The holiday season is upon us, and even the most efficient, organized child care centers can face the disruptions that come with it. Schools close for an extended holiday break and working parents often find themselves juggling a million things. Finding a child care provider that fits their needs, as dictated by their altered schedule, is just another problem that needs solving.
Now is the time for you to consider the big picture and start preparing for the potential influx of temporary students during the upcoming holiday break.
Flexibility is absolutely essential. With temporary students under your care, your regular schedule might not apply and your staff might feel that strain. Staying in ratio during this spike in demand for child care is imperative, considering the potential penalties that come with failing to do so, and Procare can help keep your classroom organized. Managing your classroom and all of these moving parts that come along with it might call for the adoption of new activities and processes, even if they are just temporary.
Not only do the holidays present an immediate business opportunity, but your ability to exceed expectations when parents are put in a tight spot and deliver top-tier child care can be fruitful for the long term too.
3 Ways Child Care Centers Can Make the Most of the Holidays
Effectively managing your child care so that the experience is as good as it can be for parents and children who only get a glimpse of your operations can be the first step to new opportunities.
With this in mind, here are three key ways to use this as an opportunity and boost your business during the holiday break.
1. Go from Backup to Starter
It’s possible that the parents and children you are interacting with leading up to the holiday break might be first-time customers. This is your chance to make an impression and become their preferred provider. Maybe their normal daycare is full, or they found your center based on a friendly recommendation. Regardless, the holiday break is the perfect opportunity for you to grow your customer base and become the go-to for child care services for parents who are looking for a new option.
2. Showcase What Makes Your Child Care Center Unique
Taking on temporary students at your center during the holidays provides you with the opportunity to show what makes your brand of child care the best around. Ask yourself, what separates your center from the competition?
Use the holiday break as an opportunity to showcase your flexibility, the competency of your staff of providers, and the collection of hardware and software solutions that really make a difference. If the care is superb throughout this small window of time, you will increase the likelihood of returning customers during next year’s holidays, or even a new full-time student for your child care.
3. Develop Professional Relationships with Parents
Providing a safe environment for kids to learn and develop, even if just for a week, can be challenging if there is a lot of demand and limited space. Parents will be appreciative of any child care center that can reach their expectations, and the interactions that you and your staff have with the parents can bear fruit in the future. It’s important for the parents to have reason to trust that your care will be more than adequate.
Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool in the child care industry. Chatter about positive experiences with your center, especially if the parents are on a time crunch, can lead to new customers who want to learn more about what you do.
Final Thoughts
The holidays are hectic, and they bring new opportunities and challenges for your child care center. We understand that managing your center during the holidays, with your staff looking to spend time with family, can be a challenge on its own. However, we believe that putting in the time and effort to make sure that your center is flourishing during this stressful time will be worth it in the long run.
Learn about how Tuition Express from Procare Software can help support your child care center during the holidays and beyond.
