Five Tips to Having Excellent Communication in Your Daycare
by Christine Groth
One of the biggest reasons for parent dissatisfaction is lack of communication. It's
extremely important in any small business and especially in family daycare. Remember
daycare centers are taking care of a persons must valuable asset, their child. So it only
goes to show that a parent is concerned about the level and commitment of care that they
are receiving from a daycare provider. Communication is of such importance, not only does
it show that you care about your clients, but also that you are a professional in the
daycare industry.
1. When a parent comes at the end of the day to pick up their child, always start out a
conversation with positive information. If there is anything negative to say about a child
place that information in the middle of a conversation. So in other words, start with
positive comments, than negative, and always end in positive.
2. When interviewing parents for enrollment to your daycare, always ask many questions
regarding a families habits and patterns. What do they enjoy doing on weekend, what are
their concerns regarding childcare, what are they looking for? Really try to find out what
kind of family your customer is and what their needs are. Chances are you will be better
off filling their needs if you know who they are from the very beginning.
3. Establish your rules and guidelines from the beginning. Having a contract stating
your rules and regulations establishes a boundary in your business. So many times I hear
from other daycare owners that parents do not respect their wishes. From the start you
need to set the rules and boundaries, if you don't parents may take advantage of you.
4. Always give parents enough time and warning. If you plan on closing your daycare,
raising your prices, or making any type of change give your parents enough time. Many
people do not do well with change so it's always important to give them more than enough
time to make the appropriate changes.
5. Once a year do a survey in your daycare. Find out if your parents are happy and what
kind of improvements they are looking for. The more information you find out about your
parents and what they want the better off you will be. Make sure that the survey is
anonymous so that parents are not afraid to tell you their thoughts and opinions.
©CG Groth Inc. 2006 The "Daycare Diva", Christine G. Groth, is the creator of "The
Guide to Instant Daycare Profits". To learn more about this step-by-step program and to
sign-up for her FREE "How to Start a Daycare" tips and articles, visit Experts at Daycare
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