Running a child care business is unpredictable. The needs of children and families regularly change, depending on the parents’ jobs, new siblings, and a variety of other factors. Because of this, sometimes your program might have a mile-long waitlist while other times, you have openings that you struggle to fill. Because having open spaces in your program can have a serious effect on finances and budgeting, it is important to get open spaces filled as quickly as possible. But how do you market these openings?
Sharing with the community that you have a spot open can be tricky as you’ll want to ensure that you target nearby and local families with children the right age(s). To help you get started, we are sharing a list of ideas to market open spots in your program.
Facebook & Instagram: Does your business have a Facebook and Instagram business page? If so, post your opening, including the age(s), contact information, and a brief overview about your program so that families can easily “share” the post with their friends and connections. If you find that your post is not gaining much traction, you can pay to “boost” the post on Facebook for a fee, to help gain more visibility. Boosted posts will run as targeted ads on Facebook and Instagram. Make sure to remove the post and end the ad when the spot is filled, to avoid being overwhelmed with phone calls.
Newsletter: Do you send out a newsletter to families? If so, include the opening in your program’s updates. Current families who are already happy with your program can help spread the word. This is especially beneficial, as parents tend to trust and rely on the opinions of other parents.
NextDoor: NextDoor is a free, easy to use app and website that connects users with their nearby neighbors. On NextDoor, there is a group for preschool parents, called “Parenting 0-5.” Posting in this group that you have an opening, will ensure that you are being connected with local families who have preschool-aged children. Your post should include a first sentence that will really draw parents in, link to your program’s website, information about the program and teachers, and contact information for parents who are interested in touring.
Flyers: While flyers cost money to create and have printed, they can be a really effective way to spread the word about your program, particularly for newer programs with several spots open. Flyers can be shared at local libraries, coffee shops, and anywhere else parents might spend time with young children. Make flyers colorful and catchy with brief descriptions of your program, and maybe even a few photos of what the classroom set up looks like.
Do you have other ideas for sharing openings? We’d love to hear them! Reach out to use at hello@good2knownetwork.org to share your thoughts!
