Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/budgets-101/5023924/
As leaders in our programs, we are charged with setting policy: policy around curriculum, children, staff, and materials. At the heart of this is the budget. It turns out that your budget really is policy — there is no doubt about it. This concept rules our budgets — or should, anyway. Let me explain. If you believe your staff should have professional development, you have to pay for it somehow. (Or, you’re forced to ask your staff to do so themselves.) If you believe your classrooms should feature a lot of art products, then you have to include them in your budget.
The Importance of Understanding Program Finances
Many of us do not have or control the budgets we are responsible for monitoring. I am amazed at the number of owners who do not work with a budget. “I know what I have to spend and just spend it” is a phrase I hear more than you can imagine. My students in Singapore collect fees in the classrooms and, basically, principals spend petty cash to meet daily needs. Those of us who have access to and control over the budget have a role in determining what is important in our ...