Waiting List?
 

How do you guys develop a waiting list?

I don't really know how to do this, I guess! I live in a small town too, so there isn't a ton of daycares around, but a few! Anyway I am wondering how you go about this down to someone calling your for daycare, what do you tell them when you are full, but will have an opening several months out, but they need daycare immediately? I feel like I have had alot of calls for people looking for daycare in June-July, but I won't have an opening until September, so how can I develop a waiting list? I mean obviously they will find daycare in the mean time before September comes so what do you do? Do you conduct an interview, knowing you can't take the child until a certain date so the family can check out what you offer and then inform them of when you would have an opening for them and offer to put them on your waiting list! Then do you call them once September approaches? Again I live in a small town and I feel sort of scandolist in doing that, I mean because then by me calling that family I am basically taking children from other local daycares and word spreads like wildfire around here and I don't want myself to get a bad name, so I guess I am looking at how the rest of you go about it and set it up! In the past I have just told the families over the phone when I will have my next opening and they don't even come to see what I offer so I lose out on ever having that family! I feel that if somehow I could instead have them come visit and let them know when my next opening I will have that this will help me in the long run and keep my buisness flowing, well sorry for rambling just trying to figure out what everyone else does and how they get waiting lists set up! Thanks in advance!!

I don't officially call it a waiting list but more like a list of families who have contacted me looking for care while I am full. I decided I will not interview folks until I know when I have an anticipated opening. I put a lot of time and effort into interviewing and for now it's not worth going through it "just in case."

If/when I get an anticipated opening, I begin reaching out to the families on my list, and I offer them the opportunity to interview in-person if they were still interested.

When someone contacts me, I tell them I don't have a spot open right now, but if they like I can add them to my waiting list and email them if anything comes up. I also tell them that there's no commitment involved with being on the list and that we can do an interview when/if a spot opens up. Nine times out of ten, families do ask to be put on the list. I've now got a pretty good sized waiting list (even though I've only been able to place two of the families from it).

When a parent calls and I'm full, I tell them I'm full and also tell them an approximate time that I will have an opening. I explain that I have several people in front of them, but that that doesn't guarantee they will want the spot. I tell them as soon as the spot becomes available, I will call them and we'll go from there.

I never ask anyone to come interview, visit, or get paperwork until I know for sure that their child has a possibility of coming to me. I only do this for the simple reason of time.

If they need care immediately, I still ask, "Would you still like me to put you on our waiting list in case we get an opening sooner than I think?" They almost always say yes. Then, when I DO get an opening, I go back through the list and call anyone I can find. I have gotten a lot of kids this way, because sometimes Mom decides not to take a job because she can't find child care, and I become a "life saver" for some, or so they say! ;)

I go by my waiting list almost always. The only time I change any order of how they are listed is when there is a sibling on the list of a child who already attends. I always take siblings first just because I don't want the parents to have to split them up, or risk having TWO spots available when they take their older child out to be with the younger one... Does that make sense??

Also, I always ask parents what days they want their child enrolled, because I don't always have a full-time spot if needed... Hope this helps...

full or not I do interviews... I have gotten referrals from families that have come but could not use the daycare as I did not have an opening. I have also had a parent come check it out and then place her child in another day care until I had an opening.

some people think that its a waste of time to do them when there is not an opening. I look at it is an opportunity to further advertise.