Nov 17

Networking and Your Child Care Business

General No Comments »

Anyone not in the daycare business can’t grasp the concept that child care providers can sometimes feel a bit isolated; after all, they’re surrounded by people all day, even if they are young children.  It can happen, though and in fact, it happens often.  This is why networking is so important.  Networking can do a lot more than allow providers the opportunity to chat with like-minded people.  Referral agencies, associations and local chapters of national branches of various groups can help you grow your business, provide information that you might otherwise never know and of course, provide a bit of sanity among adults who “get it” after a long day of a dozen four -year olds with head colds.

Perhaps the most important reason for joining your local referral agency is due to the fact many parents will consult these agencies in search of the right child care facility.  They know these agencies will not only be able to provide legitimate and safe facilities to bring their children, but they also know this is where they’ll discover those less than ideal businesses they should steer clear of.  This makes your community’s referral agency an invaluable tool in your marketing efforts.  There is a national agency, Child Care Resource and Referral, and you can visit the site at www.naccrra.org.

Inclusion on the roster is easy and you’ll want to provide at least the basic information, including:

o   Years in business

o   Hours of operation

o   Phone number, address, etc. and a website if possible

o   Your accounting methods – you can provide the Alpha Cares website address if you’re one of our customers and if not, you can visit the site and see for yourself the advantages we offer over other child care provider accounting software.

o   The ages you accommodate – for instance, 6 weeks to 12 years

o   Your child care provider’s licensing information

Of course, your local Better Business Bureau should be in your crosshairs, as well.  Join the BBB and you will have a powerful advocate who will verify your credentials and serve as an excellent source of networking and marketing efforts.

Even if you have a waiting list of eager parents, keeping up with your networking efforts will keep you – and your business – in the loop for all the latest legalities in this industry.  It can also provide countless opportunities to learn the latest “must haves” for playground equipment, new snacks on the market and all those other countless details that you work to ensure are perfect.  Don’t forget to visit Alpha Cares – we offer the latest and most inclusive software for daycare providers on the market.

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Aug 21

Marketing Your Child Care Business

Child Care Practices, Creative Side of Running Your Business No Comments »

We all know how marketing efforts can easily eat up a small business’s small budget.  In fact, it’s not uncommon for many who are considering going into the child care business to think twice once they realize the importance – and costs – associated with getting the word out.  It doesn’t have to be that way, though.  In fact, many small businesses have successfully marketed their companies with little cost.  Here are a few ideas that you might not have considered, but that will get you and your efforts noticed.

The first, and most important, marketing tool you should employ is yourself.  You are the “face” of your business and as such, you need ensure that face gets your message across.  Be ready to answer the necessary questions.  You’ll discover at some point, whether it’s a Wednesday afternoon at the supermarket or a Friday night cocktail party, you’re going to be asked specific questions about your daycare business.  Be ready to provide those answers minus any hesitation.  “Yes, I am a business owner.  I have a daycare center in the historic district and right now, we have close to twenty children enrolled”.    It’s going to sound far more confident than someone having to ask you a series of questions and then wait uncomfortably as you stumble for the right answers:

Interested party: “So I hear you own your own business?”

You: “Yeah, I do.”

Interested party:  “What do you do?”

You:  “I have a daycare”

Interested party: “Oh.  OK.  Well…uhm…yeah…I hear you have to really appreciate kids in order to care for them every day.”

If you’re generally reserved in social settings such as cocktail parties, there’s no reason why you can’t polish your conversational skills.  A confident business owner is a successful business owner.

Another important tip involves all things related to marketing  is design and computer savvy.  If you can’t design an impressive logo – consider hiring a free-lance designer. Then think ahead – for your letterhead, consider asking the neighborhood kid who’s a whiz on a computer to tackle the project.  You want an identifiable letterhead that seamlessly transitions to your business cards, your signs and even your fax cover sheets. These  marketing assets (in digital format) are to be used for both your print and online materials.

Getting involved in the community is another important tip.  Join the Chamber, attend meetings that involve children in the community, such as town hall meetings where new playground equipment is being considered for the neighborhood park.  This is where you’ll meet parents.

Offer to host the neighborhood Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts for a few of their meetings.  You can easily open up your daycare center one or two evenings a month so that they can have their meetings.  If possible, set up a table with punch or juice and perhaps pretzels and/or fresh fruit.

These are just a few of the many ways you can affordably market your child care facility.  In such an important sector, it’s crucial your community knows who you are if you expect them to trust you with their children.  These tips will ensure you meet that goal.

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Mar 16

Spring Fever and Your Child Care Facility

Creative Side of Running Your Business No Comments »

Ah, the beauty of Spring! Somehow, those warmer afternoons seem to renew our faith.  We eagerly anticipate the scent of fresh cut grass and that sweet scent of gardenias.  We all have those special things that we look forward to around this time of year.  Our little ones are surely feeling cabin fever by now, too.  While the time of the year is perfect, we do have those spring showers that threaten to keep us at bay during March.  That doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of fun things to do.  Your child care center doubles as an artist’s retreat year round – and this time of year is nothing short of inspirational, courtesy of Mother Nature.  So set the logistics of running your child care business aside for an afternoon and lead the way for sunshine, fresh air and all the creative talent your little ones are capable of!

While many child care centers opt to not participate in religion-specific holidays due to the different faiths of their families, there are still themes that kids relate to this time of year.  Arts and crafts projects that are colorful and incorporate a myriad of supplies with different textures are a great way to help those left in your charge to use all their senses – touch, scent, taste, etc.   Feathers, cotton and even paper towel tubes make perfect supplies for the little ones to really stretch their creative senses.  They’re great for those rainy days and are a perfect distraction.

For those days when the weather is cooperating, turn the outdoors play area into a shopping mecca.  Hide “groceries” around the playground and encourage the little ones to use their imaginations while “grocery shopping”.  The winner gets to “stock” the grocery store next time.  This is a great way to include all your age groups.

If you began a project of planting bulbs or seeds in the past few months, they may be springing out of the soil.  Kids love to see the results of their work.  Ask Mom and Dad to bring a change of clothes and then dig in – allow children to dig their own special place in a flower bed to transplant their bulbs from the small planter to the bed itself.  Teach them how to nurture their plants and how to water and feed it throughout the season.

Before long, those summer months will be here and then once again, we’ll be waiting for Old Man Winter to make his appearance yet again.  For now, all here at Alpha Cares look forward to you making the best of this incredible time of year.

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Feb 01

Reassuring Parents

Child Care Practices No Comments »

You chose child care for a reason: you sincerely love children and have a lot to offer them.  You might have been blessed with the art of patience (and for many of us who lack that graceful ability – we envy you), you have an ability to educate and you work fiercely to protect children.  It’s those new stories in recent weeks of child abuse, neglect and even murder that has your skin crawling and your heart breaking.  Odds are, parents are more than a bit concerned over these horrific displays of human nature and evil.  So how do you reassure them that your child care center is safe and your employees are just as dedicated to protecting children in their care as you?  It’s a tough dilemma, to be sure.  There is a graceful way, however, of approaching the subject that while awkward, can put many of your parents at ease as they leave their most precious in your charge.

Often, it’s not what you say, but what you do.  In fact, it’s those non-verbal cues that parents are looking for.  It’s your responsibility to ensure the bases are covered in your child care business.  If your business hasn’t adopted a mission statement, you might want to consider that.  A mission statement guides the actions of the business and defines the purpose of that business.  In the case of a day care center, that purpose is to provide a safe and nurturing environment for those children trusted to your care. It might also include assurances of your vigilance to hire only those most qualified with no criminal background and ideally, an educational background in child development.  Mission statements are prominently displayed in a company’s reception area or near the entrance and always in plain sight.

Reiterate your position on unannounced visits during the day.  A transparent approach is crucial in a child care center and parents should know you welcome these visits.  It puts their minds at ease and reiterates your dedication and commitment.

Believe it or not, a too-stringent approach might send off red flags.  Any child care center that has rules that are too difficult or too strict is alarming in many ways.  Parents respect structure; however, when a child who was only moments earlier chatting away and singing while in the vehicle with Mom arrives and immediately “falls in” to the rules and becomes silent due to the regulations of the child care center is a bit disturbing.  There is a balance between little ones who come in and put their coats on the hook and those children who come in and prepare for a rigorous structure.  It’s not natural or healthy.

Anytime injuries or death, such as those cases out of Chicago and Kansas in recent weeks, are in the news, we all shudder.  A healthy line of communications between you and the parents who trust you will go a long way in alleviating their fears and concerns.  You know your intentions are good and when parents of those left in your care know it too, it’s a win-win for the children whose well being is the priority of you and their parents.

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