Honest Buck vs. The Childcare CPA™: An Honest Comparison

This childcare CPA comparison looks at the two firms most often mentioned together by childcare center owners researching specialty accounting: Honest Buck Accounting and The Childcare CPA™. Both work exclusively with childcare. Both serve clients nationwide. Both offer tax preparation, bookkeeping, and advisory services. This page examines the real differences — including where The Childcare CPA™ may be the stronger fit.

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What both childcare CPA firms have in common

The surface-level similarity between these two firms is what creates the confusion. It is worth starting with what is genuinely shared before examining the differences that actually matter in this childcare CPA comparison.

• Childcare specialization. Neither firm is a generalist. Both have built their practice around the unique financial structure of running a childcare program.
• Nationwide service. Both firms operate fully remote and serve clients across all 50 states.
• Core service mix. Tax preparation, bookkeeping, and advisory services are offered by both firms. On the surface, the offerings appear interchangeable.
• Published content for owners. Both firms publish articles and resources for childcare owners, signaling genuine investment in the industry.

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Childcare CPA comparison: side by side

The following childcare CPA comparison table covers the factors that matter most when choosing between these two firms.

Factor	Honest Buck Accounting	The Childcare CPA™
Lead CPA	Rachelle Calina, CPA (licensed 2011)	Shanita Jones, CPA, MBA (licensed 2020)
CPA experience	15+ years licensed	5 years licensed
Firm founded	2013	2010 (as Jones Taxes & Financial Services, LLC)
Industry focus	Childcare centers exclusively since 2013	Childcare and homecare brands within a multi-industry parent firm
Headquarters	Bella Vista, Arkansas	Philadelphia, PA (Delaware office also)
Service model	Single uniform service level — no tiers, no negotiation	Tiered packages — inclusions vary by tier selected
Email response time	36 business hours — consistent for every client	2–4 business days, varying by service tier
Advisory meetings	Monthly for every client, always included	Monthly, quarterly, or bi-annually — depends on package
Additional meetings	Included — no per-meeting charge	Billed at an additional fee in most tiers
Financial reporting	P&L, balance sheet, cash flow + Fathom dashboard with childcare-specific KPIs	P&L, balance sheet, cash flow — frequency depends on package
Yellow Book audits	Yes — specialty service for state-funded PreK	Audit prep only — per their FAQ, firm does not conduct audits
Cost segregation studies	Yes	Not listed as a service
Sale readiness & exit planning	Yes — full sale prep including diligence	Not listed as a service
Tax prep without bookkeeping	No — taxes prepared only for clients whose books we manage	Yes — available even if another firm handles bookkeeping

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Where Honest Buck wins this childcare CPA comparison

Exclusive childcare focus — a meaningful difference in this CPA comparison

Rachelle Calina has held her CPA license since 2011 — more than 15 years of licensed experience, including all 13 years Honest Buck has operated. Honest Buck has worked exclusively with childcare centers since its founding in 2013 and has never served any other industry. That depth of focus shapes how the team is hired, trained, and what software is standardized. Every conversation during a workday is about a childcare business.

The Childcare CPA™ is the childcare-focused brand operated by Shanita Jones, CPA, MBA, within her broader firm Jones Taxes & Financial Services, LLC. Shanita Jones received her CPA license in 2020. The childcare specialization is genuine and growing, but it is part of a wider practice that also serves homecare agencies and other industries.

Response time — where this childcare CPA comparison gets concrete

Every Honest Buck client receives email responses within 36 business hours or less. There is no faster tier and no premium upgrade that moves you to the front of the queue — every client receives the same committed response window.

The Childcare CPA™ lists email response times of 2 to 4 business days, varying by service tier. For a childcare owner navigating a licensing renewal, an unexpected staffing decision, or a question about tuition assistance, the difference between 36 business hours and 4 business days is meaningful.

Uniform service model — no tiers to negotiate

Honest Buck does not offer tiered service packages. Every client receives the same response time, the same monthly advisory meetings, the same Fathom management dashboard, and the same level of team attention. There is no package negotiation and no uncertainty about which level of service applies to you. Consistency is a design choice that puts every client on equal footing.

The Childcare CPA™ uses a tiered model where communication frequency, meeting cadence, and certain inclusions vary based on which tier you select.

Monthly advisory meetings, always included

Honest Buck schedules monthly advisory meetings with every client as part of the standard service. When something unexpected comes up mid-month — a new hire, a lease decision, an enrollment change — an additional meeting is included at no extra charge.

Per The Childcare CPA™’s published FAQ, meetings beyond what is included in your tier are charged at an additional fee, with cost varying by tier.

KPI-driven financial reporting

Every Honest Buck client receives the standard financial statements — P&L, balance sheet, cash flow — plus a Fathom management dashboard with childcare-specific KPIs tracked over time. Classroom-level profitability, occupancy ratios, staffing cost as a percentage of revenue, and tuition collection rates are visible at a glance. Learn more about our full-service childcare accounting services.

The Childcare CPA™ provides standard financial statements at a frequency determined by the package selected. KPI dashboards are not described in their publicly available service offerings.

Yellow Book audits for PreK-funded programs

If your center receives PreK funding from a state contract — in New Mexico, South Carolina, the District of Columbia, Philadelphia, or other states with public PreK funding — you may be required to commission a Yellow Book audit under Government Auditing Standards (published by the U.S. GAO). Honest Buck is one of very few CPA firms in the country that performs these audits specifically for childcare programs.

The Childcare CPA™ states in its FAQ that the firm does not perform audits — only audit preparation. If you need an audit conducted, you will need a different firm for that work.

Sale readiness and exit planning

Selling a childcare center requires a different kind of accounting than running one. P&L cleanup, owner compensation reclassification, diligence preparation, and buyer-side financial presentation are skills built over years of practice. Honest Buck has guided multiple owners through full sale preparation. Read more on our childcare accounting blog.

Sale readiness and exit planning are not listed in The Childcare CPA™’s publicly available service descriptions.

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Where The Childcare CPA™ wins this comparison

An honest childcare CPA comparison means acknowledging where the other firm is genuinely the better fit.

Tax preparation without switching bookkeepers

Honest Buck prepares taxes only for clients whose books we also manage. That integrated model produces cleaner returns and stronger year-round tax strategy — but it requires a full-service commitment.

The Childcare CPA™ will prepare your taxes even if another firm or your in-house team handles bookkeeping. If you already have a bookkeeper you value and only need a specialty childcare tax preparer, this is a real fit difference.

You also operate a homecare agency

Shanita Jones serves both childcare and homecare agency owners. If you own businesses in both sectors and want one firm familiar with each, The Childcare CPA™ is the better fit. Honest Buck focuses exclusively on childcare centers.

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How to use this childcare CPA comparison to decide

The most practical way to use this childcare CPA comparison is to write down the three things you most need from your accountant in the next twelve months, then ask each firm directly whether those are core competencies or peripheral services.

Honest Buck is likely the right fit if your priorities include:

• Yellow Book audits for state-funded PreK contracts
• Sale readiness, P&L cleanup, and diligence preparation
• Email responses within 36 business hours, consistently
• Classroom-level KPI reporting and Fathom dashboards
• A uniform service experience where every client is treated equally
• Cost segregation studies

The Childcare CPA™ may be the better fit if:

• You want tax preparation only, without switching your existing bookkeeper
• You also operate a homecare business and want one firm for both

If you are not certain which side of this childcare CPA comparison fits your situation, the first call with Honest Buck is free with no commitment required. No pitch. Just honest guidance. Schedule a free 30-minute consultation or call 844-435-2828.

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Last updated June 2026. All facts about The Childcare CPA™ are based on publicly available information from thechildcarecpa.com (including the firm’s published FAQ), jonestaxesonline.com, and Shanita Jones’s LinkedIn profile as of June 2026. The Childcare CPA™ is a trademark of Jones Taxes & Financial Services, LLC; no affiliation is implied.