The new school year is coming up and childcare centers are doing their best to prepare. Daycares and preschools are busy focusing on outlining their policies and procedures, increasing their enrollment, hiring new staff members, and more. There are a variety of tips and techniques that can help improve these processes and get your center ready for back-to-school.
By preparing your center, you’re setting your school up for success. Organization, efficiency, and automation are crucial for the new school year. As you start to manage new children and families, having your staff aligned will save you time, avoid misunderstandings, and provide the opportunity to create those connections with children and families.
Keep reading for tips and techniques on how to prepare your childcare center for the upcoming back-to-school season.
Outlining Policies and Procedures
Policies and procedures are the foundation of your childcare center. Outlining and organizing different policies gives your staff and families a clear understanding of what to expect. These policies should cover key aspects of your childcare center such as:
Enrollment Procedures:
- Waitlist Process
- Enrollment or Registration Fees
- Discounts
- Eligibility for Care
- Re-enrollment and Withdrawal From Care
- Additional Program Availability
Staff Policies:
- Training
- Dress Code
- Onboarding
- State Requirements
- Job Descriptions
For more information on staff policies and how to create a staff handbook at your center, click here.
Center Policies:
- Child Protection
- Sick Policy
- Safe Sleep
- Curriculum
- Behavior Management
By covering these different policies at your center, you are keeping parents and staff informed and reducing the risk of misunderstandings and challenges. Make sure you have these policies and handbooks in place before the new school year to save time and ensure efficiency at your center.
Boosting Enrollment
As we head into the new school year, enrollment is top of mind for owners and directors. No matter if your center is looking to fill open spots or has a lengthy waitlist, there are ways to improve enrollment. When you optimize available space at your center, you increase revenue and improve the value of your school.
How to Increase Enrollment
If you’re looking to increase enrollment and get more families interested in your center, try out these techniques.
- Ask for reviews from currently enrolled families.
- Offer a special promotion or discount on tuition or registration fees.
- Host a Meet and Greet or Open House for prospective families.
- Utilize a CRM to manage prospective leads, tour requests, and more.
- Take advantage of social media, optimize your website, and focus on your core value to maximize marketing efforts.
Improving Your Enrollment Procedure
Take advantage of software tools that specialize in enrollment management to automate and organize this information. This saves time and avoids manual errors.
Kangarootime’s childcare software allows you to place an enrollment link directly on your website so new families can register at your center. They’ll fill out pertinent information which populates in Kangarootime.
On the backend, you can see this information, forecast available spots, and offer spots if you have availability. This lead management system makes it easy to organize and manage your waitlist while optimizing revenue at your center.
This enrollment tool goes beyond daily care and can be used for specialty programs like a summer camp or enrichment class.
Learn more about improving your center’s enrollment process with Kangarootime here.
Learn More about Kangarootime
Kangarootime’s all-in-one childcare management software makes back-to-school season a breeze. With enrollment, registration, staff scheduling, and more, you can manage every aspect of your business in one platform. Click the button below to learn more about Kangarootime’s software.
Kangarootime is the leading all-in-one childcare management software for daycares and preschools. With billing and invoicing capabilities, parent communication and staff management tools, and classroom automation, Kangarootime helps childcare centers grow and scale. To learn more about optimizing your center with Kangarootime, visit kangarootime.com
