my best advice,.. become your employees ALLY, not their boss. Get your hands dirty, help them in routine tasks, listen when they complain. Actually HEAR them. Give your center an edge. Offer something noone else does. It can be something as small as,... mass texts if dc is closed for weather, having bimonthly public service person visits. Like, having the animal shelter come and show kids how to pet a dog, have a dentist come to instruct brushing, firefighters, to show the gear. Anything to get your current parents BRAGGING about their childs center. You know how it is,.. when you make one Momma mad she tells 5 people,.. when you make her day happy she tells 10. Offer a parents night out once a month,.. pay your staff time and a half ,.. charge a fee and let the kids stay 4 hours over, feed dinner, do something fun and watch a movie. Market it as a date night. Make sure to revamp you outside entrance. Pot some planters, paint the mailbox, put new no smoking signs up, Paint bright colored shapes on the front walk,... like a huge 18 inch triangle in purple, a square in red, circle in orange,.. etc,...

the kids will hop, the parents will notice, it will make them look twice. =-) looking twice may hav ethem mention it to sue, who she chats with at break. Sam may hear them chatting and say,.. hey Im looking for childcare,...

send out a "happy to meet you" letter to every parent enrolled. invite them to a coffee hour after daycare one night,.... 30-40 minutes to meet and chat with you to share any concerns or issues they have. To get your face in their mind,..

revamp their sign in sheets, even switching to a simpler and slightly larger font with the same wording looks fresh and inviting. change the smell of the floor cleaner. or the deodorizer.

do small things well to make a large impact.

Good luck!!!!!

Reply