Shared service provider alliance is a community-based partnership comprised of small businesses (non-profit or for-profit) within an industry or sector working together to share costs and deliver services in a more streamlined and efficient way. Research that demonstrates when we build sustainable and strong early care programs that support good business practices the capacity for a program to become focused on high quality environments increases significantly.

By participating in an Alliance, small businesses become stronger, more accountable, more financially sounds and efficient and better equipped to offer affordable, high-quality services. Shared Services in early learning field supports multiple early care and education sites as they seek to pool needs and share resources. This allows the focus to shift to the program’s mission and quality improvement. While the design of any Shared Services Alliance is unique to its participants, all participants share the goal of strengthening business and leadership across participating sites by creating structures that enable them to share resources, expense, staffing and a host of other things.

The Shared Services concept is being implemented in several communities with early care and education providers across Pennsylvania. In the early learning field, shared services are emerging in the form of provider alliances and web-based services.

SharedSourcePA is a type of shared service using a website to support quality improvement and support early care and education professionals in PA. ShareSourcePA.org is a shared services of the Pennsylvania AEYC system. Check it out today at www.sharedsourcepa.org!

If you are interested in more information about Shared Services or to arrange a personal consultation, please contact Rose Snyder.