Today, we’ll discuss the question many child care business owners asked themselves at some point: Should I close my daycare?

The question of whether you should close your child care or preschool program is probably one of the hardest questions you’ll have to ask yourself.

In addition to feeling a sense of sadness or guilt, you may feel physically tired and financially strained. Of course, you want to keep your child care business afloat…

But:

At the same time, if you’re struggling financially and can’t pay the bills, you might be wondering if it’s just best to cut your losses now.

Here’s the thing:

No one can make that decision for you and ultimately, only you can answer the question “Should I Close My Daycare?”

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In this day and age, nothing matters more to a business than its online presence. It doesn’t matter if you are running the greatest child care or preschool program in town with exceptional teachers and an outstanding curriculum, if no one can find you on the web. Whether you realize it or not, if you are not on the internet, then you are losing customers.

Why?

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A preschool open house is an invaluable marketing tool. It allows you to showcase your program and facilities and give parents a firsthand view of what you are doing at your center. It is also important that you make a great first impression as parents will judge you and your child care center or preschool based on that first visit. Here are 10 steps for organizing a successful child care center open house.

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This post was originally featured on the CareLuLu Parents blog

One of the most beautiful relationships in life is that of a child and his or her grandparent. Unfortunately, many children these days miss out on this special relationship due a diverse range of factors, including distance, and early loss of their grandparents. For nearly 25 years, Merritt Academy in Fairfax, Virginia has provided students with a unique opportunity to develop a special relationship with a “grandfriend” through our Seniors and Students Together Intergenerational Program.

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Offering a promotion is a great marketing tactic for any business, including a daycare or preschool. However, there are some important things to consider when running a promotion for a child care center. We will outline some of them in this article but, first things first, you might be asking…

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This post was featured on the CareLuLu parents blog

Being a preschool teacher is a tough job that doesn’t usually entail the type of social (let alone financial) respect it should. Throw in a demanding and sometimes fussy bunch of parents (and oh yeah, their kids) and you will find classrooms led by the few, the proud, the brave, the preschool teachers.

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Having a web presence and an online profile for your child care business is of the utmost importance. To put it simply – lack of an online presence (or an incomplete or negative presence) is business suicide in 2015. In our previous post describing how child care centers and preschools can get more enrollments, the first tip is to have an online presence!

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Newsletters are a very important form of communication between families and preschools. Many parents will get most of their information about your program, schedule, and classroom activities from your newsletter. A great newsletter is not hard to create, but it does take some time and planning. Here are 14 tips for making a great newsletter, specifically for child care and preschool programs:

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This post was originally featured on the CareLuLu Parents blog

My daughter was only 2 days old when her father left us. I was totally alone. My entire extended family lives outside of the United States and I wasn’t sure of my options. It was quite frightening.

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Local newspapers? Flyers? Open houses? Online ads?

No. No. No. And No. None of these are the secret to child care marketing.

To most child care providers and preschool directors, marketing seems enigmatic. If you are running a preschool or a family child care program, you may not have any formal business and marketing training. It is much more likely that your education and expertise are in early childhood education, child development, or family studies. And that’s a good thing!

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