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Like
any successful business, you must market your skills and program
to potential clients. The more professional your approach,
the more serious you will be taken. Childcare providers are
often compared with "babysitters" which is a bone
of contention for many providers. Childcare is a chosen profession
for many. As part of the professional development, providers
are required to participate in training programs annually
to maintain their licensing credentials.
To
market your childcare business, the following are some examples
to guide you through the process:
1)
Name your Childcare. Select a
name that is unique and can positively identify your business.
It is advisable to check with the local Resource and Referral
in your area to make sure that nobody else has the same childcare
name.
2)
Design a logo. It should be child
friendly. You would be surprised how a child friendly logo
will create a positive image for your business.
3)
Print business cards, letterhead, and
brochures. This can be done rather inexpensively on
your home computer. Keep in mind that the more professional
your image, the more your business is going to be taken seriously.
4)
Prepare contracts, forms and other informational
hand outs to give to prospective
clients. A neat and organized presentation will set
you apart from other businesses.
5)
Dress for Success! Just because
you are a childcare provider doesn't mean that you can dress
like a slob. :) Dressing appropriately for childcare is as
important as anything else. Being clean and neat in appearance
is important to set an example to the children in your care,
but it also sends a message to the clients that you are professional
and you take pride in what you do.
6)
Pass out business cards at community
functions, school and even at the supermarket. Ask your neighbors
and friends to pass them out as well.
7)
Create and hand out flyers to
the secretary at the local elementary school or the library
bulletin board. Please make sure you ask permission to hang
your flyers up first. Many businesses have a bulletin board
to post announcements, that would be a great place to hang
your flyer.
8)
Contact your local Childcare Resource
and Referral and provide them with your contact information.
9)
Have a sign made for the outside of
your home. Chances are you can find a company near
you that will make you a sign inexpensively. You would be
surprized how many people would see that sign driving by.
When I provided childcare back home in Washington, I had a
very bright and cheerful pink sign. It was designed in 2 pieces.
One larger piece was the main logo and childcare name. The
second piece was designed to turn on either side with the
words Openings or No Openings. That sign was one of the best
marketing investments I ever made.
10)
One final tip.... this might be something you can consider
after you get your business established and that is to have
t-shirts printed with your business name and logo on them.
You can generally locate a silk screener that will make t-shirts
for a few dollars a shirt. In the past I had hot pink shirts
with the daycare logo on them for the children to wear on
field trips. We were easily spotted, and worked great for
safety reasons as well at crowded parks because nobody could
mistaken our group.
If
you have any questions about marketing your daycare business,
please feel free to EMAIL
me with your questions. I have ideas for marketing all the
time, but I didn't list them all here.
Childcare
Module
Marketing
Your Childcare Business
Marketing
Your Home Daycare
© 2001 Danielle Westvang All Rights Reserved
Welcome to the Childcare Resource :: Marketing
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