hwichlaz offered great advice - you have to work your way up to a solid reputation and you have to pay your dues. That said, I do believe you have to invest in creating a quality program which does take some careful attention.

I am a new provider and am not in the position to term as quickly as some of the providers on this forum however I very consciously declined a spot to a family I knew would be a terrible fit.... could I have really used the money? Absolutely! But I knew in my heart that enrolling that family they would have never been happy and any reputation gained from them would be negative. I also knew I would dread interacting with them twice a day everyday..... there was another child who came for a tour who was a complete terror and the mom had no control or rules in place I did not follow up with that family but if they had followed up with me I would have also declined them a space because the child was violent and would have thrown off the energy of my current group - again running the risk of ruining my reputation. So yes you have to pay your dues but you are also obligated both to yourself, your business and your current families to set boundaries and offer a quality program for all. Quality can be subjective but I have found even in a sea of many providers in my area the number of quality programs from my eyes are limited.

What sets you apart? Have you considered specializing? what compromises can you make while also building a quality program and reputation for yourself?

Right now it seems you just take whatever you can get but that can turn parents away. Being the lowest price can also turn away parents. One blog (can't recall which one it was or I would link it) said she was always having trouble keeping her last spot filled yet she was open extended hours and took infants - entry into kinder, she was running on fumes just exhausted so she make a change. She decided to specialize in one age category and boom she was full with an extensive wait list. She also did not have to provide toys, tools and activities for all the ages she did before so her cost and storage was more streamlined even with some savings.

In my area the most secure providers specialize in either infant only or 0-2 years only. They can have fewer children per licensing with all children under 2 so there is a HUGE up-charge in the daily rate. In California it is only 4 but most providers I know who have 0-2 only keep all 4 slots filled with a waitlist some even charge a pre-enrollment.

I am only half way full but I run a preschool program so most families are looking for the fall and I opened mid-January. It was very clear early on that I do not like giving parent tours and I have to work thru that. If I was willing to do them more often I would have a better shot at filling my spots so I am working on that. For me I decided to specialize in a preschool program but I am also a credentialed teacher. That said, my hours are an an hour longer than I would like and I accept children 2+ (vs. 3 years & up) these two choices allow me to be competitive with some other big preschools in the area.

What can you specialize in? Infants 0-2 years? Nursing & Medical Staff that work shifts? I would highly suggest you think of that and make sure you space is well run. Visit providers and see their set up - I have found those an hour away are more willing because we would never be in competition with each other. I have toured two programs similar to my own and learned 1-2 things that I immediately decided to implement and some items I would "never do that way"

Also I woould suggest applying at Starbucks instead of Walmart - Starbucks gives amazing health benefits for hourly workers not sure about Walmart. You could also explore health care from the state you live in but that is a risk in this current political time.

Just my thoughts, best of luck.