Your centre
Classroom space your licence counts toward children, not offices or halls.
Fire or licence limit on total children. 0 means no separate limit.
Wage plus payroll taxes, workers' comp and benefits.
Hours a teacher must be on the floor.
Paid hours per open hour for breaks, planning and absences. 1.15 is typical.
After discounts, subsidy gaps and bad debt. 95 is common.
Rent, director, insurance, utilities. Shown after the plan; it does not change the choice.
Age group 1
What you call it, for example Toddlers.
Full-time weekly rate.
The most children one teacher may supervise.
Licence limit on group size. Blank or 0 for no limit.
Licence minimum, for example 35.
Enrolled now plus waiting list. The most you could fill.
Food, supplies, curriculum.
Age group 2
What you call it, for example Toddlers.
Full-time weekly rate.
The most children one teacher may supervise.
Licence limit on group size. Blank or 0 for no limit.
Licence minimum, for example 35.
Enrolled now plus waiting list. The most you could fill.
Food, supplies, curriculum.
Age group 3
What you call it, for example Toddlers.
Full-time weekly rate.
The most children one teacher may supervise.
Licence limit on group size. Blank or 0 for no limit.
Licence minimum, for example 35.
Enrolled now plus waiting list. The most you could fill.
Food, supplies, curriculum.
Age group 4
What you call it, for example Toddlers.
Full-time weekly rate.
The most children one teacher may supervise.
Licence limit on group size. Blank or 0 for no limit.
Licence minimum, for example 35.
Enrolled now plus waiting list. The most you could fill.
Food, supplies, curriculum.
Age group 5
What you call it, for example Toddlers.
Full-time weekly rate.
The most children one teacher may supervise.
Licence limit on group size. Blank or 0 for no limit.
Licence minimum, for example 35.
Enrolled now plus waiting list. The most you could fill.
Food, supplies, curriculum.
Age group 6
What you call it, for example Toddlers.
Full-time weekly rate.
The most children one teacher may supervise.
Licence limit on group size. Blank or 0 for no limit.
Licence minimum, for example 35.
Enrolled now plus waiting list. The most you could fill.
Food, supplies, curriculum.
An age group needs a tuition, a ratio, floor space per child and a number of children who want a place. Leave a group blank to leave it out. Up to 6 groups.
Result
Questions owners ask
How many children should a childcare center enrol in each age group?
It depends on your floor space, the ratios you must staff to, tuition by age and how many families want a place. Infant rooms charge the most but need a teacher for every few children and the most space, so filling them first is often not the most profitable plan. This tool checks every combination of enrolment across your age groups and shows the one with the highest weekly profit that fits the space.
Why does one more child sometimes lose money?
Staffing is a staircase. If a room is exactly at its ratio, the next child needs another teacher on the floor, and one child's tuition rarely covers a teacher. The results show, for each age group, what the next child adds or costs and how many places remain before the next hire.
What do I enter for staff-to-child ratio and group size?
The limits your state licensing agency sets for each age group, or tighter ones you choose to staff to. Rules differ by state and change; this tool does not look them up. Check them with your licensing office.
What cost per teacher hour should I use?
Hourly wage plus employer payroll taxes, workers' compensation and any benefits. The coverage factor multiplies teacher hours to cover breaks, planning time and absences, so 1.15 means 15 percent extra paid hours beyond the hours you are open.
Does it tell me what more space or a stricter ratio rule would do?
Yes. It reports the next amount of extra floor space that would raise weekly profit, and re-solves with every ratio one child tighter and with wages 10 percent higher so you can see how exposed the plan is.
Is this financial or licensing advice?
No. It is arithmetic on figures you type. It does not know your licensing rules, subsidy contracts, enrolment timing or payroll law, and it does not replace your licensing office or an accountant.
Not decided
Your state's actual ratios and space rules, mixed-age rooms and ratio blending, part-time and drop-in enrolment, subsidy rates and payment delays, enrolment timing and turnover, a director or cook who counts toward ratio, and which children you can actually find. Every figure is treated as a steady weekly average, and teachers are assumed to be hired in whole numbers.