An eight-week online certificate program
Build the business
behind the care.
Adult Day Services Entrepreneurship & Operations Certificate
Turn your experience and your idea into a practical plan to start, finance, license, operate, and grow an adult day services business.
From idea to launch plan
Know what it takes to make your center work.
Care experience is a strong starting point. This program connects it to the business decisions that determine whether a center can open, serve people well, and sustain its operations.
A plan grounded in your state
Know which licensing, facility, staffing, and payer requirements you need to verify—and how to find them.
Numbers you can work with
Build startup and cash-flow budgets, calculate break-even census, and test the effect of rates, wages, and attendance.
An operating model you can explain
Connect participant experience, staffing, transportation, software, documentation, and quality.
A path from inquiry to attendance
Develop referral relationships, manage admissions, and measure growth in actual participant-days.
Your weekly roadmap
Eight weeks. One connected plan.
Each week combines a lesson, knowledge check, resources, thoughtful discussion, and a practical assignment. Your work builds toward one complete Adult Day Center Launch Plan.
01Week 1 · Oct 15Adult Day Services as a Business
Choose your service model, test local demand, and define the center you want to build.
You’ll build: Center concept and market brief.
02Week 2 · Oct 22Licensing, Laws & Regulatory Requirements
Research the federal, state, local, and payer requirements that apply to your operation.
You’ll build: State-specific licensing roadmap.
03Week 3 · Oct 29Building the Business & Financing the Startup
Estimate startup costs, compare financing, and plan cash through the opening ramp.
You’ll build: Startup budget and financing strategy.
04Week 4 · Nov 5Getting Paid: Medicaid, VA & Private Pay
Map provider enrollment, authorizations, billing, payer mix, and payment timing.
You’ll build: Payer and revenue-cycle plan.
05Week 5 · Nov 12Designing & Operating the Center
Connect intake, participant choice, daily operations, software, vendors, and quality.
You’ll build: Operating model and compliance calendar.
06Week 6 · Nov 19Staffing, Leadership & Transportation
Build a realistic coverage plan, calculate labor costs, and design dependable transportation.
You’ll build: Staffing and transportation model.
07Week 7 · Nov 26Getting Participants: Referrals, Sales & Growth
Develop referral relationships, improve admissions, and measure attendance growth.
You’ll build: 90-day referral-development plan.
08Week 8 · Dec 3Profitability, Advocacy, Resources & Launch
Test break-even scenarios, build an advocacy plan, and defend your launch decision.
You’ll build: Complete Adult Day Center Launch Plan.
Tools you can keep using.
Work through startup costs, cash flow, break-even census, staffing, transport, referrals, and launch readiness in an editable workbook. Apply your thinking to a realistic center case before making your final recommendation.
- Eight weekly e-learning lessons
- Weekly knowledge checks and discussions
- Curated articles and official resources
- Seven progressive applied assignments
- 27-tab startup and operating workbook
- Comprehensive final exam and case study
- Adult Day Center Launch Plan capstone
- Certificate after successful completion
For people ready to lead an adult day business.
Designed for aspiring founders, current operators, administrators, nurses, direct-care leaders, and human services professionals. Bring a business idea, an acquisition opportunity, or a center you want to improve.
You choose a state and a real or hypothetical center. We guide you through the questions, research, calculations, and operating decisions needed to develop a credible plan.
Before you enroll
Who is this course for?
Aspiring adult day entrepreneurs, owners, administrators, nurses, human services professionals, direct-care leaders, and case-management professionals who want to launch, acquire, or operate an adult day services organization. You can build a real or hypothetical center plan.
Is the class online? Are there live sessions?
The cohort is online, with one unit released each Thursday. Complete the narrated e-learning, knowledge checks, resources, discussion, and applied work on your schedule. This cohort does not require live-session attendance. Plan for approximately 3–5 hours per week; your research and project may take longer.
What are the dates and deadlines?
Week 1 opens October 15, 2026. Week 8 opens December 3. Initial discussions are due Monday; replies and assignments are due Thursday at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Final work is due December 10, 2026. The cohort includes Thanksgiving, with flexible online work within each released unit.
Does this cover my state and service model?
The course covers social adult day and adult day health/medical business models. You select a state and research the requirements that apply to your proposed services, population, location, and payers. Licensing, clinical functions, staffing, and reimbursement vary; the course teaches you how to build and document that research.
What do I need to complete for the certificate?
Complete the weekly coursework, readings, discussions, and assignments; pass the knowledge checks and final exam at 80% or higher; and earn at least 80/100 on the case study and Launch Plan after facilitator review. Revisions and exam retakes support mastery. The certificate documents course completion and does not confer an operating license, payer approval, professional license, or approved CE credit.
How do I enroll or purchase for someone else?
Select Enroll to pay through Stripe. Tuition is $179 per learner through September 29, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern, then $300 starting September 30. The early-bird discount is applied automatically from this page. Each checkout purchases one learner’s place. Enter the learner’s full name and email in checkout, even if your organization is paying. After payment, follow the account-setup instructions so our team can match the purchase to the learner’s class enrollment.
Are there additional required resource purchases?
The course includes the lessons, assessments, downloadable toolkit, and links to free required resources. Association memberships and separately sold resources are optional. You will need internet access and spreadsheet software that can open an .xlsx workbook.
Give your adult day business a clear starting point.
Join the October 15 cohort and build your Adult Day Center Launch Plan, one week at a time.
Early bird through September 29, 11:59 p.m. Eastern. $300 per learner starting September 30.