mm-hmm.

Thank you.

Carrie Casey (08:06)
into a classroom with 17 other children because they went into a threes classroom. That's a lot of difference from no playmates to 17 playmates. That's too big a jump for some kids. And so they need to instead go into a home based facility for a while so that they're like, okay, this is four other kids. This is seven other kids. Like they're learning how to be with other children. And then if that's

Jerletha McDonald (08:34)
huh.

Carrie Casey (08:36)
If that home-based program is just, only take them until they're three, once they start mouthing off, they need to go. ⁓ Then they come back to your center after that point. Because again, my program was infant and toddler. Once you were three, you were done with my program. So it would be a good referral.

Jerletha McDonald (08:54)
huh. ⁓ huh.

Kate Young (08:55)
So I think.

Jerletha McDonald (08:57)
It's good.

Kate Young (08:58)
So, Jeralitha, in your experience, what is a way that licensed program directors and owners can find and collaborate and get to know registered family homes or licensed homes? Like, I know that theoretically every family home should know their licensed facilities in the neighborhood, but what about the other direction? What would be a good route for that director or owner to take to find?

like-minded family programs that they could refer to.

Jerletha McDonald (09:34)
I being a part of their associations. So there are a lot of family child care associations across the state of Texas who some are small, some are large or whatever. So being a part of that network and that I had the same ⁓ as Kerry had, had the same experience as with a childcare facility as well because that childcare facility was a part of our network, ADSW Family Child Care Network.

Right? And so they were, they called me and was like, Hey, Jalitha, we have a child here and I know he needs a smaller environment. He's very overstimulated because there's so many children in this classroom. He has used to being at home with mom and dad and can you, do you have room to take him? And I did. And he really, really thrived in my care because it was a smaller environment. I was able to do a little bit more one-on-one care with him.

saying centers couldn't do that because they're very well capable of doing that, but he just needed a really smaller environment. He was very, very sensitive to sound and all kinds of things. So I was able to take him in my family child care home for two years. And then he was able to go back to that same child care facility as well and thrive there as well because he just needed, you know, every child is different and all their needs are different. And so

center at that time was able to fulfill his need as long as his family need and ECI was able to come in and do his therapy, his services, everything that he needed. And so that way the child is successful ⁓ now in elementary school. I mean, well, he's in junior high now, but when he went off to elementary, he was very, very successful. those parents keep up with both of us, both my child care facility, home child care facility and the child care center that he went to as well to this day.

Kate Young (11:25)
I love that story. Thank you for sharing that story. Those are always the ones that make me go, this is why we're here, right? All right, Carrie, what else are you thinking?

Jerletha McDonald (11:26)
Yeah.

Yes, yes.

Carrie Casey (11:34)
It's that joy

of knowing that you made an actual impact and seeing it on the bigger stage because yeah, you saw, you see kids get into kindergarten, but seeing what they're like at middle school and you know, now they're in choir or they're, you know, on the PUE football team or whatever that thing is, right? Seeing how it progresses is one of those things that absolutely brings joy to the job.

Jerletha McDonald (11:39)
Yes!

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Yessss

Yes, I think that's the beauty of child care and our network and us collaborating together because we can get the job done, making sure that that child in that family receives everything they need in the early years so that way they can be successful when they

Kate Young (12:17)
love that. So, Jolita, with your national experience and even, and we'll come to your regional position that you recently were selected for, but on a national level, are there family private collaborations that you've heard of that you're like, I really wish more people did this? Because I know that I never hear enough, in my opinion.

Jerletha McDonald (12:29)
huh.

Kate Young (12:46)
of home-based and center-based collaborations, but I am sure that you've got something that you're like, I heard this in Arizona or Washington state or Virginia, and I really wish more people did this.

Jerletha McDonald (12:46)
Mm-hmm.

Well, yeah, let me start right here because there are two family child care homes, right, that work so well together. Zena from One Step at a Time and Donna's Day Care. Zena cares for children from, ⁓ Donna cares for children from birth to two years old. And then once they turn two, they go to Zena's home, where she cares for children from three to five years old. And then they go on to their local school district, right? And they have been doing this for about,

over 25 years and it has worked well and they live three houses down from each other. So when I talk about collaboration, that's really what I mean. A lot of times, sometimes centers and homes like, well, I'm not gonna share information or I don't want my child to go there if I'm closed for a couple of days because they're gonna take my children. No, they're not actually. ⁓ Childcare, I like to call childcare, especially family childcare like boutique.

childcare, right? You have the most unique environment and the parent is shopping for childcare. So the parents going to go where they like to go. So that is one example. And then in Tulsa, Oklahoma. my gosh. I just came back from Tulsa, Oklahoma and they have ⁓ early head start for family childcare homes. And I got a chance to network with the women that are running these family childcare homes.

When I say these homes are out of sight, they have the support from the Early Head Start initiative, their playgrounds. I've actually seen a picture of one of the playgrounds. I said, is this a park or is this your backyard? She said, this is my backyard and her backyard looks just like a park. But all their centers, every last one of them, there's 21 of them that's in this ⁓ cohort group.

from Educare who operates their ⁓ Early Head Start program. Each one looks like an actual child care center, like a brick and mortar. I mean, and also they get all the supports of Early Head Start. They have a family advocate. They have parent engagement meetings. ⁓ It is just like top tier and they're all in Texas. We call it Texas Rising Star. They are four star.

In Oklahoma, want to say they're five star. They're all have the highest star ratings for their QRS program. I'm like, if this program was modeled across the United States, mean, Family Chakra educators will have everything they need. I was blown away. I was. I want to start that here in Texas.

Carrie Casey (15:36)
Well, yeah, why

is early head start and head start only in centers and school districts? I think that's a very good question. think there are, if we say that parents should be able to pick the type of care and education that they want, then they should be able to pick the kind of care and education they want. It should be available at all the different levels.

Jerletha McDonald (15:46)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Yeah?

Yes, really, yes, that should be, that program should be in every state. It should be an option for family child care educators or center owners and directors if they want the Early Head Start program in their child care facility. I know it is here, but not in this area for family child care homes. And what I've seen, I'm going to do my best to see how can we get.

that program, grant here in Texas because I was blown away. ⁓ And one more thing in other states, my partner, my Bayman Foundation has an initiative called the We Vision program and it's reimagining childcare, right? So ladies have received family child care centers and family child care homes have received grants, large grants to reimagine childcare.

any capacity. There's so many things going on and so there's a lot of investment in early care and education and I would love to see that continue so we can reimagine child care and make sure that children are in the best environments possible.

Carrie Casey (17:12)
Absolutely.

Kate Young (17:13)
I love that.

you've done, I mean, you've literally, when I say you put your money where your mouth is, you've taken a whole other role in advocacy. So tell us a little bit about, because you know what I'm talking about. So tell us how you got where you are and how you got there.

Jerletha McDonald (17:18)
You

showing up, first of all. So, ⁓ okay, so I'm in Arlington, Texas. So I think what she's talking about is I have recently been ⁓ appointed to vice ⁓ chair for the Terrent County Workforce Solutions Terrent County Board, right? So I had a seat as a regular.

Kate Young (17:32)
Well, where are you? Because I think...

Jerletha McDonald (17:53)
board member, community member, representing childcare. And now I have been ⁓ nominated by my peers on the board to serve as vice chair for the Workforce Solutions Tarrant County Board. And how did I get there? I got there, it goes back to again, to one thing, community. I'm very big on that community and getting out.

in my community and talking about child care, child care, child care, family child care. Everywhere I went, every stakeholder meeting I went to, I talked about child care and I brung up family child care. And then also I bring members of my organization with me as well. And I think that's it. Showing up and giving back to the community and being very passionate and intentional about ⁓

things child care. Now Marcie as vice ⁓ chair of the workforce board in Tarrant County, ⁓ it's for the whole workforce board right in Tarrant County and doesn't it make sense for someone who has a child care background be vice chair because one thing I do know right on the workforce board particularly in Tarrant County and I'm sure it models in other areas who have a big workforce board

Child care has the biggest budget. Okay, the biggest budget and it's tight. Okay, it's huge but every penny is spent to the T and also for having a voice on the board now for all 28 Workforce boards there is a representative of child care on that board now it makes so much sense because you cannot do anything the workforce cannot move forward the economy cannot grow without child care

So it makes sense to have representation ⁓ on child care, not just me, but across the 28 workforce boards in the state of Texas.

Kate Young (19:52)
So, Kerry. Okay, hold on Kerry.

Carrie Casey (19:52)
Yeah, I got into ⁓ a little bit of a heated conversation

with someone at a real estate conference because that's another thing I do.

Kate Young (20:00)
Okay, hold on.

Carrie, can I get you to do me a favor for those who are listening? Can you explain workforce boards as how they might compare to other states? Because the way we do it in Texas is not the way other states do it. And then you can come back to your where you were going, because I know that I know my god. But if I was listening, I'd be stuck going, what's a workforce board?

Carrie Casey (20:15)
Bye.

Jerletha McDonald (20:20)
Okay.

Carrie Casey (20:21)
Okay, so in Texas, ⁓ the Texas Workforce Board is a state agency and since Texas is so huge, it's divided into 28 different boards. So there's a statewide agency and then 28 local areas. And the Workforce Board's jobs are to support the local workforce. And in Texas,

It's also where all of the money from the Child Care Block Grant Fund funnels into the community. So that regional workforce board, one of 28, has the money from the federal government to support child care for low income and student families. And so that's why the biggest piece of their budget is that. The other part of what they do is help ensure that Texas employment law is followed.

They handle our Texas unemployment insurance and they handle claims about discrimination. So, and they help people get jobs. yeah, that's the thing people think of with the workforce board is that they help people get jobs, but it has like these five different roles.

Kate Young (21:27)
Is that?

⁓ And they help employers find employees.

Carrie Casey (21:38)
Right, it goes both ways, yes.

Jerletha McDonald (21:40)
Mm-hmm.

Carrie Casey (21:41)
But I ⁓ was at a conference and there was this guy who was like, I think the federal government needs to stop paying for childcare. And we should go back to how it was in the 1950s. I was like, okay, just answer me this question. If we're having a hard time filling positions now,

with the available workforce that we have, if the federal government stops paying for childcare and one in four women in the workforce have children under the age of nine,

Jerletha McDonald (22:19)
Mm-hmm.

Carrie Casey (22:20)
How is that gonna work? Because if we take one in four women out of the workforce so that they can watch children under the age, I think it's nine, maybe it's under 12, but of an age that they would use childcare, one in four women in the workforce have a child who would need childcare. If we stop supporting childcare, how are we gonna get people going to work if we're gonna take that amount of the workforce out? And he was like,

Jerletha McDonald (22:22)
Make it make sense.

Mm-hmm.

Exactly.

Carrie Casey (22:50)
Really? Is that the statistics? And I was like, yeah. And he's like, well, I'm going to have to look into that. And I was like, you do that and I will see you at the next conference and we can resume this conversation.

Jerletha McDonald (22:58)
Please do.

You

Kate Young (23:03)
should have said and here's

my card let's get you on the podcast because I'd love to have that debate there no wait did I say that out loud

Carrie Casey (23:08)
You

Jerletha McDonald (23:09)
Right.

Carrie Casey (23:11)
don't know

that I wanted to have another 20 minute conversation this soon after, because I was just very surprised that somebody who was working in an industry all about getting people into buildings to work and to live would be like, what we need is to support to do less to support the workforce. And I'm like, if we do that, our then this whole real estate industry just goes completely belly up.

Jerletha McDonald (23:32)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Carrie Casey (23:38)
I don't think that's going to work out the way you think it's going to work out.

Jerletha McDonald (23:42)
Right.

Kate Young (23:44)
So, Jeralitha, you mentioned that you couldn't find, maybe you couldn't find, but you started an association in your area, in your county, region, because maybe you were looking for the diversification, because sometimes there might already be an association, but it doesn't reflect who you are. ⁓ Maybe it's not, doesn't align with your thoughts on collaboration.

Jerletha McDonald (24:05)
Mm-hmm.

Kate Young (24:11)
Or maybe it's pretty myopic in the fact that they all want to talk about public school and the role that public education is playing now in early childcare, right? So how could somebody who's listening, who doesn't have maybe an association that they feel they fit?

How could they get started? What would be a word of advice you might give somebody listening who's like, know what, if you don't like the group you've got, go make your own. And here's my suggestion.

Jerletha McDonald (24:43)
Yeah, so I would just say start meeting. That's what I did. Like at that time, I didn't know how to start an association or what, but I knew, like you said, I wanted something that reflect a diverse community and something that really actually gave me resources for my childcare business. And one that talked about solutions, talked about lifted up challenges, but talked about the solutions for those challenges. And at the time for me, it was

becoming a business owner because I didn't know anything about business. wanted that. And then two, to learn about the different resources. Learn about becoming Texas Rising Star, our QIS program here in Texas, or learning about the different organizations here in Texas that are here to help family child care programs. So what I did was I looked up the list on Child Care Regulations website.

And I called everyone in the city of Arlington, Fort Worth and Grand Prairie, those are my surrounding areas. And I was like, hey, I'm going to host a meeting at the library at one o'clock on the 14th. When you want to come. So at that time, six people showed up. And from there, 2014, we have blossomed in doing so many amazing things. Members of my organization have gone on to own centers, start nonprofit organizations, have transportation businesses on top.

of their businesses ⁓ really niche down doing before and after school care, branched out to advocacy, so much participating in research pilots and programs and all that because I truly believe when you share resources and opportunity, it creates power. So we were, I'm not just gonna say I, our collective unit was able to empower family child care educators to grow into Excel. ⁓

everyone in my community that is directly connected to me are excelling above and beyond in childcare. Yes, we have our ups and downs. It just goes with childcare, you your enrollment, staffing, all that. But at the center of it, we were able to make sure that women have the foundation to run high quality, sustainable businesses and to think about solutions and how to pivot. so

That is the importance of your community. And I would just say, just start. If you're looking to start a family child care association, I definitely can help you with that. And also plug into national organizations such as the National Association for Family Child Care, Homegrown as well, All Our Kin. These are all national organizations that are here to help in.

family child care educators across the nation. So plug in and be present. And I would just say, just do it like Margaret Jordan says, just do it. And then also ask, but now we have so many, so much resources available to us to where you could just put it in your ITPT and see how to start something. But there is nothing more significant and powerful than building community of

Kate Young (27:31)
Ha ha ha ha ha!

Jerletha McDonald (27:53)
people of like by the individuals like yourself and like other family child care educators, leaders, center owners, directors, agencies who have done this, connect with them and also connect with your local child care ecosystem. In my area, it is the Early Learning Alliance. With the Early Learning Alliance, everybody is part of their child care associates where we get our subsidy, a head start.

Help Me Grow North Texas. Everyone is there, right? Educational First Steps. We all meet together quarterly to talk about ideas and get to know each other. So all I have to do is call any one of those organizations, just anyone, and they will show up. That is the proof in the pudding. Even our workforce board. We will call them our state rep, mayors, councilmen, all that because we are visible and we are in the community and we show up. So that's what I say.

Carrie Casey (28:51)
That sounds amazing. Amazing. And again, guys, I told you that this was going to be an amazing episode and that we had a phenomenal guest. And did I lie or did I tell the truth?

Kate Young (28:51)
love that.

Jerletha McDonald (29:06)
First of all, want to say something. I want to say thank you to YouTube for doing this for, I don't know even how many years, but you guys have been a huge influence on early care and education, not just here, but nationally as well. And the go-to people to learn how to do things right, to become a director, family, home. Now you guys have your podcast, your company, all that.

just want to say thank you for paving the way for women like me to do, to dream out loud, childcare. And what I mean, that's doing whatever we want to do. How we want to do it.

Carrie Casey (29:41)
We love to help people get their director credential, whether they're running a home-based program, a center-based program. That's why we made it a national credential, because we want people all around the country to learn how to run their business like a business and go from feeling overwhelmed by, my God, there's so many things I have to learn to, I got this, I absolutely have got this. So thank you so much. Thank you so much for all you do to help other women.

Jerletha McDonald (30:03)
I'm sorry.

Thank you.

Carrie Casey (30:11)
fulfill their dreams.

Jerletha McDonald (30:13)
Thank you.

Kate Young (30:14)
And if you got something from this episode, make sure you share the show with someone who needs to know. And we will see you in a few days.

Jerletha McDonald (30:22)
Bye.