{
  "slug": "facility-cost-per-child",
  "title": "Facility Cost Per Child Calculator",
  "heading": "Facility Cost Per Child Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/facility-cost-per-child",
  "summary": "Break down rent, utilities, maintenance, and insurance into a per-child monthly cost.",
  "description": "Facility cost is the second-largest expense line for most childcare centers and schools after labor, and it's fixed regardless of how many seats are filled, which makes utilization the real lever on this number. This calculator sums rent or mortgage payment, utilities, routine maintenance, property/liability insurance, and janitorial cost, then divides by current enrollment to show facility cost per child. It separately shows what that per-child cost would be at full licensed capacity, which is usually dramatically lower — the gap between the two numbers is the financial cost of empty seats and a strong argument for enrollment investment over facility expansion. Centers evaluating a move or a lease renewal should run this at multiple enrollment scenarios (current, break-even, full capacity) rather than relying on a single snapshot, since a bigger, nicer space that looks affordable at full capacity can be a serious drag if it takes a year to fill.",
  "formula": "Total facility cost = rent + utilities + maintenance + insurance + janitorial; cost per child = total facility cost ÷ enrolled children.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=facility-cost-per-child",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "rent",
      "label": "Monthly rent or mortgage",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 8500,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "utilities",
      "label": "Monthly utilities",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1400,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "maintenance",
      "label": "Monthly maintenance & janitorial",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 900,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "insurance",
      "label": "Monthly property/liability insurance",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 650,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "enrolled",
      "label": "Currently enrolled children",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 85,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "capacity",
      "label": "Licensed capacity",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 110,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "costPerChild",
      "label": "Facility cost per child (current)",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "costPerChildAtCapacity",
      "label": "Facility cost per child (at full capacity)",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "emptySeatCost",
      "label": "Monthly cost of unfilled seats",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "utilization",
      "label": "Capacity utilization",
      "format": "percent",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Monthly rent or mortgage: 8500 $",
      "Monthly utilities: 1400 $",
      "Monthly maintenance & janitorial: 900 $",
      "Monthly property/liability insurance: 650 $",
      "Currently enrolled children: 85",
      "Licensed capacity: 110"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Facility cost per child (current): $135",
      "Facility cost per child (at full capacity): $104",
      "Monthly cost of unfilled seats: $2,602",
      "Capacity utilization: 77%"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter monthly rent or mortgage ($).",
      "Enter monthly utilities ($).",
      "Enter monthly maintenance & janitorial ($).",
      "Enter monthly property/liability insurance ($).",
      "Enter currently enrolled children.",
      "Enter licensed capacity.",
      "Read your facility cost per child (current) on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "rent": 5100,
        "utilities": 850,
        "maintenance": 550,
        "insurance": 400,
        "enrolled": 51,
        "capacity": 66
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "rent": 8500,
        "utilities": 1400,
        "maintenance": 900,
        "insurance": 650,
        "enrolled": 85,
        "capacity": 110
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "rent": 13600,
        "utilities": 2250,
        "maintenance": 1450,
        "insurance": 1050,
        "enrolled": 136,
        "capacity": 176
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "What should I include in 'maintenance'?",
      "a": "Routine janitorial contracts, HVAC servicing, landscaping, pest control, and a reasonable monthly reserve for repairs (many operators budget 1-2% of the property's value annually for a reserve, converted to a monthly figure). Don't include one-time capital improvements like a roof replacement; those belong in a separate capital budget, not recurring facility cost."
    },
    {
      "q": "Why show cost per child at full capacity if I'm not there?",
      "a": "It sets the target you're financially working toward and shows how much upside exists from filling seats versus how much downside exists from losing them. If facility cost per child would drop by 40% at full capacity, that's a strong signal that enrollment marketing spend is probably a better investment than facility upgrades."
    },
    {
      "q": "How does this interact with the classroom breakeven calculator?",
      "a": "This tool gives you the facility-cost input you'd allocate per classroom in a breakeven calculation. Divide total facility cost across classrooms by square footage or seat count, then feed that allocated number into the classroom breakeven tool alongside teacher labor cost for a complete per-room cost picture."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is a cheaper, smaller facility always better for margin?",
      "a": "Not if it caps your growth. A facility with a lower cost per child at current enrollment but no room to add classrooms limits your revenue ceiling. Model cost per child at capacity for both the current site and any expansion option before deciding — cheap-but-full often loses to a good lease with real growth room."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/classroom-enrollment-breakeven",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/licensing-capacity-revenue-gap",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/childcare-staffing-ratio-cost"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Facility Cost Per Child Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/facility-cost-per-child)"
}