Whether you just opened a daycare or have too many openings available, daycare spots can be challenging to fill.

Especially with working remotely on the rise, many parents may not need the extra support daycares offer. But, it is a highly beneficial service to parents and children, so it is important to try and fill as many spots as possible.

Here are a few ways you can attract more daycare enrollments.

Talk With Your School District

One of the many benefits daycares offer parents is before and after school care. This is helpful for parents as you may not be able to get your child to and from school between school hours due to work schedules or other commitments. If you are a daycare owner or employee, try to get in touch with your local school district. It can lead to referrals as many parents will ask their child’s school about surrounding daycares.

Tell Realtors

Many parents searching for a new home want to make sure schools and daycares are nearby. If you give your daycare’s information to a realtor, they can mention your daycare when selling a home to parents. They could also list it at open houses so individuals viewing the home can keep your information for future use.

Post Flyers

In every neighbourhood, there is a library, coffee shop, grocery store, etc… The majority of these will have a bulletin board with different flyers that any customer can grab. Make some flyers and post them around local neighbourhood stores. This may also generate word of mouth buzz about your daycare.

Collaborate With Other Daycares

Many daycares may be full or have a waitlist. In this case, you could collaborate with these daycares so you can fill your spots with their waitlisted children. In the future, you could host events or programs that benefit both businesses and you can refer one another to parents.

Be Active On Social Media

Social media is one of the predominant ways to get your businesses name out there. Try to be active on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or all of them! You may find that you receive messages regarding your daycare services. Not only can you post about your childcare centre and the services offered, but you can also provide other expertise and information that parents may be looking for. You can also join parent groups available on these platforms, such as Facebook, and spread the word of your daycare there. Even if you are not allowed to advertise your centre on those pages, you can still provide your expertise to parents who have questions. Doing so allows them to be aware of your daycare and hopefully keep you in mind when needing a centre for their child.

Use your Existing Clientele to Spread the Word

Word-of-mouth is one of the most helpful forms of advertisement so take advantage of parents already using your centre’s services. You can provide families with an incentive, like a discount, whenever they refer parents to your centre. At the end of the day, prospective families would rather visit a daycare that has good reviews from parents who have actually used their services than a centre that has a small presence.

Virtual Open Houses

Open houses were a key tool in providing prospective parents with a walkthrough of what your centre has to offer. With today’s circumstances, this may not be a viable option anymore. Luckily, you can take advantage of virtual open houses. You can have an interactive, real-time open house in which parents can ask questions while you are displaying the centre. Or, there is the option of filming the open house ahead of time and having it available on accessible platforms, such as YouTube or your business’s website. Either way, this allows for open houses to still be an option to both your centre and families.

Have a Professional Website

By creating a high-quality website, it can indicate to families that your centre also is of high-quality. Prospective families can get a first impression as well as obtain relevant information about your centre. Whether that be the services and features you offer, images of your centre, your availabilities, FAQs or even additional resources like a blog, having all that information in one place can benefit potential families.

Offer flexible options

Having flexible options available to parents can be a huge advantage to your centre. Many parents work full-time, but with the current situation, there are many workers who may have irregular hours and cannot rely on their previous childcare options. So, having the option for parents to book a spot at your centre last minute, while also making sure guidelines are being met, can be the added competitive advantage that your daycare needs during this situation. Not only will this help ease the worry for working parents, but can also be a way of finding new, loyal clients.

These tips can help childcare centres with increasing their enrollment by thinking more about what could be done and taking advantage of technology today. While enrollment may not be as high as it was pre-COVID, it is still important to be proactive and continue to move forward during these challenging times.

If you liked this blog, check out this one on, “The Importance of a Routine for Parents when Working from Home.”