Home Management Tips12 Promotable Qualities Most Daycare Centers Overlook

12 Promotable Qualities Most Daycare Centers Overlook

Most child care centers owners or directors can find it challenging to think of what makes a daycare unique. When you’re so involved in the day-to-day operations, it’s natural to stop seeing things from an outsider’s perspective and appreciate the great qualities of your child care center that are all around you.

But if you take a moment to open your eyes and really look around, you’ll quickly see that there are so many great qualities about your child care center that people would be extremely interested in!

In this post, we aren’t going to go over anything new; instead, we are going to remind you of everything that’s right in front of your eyes that you might not realize are actually great marketing tools.

Location

It is natural to focus on what is within the walls of your facility, but everything on the other side of the door can be a big selling point. Put yourself into a parent’s shoes and think about what is most important for them during pick-up and drop-off. If your location has anything that will help make their lives a little bit easier then put this information front and center.

For example:

Is your building located near public transit?
Is there free parking?
Is there a cafe nearby for them to grab a coffee or snack on their way to work?
Is there a grocery store to pick up something on their way home?

Your Story

Parents want to know who will be looking after their children throughout the day so let them get to know you. Take a good look at what has gotten you to where you are today and share this with parents so they can better appreciate all of your experience.

Here are some things about your story that you can share in places like brochures or your website’s “About Us” page:

When you first started.
Your background.
Why you got involved in child care.
How your business has grown over the years (e.g. children enrolled, classrooms, locations, and teachers).
Different locations your business has been located at.
Your child care philosophy.
Other businesses you have owned (if applicable).

Your Staff

Each and every team member brings their own experience and personality to your business, and sharing this information can be a great way for parents to get to know you before they even step foot in the door.

Share a concise summary of each staff member with information such as:

Name
Title
A picture
Education
Certifications
Why they love working in child care.

Your Customers

When a parent enrolls their child at a child care center, they are not just signing up for a service — they are joining a community. Celebrate your customers by putting the spotlight them! Help everyone get to know each other by showcasing the many unique families who stop by your location each and every day. It is much easier for parents to see themselves signing up for your services when they can get an idea of who else is there and if they have anything in common with them.

Parent Communications

When it comes to their kids, there is no such thing as too much communication. Let parents know exactly how you will be speaking with them on a daily basis. For example, if you use a child care app like HiMama to provide real-time updates and daily reports on a child’s development, this is an excellent service to promote as one of your selling features that makes your daycare center stand out.

Reviews

Chances are that your business is already collecting reviews on sites like Google and Yelp. If you have any great reviews written by current or former happy customers, use these to your advantage as testimonials on your website, pamphlets, posters or other promotional communications. Just make sure to first check with the reviewer to make sure that they are comfortable with you using their review.

Past Events

For events, most people are just looking toward the future at what events are coming up. If you have already hosted great events, why not continue to leverage them even after they have finished? By showcasing events that you have already taken part in, you will show that your daycare center is an active part of its community, as well as give people a taste of what’s in store in the future.

Activity Schedules

Chances are you have countless activity schedules lying around, so why not continue to get even more use out of them? Give parents an idea of what their child’s day will look like by sharing sample activity schedules that you have used in the past. Even if they don’t give them a close look, they will help showcase that your days are well-planned and promote healthy learning and development. If you want to take it one step further, you can even explain which developmental domain each activity helps to promote.

Meal Plans

Similar to your activity schedules, if your daycare center provides meals then sharing sample meal plans can be another important selling feature for some parents. Give parents a taste (pun not intended) of what delicious and nutritious meals their kiddos can look forward to each week. To make it look even more appetizing, you can also include photos of the kiddos enjoying their meals!

Health & Safety

There are likely many health and safety requirements that your daycare center needs to follow in order to maintain your licensing, but parents don’t usually know what these requirements are. Tell parents all about the protocols you follow to keep their kids safe and give them the peace of mind knowing everything you do to keep their well-being a top priority.

Payment Methods

Although parents may not like paying for child care, they may like how they can pay for it. If your daycare center offers online payments, credit or debit cards or automatic billing, these can be great selling features because parents will know that they won’t have to write cheques or drop by the bank to take out cash every time a payment is owed.

Transportation Service

Parents spend hours lugging their children around every day. Providing child transportation can reduce the pressure on parents, while saving their time. If you operate a childcare company, you can start by offering children from school or home transportation or return home. You have to have a license to drive, be in a safe vehicle that offers insurance and car parking.

What are not-so-obvious ways that you promote your child care center? Let us know in the comments!

Michael writes for HiMama's early childhood education blog and ECE Weekly newsletter. When not developing content for early childhood professionals, he can usually be found out and about with his wife and daughter exploring all that Toronto has to offer, or playing music with his karaoke band.

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