Scaling up an Early Education & Child Care Program

Client

Educational Alliance’s Manny Cantor Center

Problem/Question

The Educational Alliance’s Manny Cantor Center, a 125-year-old social service pioneer that operates an innovative preschool out of its flagship community space on the Lower East Side, wanted to know how it could prudently expand its early child care offerings to include infants and toddlers.  Through a planning grant from the UJA Federation-NY, The Public Good was hired to evaluate the financial feasibility of expanding the preschool to serve more families while remaining true to its mission in an economically diverse neighborhood.

We conducted market research through conversations and a targeted survey groups, included competitor data and a financial model that allowed for new and more flexible options for high quality care at competitive price points to appeal to more parents while staying viable.

Outcomes

Based on our analysis the board approved the expansion and a new toddler program launched successfully eight months later; infants were welcomed the following year.  Manny Cantor Center has fulfilled its dream of offering high-quality, flexible preschool programs for infants to four year olds through a warm and diverse high-quality program that now blends funding from government, philanthropic and fee-for-services sources.