Effective communication with parents is a vital part of running a successful child care center. A thoughtfully crafted newsletter is one of the best tools for keeping families informed and engaged. A great newsletter isn’t just about sharing updates; it’s a way to build trust and showcase the unique qualities of your center.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to improve your current newsletter, this guide will walk you through the essential steps, from content planning to distribution, to create a newsletter that families look forward to reading!
Why Your Newsletter Matters
Parents want to stay informed about their child’s day-to-day experiences and the larger activities happening at the center. An engaging newsletter provides a convenient way to share key updates, celebrate milestones and offer resources parents can use at home.
Done well, it also reinforces your center’s professionalism and care for children and strengthens the bond between your center and families.
The 2025 Child Care Business Trends Report from Procare Solutions shows that 41% of child care centers use newsletters to communicate with parents, which is about the same number of centers using paper given to families at pick-up:
1. Plan Your Content with Parents in Mind
The first step to creating a great newsletter is understanding your audience. Your readers, who are primarily busy parents, want concise and relevant information. Focus on content that offers insight into what’s happening at the center.
Tips for Content Planning:
- Focus on what parents need: Include updates on policy changes, meal plans, schedules or health and safety reminders.
- Balance functional and fun: Share useful information alongside uplifting stories or inspiring ideas.
- Be consistent in themes: Set recurring sections. For example:
- Upcoming Events for highlighting special activities
- Spotlight on Staff to introduce teachers or caregivers
- Parenting Tips with practical advice for at-home learning or child development
Example Newsletter Sections:
- A welcome note from the director: A warm and friendly message to start each issue
- Highlights from the month: A short recap of recent events or milestones, like a successful holiday party or a new outdoor play installation
- Upcoming events: Provide dates for parent-teacher meetings, theme days or family events
- Parent resources: Tips on everything from bedtime routines to finding fun weekend activities
- Child spotlights: Celebrate achievements by showcasing artwork or stories from the children.
2. Design Matters
Your newsletter’s design should make it easy to read while reflecting the personality of your child care center. A polished, friendly look will make a strong first impression, while clean formatting ensures parents can quickly find the information they need.
Tips for Designing Your Newsletter:
- Keep it simple: Avoid clutter and stick with a clean layout featuring plenty of white space
- Stay on-brand: Use your center’s logo, colors and fonts to maintain a cohesive look
- Use photos: Include pictures of activities, classroom setups or special events. Smiling children and vibrant settings help parents feel more connected to the center!
- Be mobile-friendly: Many parents will read your newsletter on a smartphone, so use a responsive design.
- Organize with headings: Break up content into clear sections labeled with engaging headlines. For example:
- What’s New in Our Classrooms?
- Your Monthly Resource Corner
3. Keep a Consistent Schedule
How often should a newsletter go out? Consistency is key. Too frequent, and you risk overwhelming busy parents. Too infrequent, and you may lose their attention.
Suggested Publishing Frequency:
- Monthly: Ideal for most child care centers. Focuses on key updates, special events and seasonal tips.
- Biweekly or Weekly: Great for larger centers with multiple classes or regular activities needing notice.
Consistency builds trust, and parents will appreciate receiving updates at a predictable time.
Pro Tip:
Announce your schedule in advance. For example: “Our monthly newsletters will be sent on the first Monday of every month.” Parents will know when to expect your updates.
4. Engage Parents with Clear Communication
It’s important to maintain a friendly, professional tone that reflects the nurturing environment of your center. Use simple, conversational language and avoid jargon.
Tips for Writing Newsletter Copy:
- Be concise: Parents are busy — keep articles short and use bullet points for key details
- Speak directly to parents: Say “you” to make content more engaging. For instance, “Here’s how you can prepare your child for the upcoming field trip.”
- Use an encouraging voice: Maintain warmth and positivity while discussing policies or reminders
Example Headline Ideas:
- Excited for Spring? Check Out April’s Activities!
- How to Build a Bedtime Routine That Works for You
- Meet Ms. Elena, an Inspiring New Addition to Our Team
- Save the Date! Parent-Teacher Meeting This Friday
5. Distribute Effectively
Your newsletter won’t serve its purpose if parents don’t see it. Use multiple channels to ensure broad accessibility.
Best Distribution Channels:
- Digital Newsletters: Use child care management software to create professional, mobile-friendly emails.
- Hard Copies: For in-person distribution, print colorful copies to send home with children
- Parent Portals: Post newsletters on your center’s app or website for easy access
- Social Media: Share snippets of the newsletter on your center’s Facebook or Instagram accounts to spark interest
6. Ask for Feedback
Lastly, ensure your newsletter evolves to meet parents’ needs. Invite feedback on what they enjoy, what they’d like to see more of and how frequently they prefer receiving updates.
Example Feedback Questions:
- Which sections of our newsletter are most helpful to you?
- What additional information would you like to see in future newsletters?
Use this input to fine-tune your content and format.
Use Procare to Easily Send Newsletters!
A well-crafted newsletter is more than just a way to send updates — it’s a way to nurture relationships and build a stronger child care community. With relevant content, visual appeal and consistent communication, you’ll create something parents look forward to reading!
Make sending newsletters easier with Procare! Our drag-n-drop editor allows you to easily select from preset layout options. You can add image or texts boxes and arrange them as you would like.
You can choose to send your newsletter by email to every family who is enrolled in your early childhood education center, or narrow it to a class. Here’s another example: you could customize even further who would get the newsletter, such as only the families of children with food allergies who may need specific dietary information.
Procare also gives staff and families the ability to view upcoming schedules and calendars!
Easily manage every part of your child care business by letting Procare organize family information, track attendance, automate tuition collection and do more for you!
Procare has the solution that’s right for your center or program so you can focus on what matters most – the children in your care.
Calculate your potential cost and time savings by using Procare’s all-in-one child care management solution:
Procare Cost and Time Savings Calculator Automated Payment Processing Cost & Time Savings Calculator Digital Curriculum Cost and Time Savings Calculator
Calculate your potential cost and time savings by using Procare’s all-in-one child care management software. All we will need from you is some information about your child care location*: Calculate your potential cost and time savings by using Procare’s secure and effortless child care payment processing. All we will need from you is some information about your child care location*: Calculate your potential cost and time savings by using Procare’s classroom management. All we will need from you is some information about your child care location*:
* Our data model is based on our experience working with over 100,000 child care centers, before and after school programs and youth organizations since 1992.
Switching to will save you hours and a month!*
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We understand that smaller centers and in-home daycare providers are operating on a tight budget, and that is why we provide all these features for the affordable price of just $25 per month. Let us handle the business of child care so you can get back to caring for your children.
To learn more about Procare home version, click below.
*Please note that the report you see only factors in cost and time savings for the in-home solution features. For Procare home version users that are interested in seeing how they can benefit from Procare’s full suite of capabilities, contact us today to speak to a Procare representative. *Please note that the report you see only factors in cost and time savings for the in-home solution features. For Procare home version users that are interested in seeing how they can benefit from Procare’s full suite of capabilities, contact us today to speak to a Procare representative. *Please note that the classroom management functionality is not available for in-home users. For Procare home version users that are interested in seeing how they can benefit from Procare’s full suite of capabilities, contact us today to speak to a Procare representative.
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Procare Cost and Time Savings Calculator
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