I am operating a childcare centre n kindergarten but business is slow. what should i do? how do i revive it?

Question

8yrs business. parents prefer to sent their children elsewhere rather than here eventhough its convinient and teachers are trained just because its cheaper outhere. Currently i am charging rm180 with lunch for half day and rm 400 for full day childcare n kindregarten. I really dont know wat to do?

Answer 1

dear madam,

what you should :-

1. survey surrounding price at every  childcare centre n kindergarden.

2. compare your place and others what make their place more attractive than your place

3. teaching method. try learn Smartreader, or other famous kindergarden teaching method.

4. check how your staff handling kids at your place.

5. do questionaire with parent to find your weakness and try to improve it.

thank you.

Answer 2

It's hard to suggest changes without seeing the program or knowing more about it, but a few idea:

Have a clear vision of the image you want your school to project and make sure all aspects of your program project that.  Not just the classrooms but the entryway and common areas should be safe, clean, and inviting.  Bulletin boards should contain pertinent Parent Info, not old notices and coupons.  Website, answering machine message, etc should all reflect your professionalism as an early childhood expert.

Make sure you have an efficient system for answering the phone, taking messages, and following up with thse who are interested in the program.  

Think about offering expanded services- sounds counter-intuitive, I know, but you may be able to attract more families if you have longer hours or provide before and after school care for older siblings.

Think about inviting in high-quality outside teachers/groups for extracurricular lessons.  This way you may be able to offer foreign language or art classes, which may attract more families.  Or, you could think about renting out your space on weekends or evening for this purpose, which may generate extra revenue.

Finally, make sure you have a strong program with professional, well-trained staff and follow (at the minimum) all basic required procedures.  None of the rest of it matters if the children aren't getting excellent education and care.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

Hmm, I have a few ideas that may work...to at least spread public awareness of your childcare centre...

There's several ideas I have but the first would be to have printed (if you haven't already) attractive glossy business cards, one day I was given one and I called them just because of how professional it was presented on the card. I'd then ask local businesses if they would allow my cards to be placed there for the public...for example, local libraries, YMCA, even Pediatrician offices may allow it...imagine the traffic of parents and children there?!

I would also advertise, depending on your budget, in local neighborhood flyers like the penny saver.

Another idea is to go to the Chamber of Commerce in your area and ask if you could provide them a certain quantity of your business cards to put into their welcome brochures.

I would maybe take out a good size ad in the phone directory.

I also would perhaps call to your school district itself and offer your business as a reference for parents looking for after school activities for their children?

Another idea would be to make attractive flyers that you could pass around to your friends who may be able to pass them along to coworkers or others...just even word of mouth might is good too.

Btw..do you currently have any special needs children?

Because your local Regional Centre would be able to refer these children to you.

Hope this helps

Goodluck~

Answer 4

1) Think large for the long term, but think small in the beginning. Start your business by contacting people that you know ( friends, family, neighbors etc. ). Let these people know that you are in business, and explain to them what a convenient service you provide.

(2) Network your subscription business as a fund-raiser. Contact local schools, churches, civic groups etc. who want to raise money for their organization and keep a percentage of sales as your profit.

(3) Take advantage of any gift giving occasion ( holidays, birthdays, engagements, graduations, etc.) Keep a log of all special occasions for your customers.

(4) Contact local business who having waiting areas (family doctor, pediatrician, dentist, beautician, mechanics etc.) This is an excellent opportunity for you to offer your service at little or no additional cost to the customer.

(5) Ask existing customers for referrals. Most businesses get their start this way. For example: Your beautician built his or her client base from referrals of existing customers. Word of mouth is the most powerful form of advertisement.

(6) Contact your local Chamber of Commerce to get a listing of businesses ( and their address / Phone Number) in your area. Write a letter of introduction, or use our suggested letter of introduction, to contact them. There may be a small fee to get this list.

(7) Contact large businesses in your area.

(8) Keep updates on new residents in your area. Write a letter to welcome them to the community and tell them about your service. Form a business relationship with a local company that deals with major purchases ( real estate brokers, car salesman ).

(9) Build relationships with your customers. Follow up with existing customers on a regular basis ( every 3 mos. ) . And there are NO problems. Hint: Customers follow up is crucial to your business. If you do not follow up, your credibility can be destroyed. If you only call your customers once a year (when it is time to renew ), they will be less likely to renew through you if there have been problems and you were not available to handle them throughout the year.

Answer 5

I think the best thing to revitalize your business would be to have an open house. Pick a day and night( so that way you can get parents that work at both times) show off your program. You can show the curriculum you offer, the kids art and craft projects, and have your current enrollees there as a reference point to possible new students. I would also contact the local schools and ask if you could drop off flyers advertising your daycare. You might also want to consider locating local mom groups and see if you could go to one of there meetings and talk about your program. Finally, maybe offer your current enrollees an incentive to refer new enrollments. Hope this helps.