Purpose:students will conduct a SWOT and PEST analysis for this case study of an early childhood education program that is in jeopardy of closing its doors due to declining enrollments.

CASE STUDY:a privately operated non-profit child care centre in Milton, Ontario has been providing child care services to the community for 20 years. However, in the past 2 years, the enrollments in the centre have been declining. The centre currently offers infant, toddler, preschool, and before/after school programs with a total licensed capacity of 75 children. All of their spaces are for full time child care. The hours of operation are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. The facility is a rental unit in a local commercial mall in a busy intersection in a subdivision in the town. Most of the current families work and commute to Toronto using the Go train and bus services in the town. The cost for parents is high in comparison to other programs in the area. All of the staff have a minimum of an ECE diploma credential and are registered with the College of ECE. The program uses an eclectic approach to curriculum and plans weekly themes for the whole school year.

Process:using the case study presented above, students will use a SWOT analysis to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for the program and a PEST analysis to identify the political factors, economic factors, socio-cultural factors, and technological factors that may have an impact on the future of the program. The analysis should be recorded in a chart format, as per the example provided.

Sample Chart:

Name of program: Case Study or Your Centre (not the actual name please!!)

SWOT ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

PEST ANALYSIS

Political Factors

Economic Factors

Socio-cultural Factors

Technological Factors