June 3, 2023

Join the Women’s Business Development Center for its 2023 Childcare Summit: Virtual Edition, being held on Saturday, June 3, from 9:00 to 1:00. This event will feature state-of-the-art business strategies from a range of subject matter experts on innovating childcare center operations, serving children with different abilities, and using various capital options for transitioning to a center-based, or expanding a center-based, childcare business. Come to this year’s Childcare Summit for inspiration, information, and innovation at no charge!

Click HERE to register!

Childcare Summit | Program

9:00 – 9:06

Welcome Remarks

Emilia DiMenco, President and Chief Executive Officer, WBDC

Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Board President

Blanca Berthier, Managing Director of Entrepreneurial Business Program and Services, WBDC

9:06 – 9:40

Keynote Interview

Guest Speaker

Kimberlee Burt Hendricks, Interim Executive Director, McCormick Center for Early Child Leadership, National Louis University

Interviewer

Blanca Berthier, Managing Director of Entrepreneurial Business Program and Services, WBDC

9:40 – 10:25

Panel 1 | Innovating Childcare Center Operations to Ignite Growth

Learn about innovative ways childcare businesses can strengthen day-to-day operations

Moderator:

Kinga Kosmala, PhD, Associate Director, Entrepreneurial Program and Services, WBDC

Panelists:

Yvonne Spurlock, Director of Provider Programs, Illinois Action for Children

LaFarris Risby, Founder, Loving Arms Enterprises

Catherine Main, Senior Lecturer and Director of Early Childhood Education, Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education, UIC

10:30 – 11:10

Panel 2 | Serving Children with Different Abilities to Build a More Inclusive Business

Learn about how to identify and work with children with special abilities and serve their families

Moderator:

Clark McCain, Managing Director of Strategic Partnerships, WBDC

Panelists:

Agnieszka Moroni, MOTR/L, Founder, TOTS Therapeutic Child Care Center,  and Occupational Therapist, Clearbrook Child Therapy

Crystal McKay, Associate Director, Great Expectations Learning Academy

Kasey J. Mills Ornelas, M.Ed., BCBA, Senior Director of Programs, Orchard Village

11:10 – 11:50

Panel 3 | Exploring Capital Options for Building or Expanding Center-Based Childcare Businesses

Learn about various types of loans and grants to fund either transitioning to center-based childcare or expanding an existing center and how to get prepared to access them

Moderator:

Lotika Pai, CFO, WBDC

Panelists:

Margaret Griffin, Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer, SomerCor

Ada Garcia, Community Lender, Allies for Community Business

Gabriella Bomben, Associate Director, Access to Capital Program and Services, WBDC, and Capital Access Manager, Kiva

11:050 – 11:55

Closing Remarks

Blanca Berthier, Managing Director of Entrepreneurial Business Program and Services, WBDC

12:00 – 12:45

Townhall – English

Townhall – Spanish

Registrants will be emailed a link giving direct access to the Summit platform the day before.

The Summit will be available with both English and Spanish audio. Captioning will be made available on the Summit platform.

The Summit program is INCCRRA certified and childcare providers can earn up to 3 hours of professional development credits.

 

Registration