Whether you run a single centre with a few staff members or one of Australia’s larger childcare groups, managing a childcare centre is a complex and exciting endeavour. You want to be successful, stay in compliance with National Quality Standards, and establish a reputation that draws people to your centre and gives them a reason to invite their friends to join them.
The following 3 hacks are some of the best ways to point your childcare centre in the right direction in this modern world of childcare-seeking families:
Optimise Your Website
Without a fully functioning and user-friendly website, you will get nowhere when it comes to growing your centre. With the way the world has moved (especially in recent months), people are using the internet to search for solutions to their needs, including childcare for their little ones. While referral-based growth is still a huge factor in determining a centre’s success, having a solid and optimised website can go a long way to sealing the deal with any interested party.
Not all websites are equal, however, to ensure that your company site is easy to find and recognised as a high-quality establishment, you must do the following:
- Ensure that all content on the site is relevant to your audience
- Proofread with a fine-toothed comb (or pay someone else to do so) so that the site is professional and easy to read
- Optimise the site’s content using key phrases or words that people use most often in searching for childcare
- Include high-quality photos that make the space seem inviting and friendly
- Offer your contact information in an easily found place, and provide your readers with the ability to enrol their child in your programme immediately
Start a Blog
You and your staff are experts in the world of child care, and your knowledge, experience and education may be an important source of helpful tips for many people, including potential clients. Starting a blog can mean writing about a common practice you implement in your centre’s daily activities. It can lead to increased traffic to your website. Coming up with a content plan may make maintaining a blog easier.
Consider highlighting special events, your program’s vision or goals, or even just discussing frequently asked questions that you get from parents. Having a weekly blog post also makes it easy to invite community engagement online – share it on your centre’s social media page and invite comments or discussion!
Invest in Software Solutions
With the huge development in technology in recent years, there is no reason to depend on paper documents for tracking and communication. Here is a safer, easier, and more trackable way to stay in compliance, communicate with families, & even manage the day-to-day operations of your childcare centre: utilise a specialised software or app that does it all. From enrolment to attendance, announcements to tracking hours, there is a digital solution that can make every aspect of your job easier.
Along with the ability to track data and communicate with staff and parents comes the convenience of storing information more securely in the cloud. Never again will you have to dig through your desk to find that form or activity plan. Having everything saved carefully in a secure online cloud grants you or your staff members the ability to find the information they need & keep other information safely private.
Dive Into Technology
If your centre has not yet built a solid website, implemented a blog or looked into a childcare software solution, now is the time to do so. With so many options at your fingertips, you are sure to find the right fit for your programme, and therefore boost its success in a way you’ve not seen before.
