By Michael Braswell

 

 

From Chaos to Clarity

Five years ago, I never imagined I’d be in child care. It wasn’t a plan, a dream, or even a passing thought—I was just stepping in to help. First my mom, then my wife Mandy, needed backup when things got tough. But something shifted.

The deeper I got into the day‑to‑day work, the more I realized that the skills I’d built in healthcare operations had the power to bring real change here.

If you’ve ever watched directors sprint during pickup time—juggling bathroom breaks, fielding parent questions, and still trying to manage staff—you know exactly what I saw: chaos. The kind of chaos that’s survivable, but definitely not scalable.

I kept thinking: Wouldn’t it be incredible to work in a place where people actually want to come to work every day?

That became the goal. To get there, we had to dismantle what wasn’t working and rebuild from the ground up.

Over the last year and a half, through coaching and connecting with dozens of other child care owners, I’ve seen it again and again: we’re all dealing with the same problems—staffing, finances, enrollment, burnout, chaos.

Too many of us run our businesses emotionally. We react. We make gut‑based decisions. We stay busy without knowing whether we’re making anything better.

What changed everything for me? Learning to make decisions with quantifiable information. When I started relying on data—things I could measure, track, and improve—we finally found our footing.

And that’s what this Blog is about.

 

 

Build a Business That Doesn’t Rely on Emotion

In child care, we lead with heart—that’s part of what makes this field special. But heart alone isn’t a strategy.

If you’re trying to grow, stabilize, or even just breathe a little easier, you must move beyond emotional decision‑making. Build your business around data you can trust:

• Track your payroll percentage.
• Monitor your enrollment‑conversion rate.
• Watch your staff‑turnover trend.
• Know how long it takes to respond to a parent inquiry.

Once we adopted KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), I didn’t have to guess anymore—the numbers told the story. And I didn’t have to micromanage, because the data spoke for itself.

Pro tip: Don’t try to track everything. Start with three to five KPIs that matter most right now. Track them consistently and let your numbers guide your next steps.

 

 

Focus on the Core Pillars

Every center—no matter how big or small—needs systems and KPIs in five key areas:

• Financial Health – Stability starts with knowing your margins. Track payroll and rent as a percentage of revenue. If you’re considering expansion, run projections at 70 % enrollment—not 100 %.
• Staffing & Training – Hiring is easy; retention takes strategy. Use KPIs to track turnover, training completion, and performance reviews.
• Enrollment & Parent Relations – If you’re not tracking inquiry‑response time, you’re losing families. Survey your parents, measure referrals, and monitor churn.
• Compliance & Safety – Fire drills? Absolutely—but are you tracking how well they’re executed? Use your systems to review, document, and improve.
• Marketing & Growth – Marketing isn’t optional; it’s your safety net. Track cost‑per‑click, conversions, and engagement. Stay consistent and visible.

Each pillar needs two things:

1. Clear systems (SOPs).
2. Measurable outcomes (KPIs).

That’s how you move from surviving to leading.

 

 

Understanding KPIs vs. SOPs

But how do you know whether your systems are working? That’s where KPIs and SOPs come in—and understanding which one comes first.

KPIs tell you what to measure. SOPs tell you how the work gets done.

• KPIs are your outcomes—enrollment rate, payroll percentage, inquiry‑response time.
• SOPs are your how‑to guides—diapering steps, fire‑drill procedure, onboarding workflow.

SOPs without KPIs are just busywork. Start with what you want to measure, then build SOPs that support hitting (and surpassing) those metrics.

 Example: If your KPI is “Complete fire drills in under two minutes,” your SOP outlines how to run that drill, document it, and improve it.

And whatever you do, don’t leave your SOPs in a dusty binder. We use Microsoft OneNote, synced to staff tablets. If someone needs the hand‑washing policy, they just search for it—boom, there it is.

KPIs tell you what matters; SOPs make it happen. Together, they bring clarity—and peace.

 

 

Systems Create Freedom

It took me five years to get Mandy out of the building—and we made it happen by building the right systems.

I don’t want to micromanage; I want a team that thrives without me hovering. That only happens when people have access to clear, consistent information.

 

Here’s how we keep information flowing:

• Microsoft Teams for all communication—no sticky notes or lost texts.
• OneNote for every SOP—fully searchable and always up‑to‑date.
• Dedicated channels for FYIs, staff updates, new hires, and personnel issues.

Our team always knows where to look and what’s expected. That builds trust—and gives me space to lead.

 

 

Run Your Own Race

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned: You don’t have to grow as fast as someone else.

I’ve walked away from a dozen second‑center opportunities when the numbers didn’t make sense. I’ve seen too many owners expand before their first center is stable—and end up burned out.

There’s no shame in staying small if that’s what works for you, and no shame in scaling when you’re ready. Just make sure your growth follows your terms, not someone else’s timeline.

 

 

Why It Matters

At the end of the day:

• SOPs tell your team how to do the work.
• KPIs tell you whether the work is getting done.

Together, they create a business that runs with consistency, clarity, and purpose.

Without systems, you’re guessing—reacting to fires and making emotional decisions that wear you down. Commit to structure and let data guide you, and you’ll build a business that lasts.

Don’t try to fix everything at once. Pick one area and start there. It takes time, but once the system is in place, it gives you back your energy, your focus—and your peace.

Because the goal isn’t just a well‑run center.

• It’s a place where your team loves to work.
• Where families feel confident.
• And where you can lead with vision instead of stress.