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I have been looking for new clients for my home daycare for the past 2 months but haven't got any solid commitments, i have had a few calls, made appointments but they were a no show. How do I go about getting myself more out there to these parents.
Regards
Dorean
:)
It always helps when asking a question to indicate your province or area as those from that area might have some more local suggestions.
But most of my clients that have not been referrals from current clients came from internet connections. I have ads on daycare bear, kijiji, usedottawa - check the site for something similar in your area as there are other cities listed on the website and godaycare. I have never had any luck with Craig's list and in fact had some negative contacts from there so don't use it anymore.
Kijiji has been the best for me but another thing I found is that your ad gets buried very quickly. keep a daily watch on your add and once it has moved beyond page three remove your ad and re place with a new one making sure to change the words in the title. The idea is to keep your ad visible to parents that haven't figured out the search option and are simply scrolling the ads and contacting anyone that looks like a possibility.
Do not be discouraged. It can take several months to get clients. Getting that first one is the hardest as most parents don't want to take the chance on something unproven and rely on the fact other parents are using a particular daycare as part of their selection process. Sometimes being willing to take a child part time just to have a child in care helps to get you started.
Somme have also said to avoid putting anything in your ad that indicates that you are new or just starting out.
Sometimes it takes a while to get going, up to a year or more for some of us before we have a great bunch of families in care. Playfelt gave you great advice but I also advertise on godaycare.com and I have friends who work at the hospital and large companies advertise for me on their interal computer systems. Good luck!
Thank you so much for the encouragement guys, will try your ideas.
Have you advertised on this site, btw?Quote:
Originally Posted by doreanb
Do you have access to mom groups in your area - or better yet, do you know of any moms that belong to one? Ask them to refer your daycare. I got employment as a nanny that way with my employer advertising me in her mom group. I'm counting on my two current employers to help me when my daycare opens.
Do you belong to any group(s), including a church? You can ask them to refer you.