Imagine that you are on the board of directors of a church-based child care center. After reviewing the budget for next year, you and your fellow board members realize that the center will have to make some tough decisions. Choose one of the following budget scenarios to discuss.

1. Budget Cuts: In order to stay profitable, the center will need to make budget cuts. You are concerned because you know that if salaries do not go up, some teachers may resign. On the other hand, if tuition rates increase, some of the families may not be able to afford to stay at the center. How will you and the board go about making these cost-saving decisions?
2. Budget Surplus: Your center is in the enviable position of having a budget surplus that has resulted from careful financial management over the past several years. The center must allocate the excess funds in order to ensure future funding from the church. How will you and board go about making these spending decisions?

Using information from Chapter 3 and at least one other source (be sure to cite your source), describe two to three specific strategies to either save or spend money while meeting the needs of the teachers and families. Your discussion post should be at least 200 words in length.

Answer preview

Budget Surplus Scenario

According to Brigham et al. (2016), proper financial management helps organizations to increase their savings and identify ways of spending money in a manner that would increase income-generating channels. In the presented budget surplus scenario, the church-based child care center has achieved to attain surplus funds due to having proper financial planning. Budget surplus planning is a vital approach that could assist the board of directors in coming up with appropriate spending strategies to ensure that the center has future funding.

As a member of the board, one spending…

 

(250 words)