Any one have any marketing ideas for a preschool center?

Question

Any one have any marketing ideas for a preschool center?

Answer 1

Flyers can be done really cheaply by simply being creative with Microsoft Word and some clipart.  Use cool fonts, too.  All you need to do is copy your resulting flyer onto some colored paper.

Contact the local school districts where your preschool is and see if you can pass out flyers to the students.  They may only ask that you send them enough copies of your flyer to cover entires schools.  Chances are many of these students have younger siblings.  

Also, take a basket of candy with lots of business cards to places like public school front offices, maternity wards, and other such places when you ask them to hand out your flyers.  You may be getting the administrative assistants and nurses to market for you a little by just giving them a treat.

Answer 2

I work in a community-run pre-school and we have very limited funds for marketing. What we have done is produce flyers (using a home-p.c) and place them in town in strategic places - health centre, library, leisure centre, local primary school noticeboards etc...They are very basic, just our name, opening times/days, cost, the age-range of our children and some of our plus-points - we take children in nappies and only offer healthy snacks.We ran off about 30 of these A5 size.

We offer parents the chance to 'stay and play' whereby they call us to arrange a morning to come in with their child(ren) and check us out. They can come back several times if they want to.

This works because we have nothing to hide behind! If people don't like our set-up, they will know straight away. We can answer any questions they may have and they get to see exactly what we do in session and how happy the kids are. Since we started doing this we have doubled our numbers on roll. Everyone who has come for a visit has signed up.

Its a great way to spread the word in your local area and its free. We have really turned our reputation around because people can see for themselves what we do.

Answer 3

Sure!  How limited is your budget?  If you have some available funds, you can always create a great brochure or flyer and distribute them in places where young mothers or expectant mothers visit - doctors offices, maternity stores, toy stores.  The smaller private stores like to be viewed as references and will allow you to put small amounts of flyers at the checkout counters.

Your public library also allows these types of free promtional services.  Athletic clubs, recreational centers, churches are also a few places where information can be stored.

Great free publicity is to offer your services as an advice expert for local newspapers or magazines about educating pre-skoolers.  Moms are always looking for tips on things like potty training.  And the newspapers and radio stations reach hundreds.

These are just a few ideas.  Hope you can use them.

Answer 4

FYI... I saw a great idea for marketing a preschool.  The school is called footprints and the sign on the building uses two huge footprints as the o's.  It's different and therefore caught my eye.  Check it out...

Don't be afraid to try something different.  Look up other preschools and see what ideas you can get.

Answer 5

Realtors in your area are your best friends.  If you have a parent that is one, give them brochures if they're interested.  Many times, they get people moving in from out of town asking about a good school to send their children to.

One school I worked at received MANY students this way.

Matt

Answer 6

The flyers are great ideas.  They can be printed up really cheap.  You could also put them on cars in parking lots.  Now, I admit I always get annoyed when I get one of those, but it's usually because something I could care less about.  But if you put them on cars in a parking lot of a store that caters to your demographic you should have better luck.  

You could also put a posting on Craigs List under the child care section.  That is free.  

If your center is near a road you could have a huge sign made and put up near the road for passer-bys to see.  I always stare at huge signs on the road.  

Word of mouth is really the best!  Moms talk to other moms.  If you have a good center then your current families will tell other families.