1. Put yourself in the parents’ shoes
With all the work of starting a new business venture, the simple act of walking through the day as one of your clients might never occur. Any business can benefit from this practice, but it’s especially helpful for a daycare, where parents trust you with what matters most to them. Of course you’ll be following your state and local licensing requirements, but there are other things you can do to go above and beyond for your clients.Is your location clearly marked so frazzled parents can find it easily on their first day? Is parking readily available for the number of people who will be buzzing in and out? Does your space feel safe, professional and welcoming?
You could be running the best daycare in the world and still lose customers if the process is stressful. Do what you can to make the space bright and airy, even adding some natural elements to help families feel more relaxed.
2. Consistently encourage reviews from your clients
These days, people rely on reviews for something as simple as buying a new blender or deciding which movie to see. Those testimonials matter even more when it comes to important decisions like choosing a daycare.
3. Invest in your staff
Reviews from happy parents and smooth customer experiences are vital to running a successful daycare—but both can be derailed by hiring the wrong employees. It’s always important to make your staff feel appreciated and respected as educators.
This extra effort makes it likely that your daycare will retain high-quality staff members who invest in the job and consistently impress your clients.
4. Keep your environment clean and safe
It seems obvious, but safety and cleanliness should be a constant priority in your daycare. Your daycare might have been shiny enough for those little hands to eat off of when your doors first opened, but the wear and tear of life eventually takes a toll.
Stay on top of regular cleaning and maintenance by sticking to a routine schedule, and fix recurring problems with more permanent solutions. Get in the habit of walking around your space both indoors and out to check for hazards and prevent accidents before they occur.
5. Maintain a detailed handbook
It may seem formal, but having a handbook for your business will lead to a better customer experience for your parents and protect you as a business owner. Write (and consistently update) a policy handbook for your daycare. Ask parents to review and agree to it before enrolling their children and ensure that it’s accessible to parents at any time throughout the year.
Creating strong and thoughtful policies will make your expectations and services clear to your clients, even if something unusual comes up.
6. Acquire quality tools
Maybe you need to keep to a tight budget when you begin, but you should eventually invest in some quality tools as soon as you have the funds. Invest in a reliable computer and accounting software if you have a bigger center. You also need to be able to organize yourself.
7. Embrace social media
Maybe you’re already using social networks to promote your daycare, or maybe the mere thought of those buzzing platforms stresses you out. Either way, embracing social media for your business is a perceptive move these days.
8. Make important information easily accessible online
Making your client’s lives easier will in turn make your own life easier. Create as many online options as you can to let parents save time and find anything they need with a quick search from home. Creating a website for your daycare is a smart move, even if it’s on a free blog platform or Facebook page. Parents will appreciate having a hub for all of your important information—just be sure you update it regularly. Make your daycare’s location and contact information easy to access from any part of your website. This makes you look like the organized, prepared professional you are!
9. Adjust to the kids in your care
It takes a lot of work to plan events and activities for all of those kids each day! Focusing on what the children are interested in and letting them explore their natural curiosity will make a more fun learning experience for them while taking some of the stress off of you and your staff.
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