Operator what-if planner: fee and enrolment changes
The break even calculator on the home page shows one snapshot. This planner tests a decision: change the fee, change enrolment, or both, and compare the proposed month with the current month line by line, including break even enrolment and occupancy. It adds two things the snapshot leaves out, a variable cost per child and monthly operating grants, because both change what a fee or enrolment move really does. Amounts are entered in CAD.
Your preferences
Measurements and money display only. Your choice is remembered on this device. Area below is indoor play area: square metres in metric, square feet in imperial.
Measurement system Money displayInputs are always entered in CAD. The USD view converts for display only, using the rate above. Edit it any time.
Calculator Operators
Current month
Grants reduce the costs that fees must cover. Enter CWELCC operating funding, wage enhancements, or other monthly funding here if you want them inside the break even math.
Proposed change
The proposed fee and enrolment are shown in the results. Staffing is held constant in this planner: if the enrolment change crosses a ratio threshold, add the extra staffing cost to staff costs as well. The staffing planner on this site shows ratio thresholds.
Area per child is reported for the current and proposed enrolment. Minimum play space rules are provincial and are not checked here.
Worked example
Current: 40 licensed spaces, fee $800, enrolment 32, fixed costs $4,000, staff costs $16,000, variable cost $50 per child, grants zero. Current revenue: 32 times $800 equals $25,600. Current costs: $4,000 plus $16,000 plus 32 times $50 equals $21,600. Current surplus: $4,000. Contribution per child: $800 minus $50 equals $750. Break even enrolment: ($4,000 plus $16,000) divided by $750 equals 26.67, rounded up to 27 children, which is 67.5 percent of 40 spaces. Proposed: fee change plus 5 percent gives a fee of $840, and enrolment change plus 4 gives 36 children. Proposed revenue: 36 times $840 equals $30,240. Proposed costs: $20,000 plus 36 times $50 equals $21,800. Proposed surplus: $8,440, an improvement of $4,440 per month. Proposed contribution: $840 minus $50 equals $790. Proposed break even: $20,000 divided by $790 equals 25.32, rounded up to 26 children, or 65.0 percent occupancy. Play area: 200 sq m divided by 32 children equals 6.25 sq m per child now, and divided by 36 equals 5.56 sq m per child proposed. The calculator above is prefilled with these numbers.
How it works
Revenue equals enrolment times fee. Total costs equal fixed costs plus staff costs plus variable cost times enrolment. Surplus or deficit equals revenue plus grants, minus total costs. Contribution per child equals fee minus variable cost. Break even enrolment equals fixed costs plus staff costs, minus grants, divided by the contribution per child, rounded up to the next whole child, because a fraction of a child cannot enrol. If grants already cover fixed and staff costs, break even enrolment is zero. If the contribution per child is zero or negative, no enrolment breaks even at that fee, and the planner says so instead of showing a misleading number. Occupancy equals break even enrolment divided by licensed spaces. Area per child equals total indoor play area divided by enrolment, in the unit system you selected.
Estimates only. This is a planning aid, not financial advice and not a substitute for your own books or a professional review. Parent fees in CWELCC enrolled programs are capped or set under provincial rules, staffing must still meet provincial ratios at the proposed enrolment, and play space minimums are provincial. Verify all figures and permissions before changing fees, enrolment, or commitments.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from the EarlyBloom break even calculator?
The break even calculator shows one snapshot and treats all costs as fixed. This planner adds a variable cost per child, operating grants, and a proposed scenario, so a fee change and an enrolment change can be tested together and compared line by line with the current month.
Why does break even enrolment change when the fee changes?
Break even enrolment equals fixed and staff costs, minus grants, divided by the contribution per child, which is the fee minus the variable cost per child. A higher fee raises the contribution, so fewer children are needed to cover the same fixed costs. A higher variable cost does the opposite.
Can this planner approve a fee increase in a CWELCC program?
No. Parent fees in CWELCC enrolled programs are capped or set under provincial rules, and base fee changes follow those rules, not this planner. Use the fee change field to model non base revenue, a future scenario, or a program outside CWELCC, and confirm what is permitted with your service system manager or licensing office.
Back to all EarlyBloom calculators, including the parent true cost, waitlist, and break even tools