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tbutler 11:47 AM 08-16-2011
Hi everyone,

I'm a new home child care provider in the Humble, TX, area and I need help with advertising ideas. I have hung flyers on our neighborhood mailboxes (where you are able to tear off my contact information), posted ads on Craig's List, and hung flyers I made myself on the about 30 houses on the the street that I live on. It is entirely to hot here in the Houston area to hang flyers on all the houses in my neighborhood as well as a neighborhood directly across the street. Oh, and I have a 5 and 3 year old daughters that would be with my while I'm doing this because my husband will be at work.

My 5 year old will be starting Kindergarten on Monday and the elementary school is walking distance and located on a main road next to both my and the other community. How do I ask to leave a flyer or business cards at the school? How do I advertise to the neighborhood without going door-to-door and not spending alot of money?

I am a registered home with the Department of Family and Protective Services and can keep 6 children all day including my 3 year old. I didn't think it would be this hard to get 5 more kids enrolled!!! Please help!!
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MommyMuffin 11:54 AM 08-16-2011
I opened last November. I put signs up around the neighborhood, a sign in my yard, I wore a t-shirt with my logo on it. I also advertised on craigslist and other websites. I put a sign on my van and told everyone I knew.

After 2 months I got 1 dck from craigslist. A month later I got a PT infant from a friend of my husbands. A month after that I got another infant from the sign in my front yard. I also had a toddler from a friend of my husbands. I am still not full and recently signed up a 2 yo PT.

It took a while. I was in the same boat as you last year. It just takes time. Do what you can to get your name out there. I had cashed out my 401K and kept it in savings and used it to get through rough months. I was desperate to be home with my kids. Good luck.
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tbutler 12:03 PM 08-16-2011
Thanks alot mommymuffin. Did you make had made signs on poster board or did you have them made by a print shop of some kind?
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Unregistered 12:04 PM 08-16-2011
Originally Posted by tbutler:
Hi everyone,

I'm a new home child care provider in the Humble, TX, area and I need help with advertising ideas. I have hung flyers on our neighborhood mailboxes (where you are able to tear off my contact information), posted ads on Craig's List, and hung flyers I made myself on the about 30 houses on the the street that I live on. It is entirely to hot here in the Houston area to hang flyers on all the houses in my neighborhood as well as a neighborhood directly across the street. Oh, and I have a 5 and 3 year old daughters that would be with my while I'm doing this because my husband will be at work.

My 5 year old will be starting Kindergarten on Monday and the elementary school is walking distance and located on a main road next to both my and the other community. How do I ask to leave a flyer or business cards at the school? How do I advertise to the neighborhood without going door-to-door and not spending alot of money?

I am a registered home with the Department of Family and Protective Services and can keep 6 children all day including my 3 year old. I didn't think it would be this hard to get 5 more kids enrolled!!! Please help!!

What about putting a ad in your local paper, I also do that and seems to help as well as the flyers. Yes a little bit of money but if you pick up one or two, well worth it.
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tbutler 12:26 PM 08-16-2011
Thanks for replying. The signs that you made, did you hand make them yourself or did you pay to have sign company to make them.
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Meeko 01:13 PM 08-16-2011
Put up a flyer in local laundramats, local grocery stores, anywhere that has a bulletin board. Go to larger companies around you area and ask their human resources dept. if you can put up a notice in their employee areas. (There's a huge Stoeffers factory near me. The HR rep was thrilled to put my name and number up as their employees are always wanting care.)

Swap business cards with other home business's and pass them out. For example...if your friends sells Mary Kay...give out her cards to people you meet.. Have her agree to hand out YOUR cards at her parties. You both work with women. Have your husband also carry your business cards around with him.

Have some magnetic signs made for your car. That way you can remove them when you want a private vehicle...but you can be a moving ad at the grocery store, school etc. And your car becomes a sign in your front yard too.

When you do get a parent signed up, let them know they will get a week's discount (or whatever you feel comfortable with) if they refer someone and they sign up.

My biggest help? I am in the yellow pages. The phone rings off the hook.
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daycare 01:20 PM 08-16-2011
i walked into alot of big local bussiness in my area and asked if they would hang my flier in thier break room. I have also asked current families to do the same.

I offered a promotion to all current families that if they reefer a friend/family member and they stay at least 6 months then I will offer $100.00 off of their monthly fees.

I got an idea from someone on here to attach your business cards to books (buy them at yardsales or just used) and then hand them out to all of the medical offices in the area. Mark on the front inside cover this book was donated by xyz daycare..... THis one has been working and I have been getting quality people out of it....

most of all be patient and only take on children and parents that you KNOW are going to be a good fit. I think we all make the mistake in the start by taking kids just to get income. Those families always become more work than they are worth and we end up miserable just to fire the family some time later..... I know it's hard to be picky in today's market, but there is no amount of money that could replace my happiness....

best of luck
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Dahlia 01:32 PM 08-16-2011
The first place I looked when I was searching for daycare was Google. From what I'm reading, it looks like it's free to list your business there, so it shows up on Google maps when somebody searches for it.

I also looked on AngiesList, but found only one or two daycare reviews in my area. It looks like you can list your business there for free, also.
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Unregistered 11:30 AM 08-17-2011
You are not the only one in Humble with the headache dear. I have the same issue. I've got three views, no enrolls and they all ask me about JESSICA T..... It's more of a stereotype situation though. I think it's because of the recent incident with the Jessica situation it makes it 10's harder. I think it's just in the Humble area (self cautions). just be patient. I think it has to die down more, keep trying. I post ad's in the Greensheet and I have yard signs everywhere. The yard signs are very expensive. They are not getting much attention as they were in the past.
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