How to Manage Your Childcare Center Waitlist

*First published May, 2016
*Updated January, 2025

As the demand for high-quality child care continues to grow, many childcare centers face a common challenge: managing ever-expanding waitlists. A well-organized waitlist process is essential for maintaining trust with prospective families, streamlining operations, and maximizing your center’s enrollment.

In this blog, we’ll explore best practices for managing your daycare center waitlist and how Lillio’s childcare management app can simplify the process for both you and your prospective families.

Why Waitlist Management Matters

Access to high-quality childcare remains a significant challenge within the childcare industry, despite the undeniable importance of early childhood education in fostering children’s development. Families across North America often face long waitlists when searching for high-quality childcare spots, creating a ripple effect that impacts their work and daily lives.

A StatCan survey revealed that over 60% of Canadian parents using childcare in 2023 encountered difficulties finding available spots.The problem is particularly acute for parents of infants, with 47% reporting their child was on a waitlist in 2023, a sharp increase from 38% the previous year. This shortage of childcare options forces one-third of struggling families to change their work or study schedules, reduce working hours, or delay returning to work altogether.

The situation is similar in the United States. According to a 2022 survey by Child Care Aware of America, over half of parents are on childcare waitlists, with some waiting a year or more for an opening. In larger urban centres, wait times can extend to two years, exacerbating the strain on working families.

Effective waitlist management is not just about filling spots—it’s about building trust with prospective families, enhancing operational efficiency, and supporting parents in their search for high-quality early childhood care and education. 

Best Practices for Childcare Waitlist Management

1. Establish Clear Waitlist Policies

Start by outlining transparent and consistent waitlist policies and details about the enrollment process, such as: 

• How the waitlist process works and typical timeline expectations
• Whether a waitlist fee is required
• Priority factors, such as age groups, siblings of enrolled families, or referrals

Display these policies on your website and provide them during center visits to ensure prospective families understand the process.

2. Maintain Accurate Records

Keep family contact information and preferences updated as time goes on. Waitlists can be long so this is particularly important if families’ circumstances change, such as needing a new start date, requiring extra assistance for their child, no longer living in the area or having new contact information. 

3. Leverage First-Served Policies Wisely

Decide if you’ll use a first-served basis for enrollment or prioritize certain groups, like siblings or referrals. Ensure these policies are communicated with prospective families when they register with your center. 

4. Communicate Changes Promptly

If your center’s staffing or enrollment periods change, notify families immediately to set realistic expectations, especially if their timeline is being moved up. 

5. Be Transparent About Availability

Provide accurate waitlist estimates for prospective families. Being honest with them about the frequency in which daycare spots in certain classrooms open up will help establish trust from the beginning of your relationship with them. 

6. Utilize Childcare Management Software

Managing waitlists manually is time-consuming and prone to errors. Childcare management software like Lillio can automate tasks, such as tracking applications, organizing waitlist order, and sending updates to families. Lillio’s waitlist feature allows you to seamlessly add, review, and manage registrations, ensuring no prospective child is overlooked.

How Lillio Simplifies Waitlist Management

Lillio’s waitlist feature is designed to help childcare providers manage growing demand and streamline the often overwhelming process for parents and guardians effortlessly. Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Set Up Online Registration

Directors can upload all necessary documents, customize e-consents, and configure permissions through the Lillio dashboard. This feature allows all prospective families to have access to the same resources and ensures that you are ready to go when a new family is ready to join the list.  

Step 2: Add Registrations and Assign Waitlist Status

Create new registrations by entering a child’s details, such as their name and date of birth. If no spot is currently available within your daycare, you can place them directly on the waitlist while keeping their application on file.

Step 3: Invite Families to Complete Registration Documents

Invite parents to submit required forms through Lillio’s parent portal. You can send families all required documentation directly through Lillio, this step not only saves you time, but ensures that once a spot opens up, the family is ready to move forward without delays or missing information. 

Step 4: Review and Approve Registrations

Once all documentation is submitted, review and approve the application. If space permits, you can quickly enroll the child.

With Lillio, waitlists, applications, and registrations are organized into separate tabs for easy navigation, ensuring you stay on top of every step.

FAQs About Childcare Waitlist Management

1. What should I include in my waitlist policies?
Your policies should explain how the waitlist works, any applicable fees, outline required documentation and discuss any factors affecting placement priority, such as referrals or age groups.

2. How often should I follow up with families?
Check-in with families every few months to confirm their interest and update their contact information, as well as any other important information. This helps them stay engaged with your center and informed about their next steps.
Note: Though it is important to keep families engaged, build relationships and maintain accurate records by checking in with prospective families, do be mindful that waiting families are eager to hear from childcare centers about an opening, so it is important not to get their hopes up with too many calls before you have an available spot. 

3. Can Lillio help manage multiple daycare locations?
Yes, Lillio’s childcare management software supports centers with multiple locations, allowing you to oversee waitlists and enrollment for each site.

4. Should I charge a waitlist fee?
This depends on your business model. Some providers charge a nominal fee to demonstrate commitment, while others avoid fees to encourage more applications.

Final Thoughts

Managing a daycare waitlist can be challenging, but with clear policies, consistent communication, and the right tools, it’s possible to turn this task into an opportunity to connect with prospective families and build trust. By automating key steps in the waitlist and enrollment process, childcare providers can focus more on delivering quality child care and less on paperwork.

Lillio’s childcare management software offers a comprehensive solution for waitlist management, from online registration to final enrollment. By using its streamlined features, you can ensure your childcare business remains organized, efficient, and ready to welcome new families.

Ready to simplify your waitlist process? Request a demo today and see how Lillio’s enrollment and waitlist features can transform your childcare center! Click here for more information!