Trouble finding clients

After working in Daycare centres for 12 years I have decided to start a private day home so that I can be home with my two year old son. I thought that with my background in Montessori education as well as my credentials that I would have no problem filling all of my spaces (5) right away. My home is very clean and we are in a good neighbourhood. We do daily trips to the park, I offer two meals and two snacks using organic produce. I have a Montessori program in the mornings and a play based program in the afternoons to give the best of both worlds. My rates are comparable to other day homes yet I feel that I am offering parents a lot more than they would get elsewhere. I do not have a lot of references as the job I had left was under bad circumstances, (they were under investigation and I had to report them for infractions, abusive staff and for not paying the employees their government wage top up) The place I worked before that place I was let go do to an extended illness so I can't use them either.
Im frustrated and don't know what to do. I only have one family and the parents are really picky and seem to find fault for the dumbest things. (separation anxiety for example) they pay late and I have to remind them, when I asked which days they wanted for august they told me we will have to see because we don't know what we are doing yet! which I take to mean they are not happy and want to move their kids. I am so bummed out because I love my job as an early childhood educator but I also love being with my son. This day home has to work because my little guy can't handle daycares (he has a weak immune system and does better at home) any insight would be appreciated!

Are you with an agency? I just responded to a post of yours and, if I recall, you're in Alberta? If you're not, with the low fees, I'd be inclined to give them a shot, just to get the ball rolling. It can be hard getting clients at the beginning as it's a catch 22 - parents want other children for their little one to socialize with, but you can't offer that till someone comes on board. You could try a reduced rate for the first couple of clients, then increase for the ones to follow. So far as the clients you have now, they sound like the ones most of us red flag at interviews. As soon as you get someone signed on..or a couple even....get rid of them. They'll drive you nuts for the duration of time with you.

Hope it gets better soon!

Hi! I'm also a Montessori teacher running a home based that sounds very similar to yours! As cfred said, starting up can take a while. I started with one child (a nephew of a friend) but it took a while to find more. It gets easier to find clients once your name is known. How do you do your advertising? I find that some people are very excited about an educational environment but, really, there are tons of people who don't know what Montessori is or who have heard misinformation and don't investigate further. When I find that I need to do some heavy duty advertising, I put up a few ads. Some I might headline "Montessori Preschool and Daycare" and some I might headline "Educational and Fun Home Daycare". Just because different people look for different things when shopping around. My ads then direct people to my website where I explain who I am and what I do. For me, this has been working quite well.

what if you take the word "Montessori" out of everything and see if that helps. People might not know what it is (I didn't) and it could be scaring people away.

As for the family you have that is paying late and not giving you a schedule - get firm. Do not allow it to happen

Make sure your ad does not say "new daycare" just opening or 5 spots open. do not give any information to lead parents to believe you are new (until they ask). People want a stable, smoothly running daycare 'new' is not a selling feature.

I always only advertised one space opening. Was true, implies you were otherwise full and that the spot was opening in the future when a current child left. I also never advertised "available immediately" why would a solid daycare have an empty space? why didn't they prefill it...did a family leave suddenly due to a problem with the daycare?

give a start date at least 2 weeks away, a month is good. most good families look for care in advance not last minute so you shouldn't lose any families,

also, I had numerous VERY different kijiji ads out at the same time (linked to different email accounts so they can't see other ads) cater one to the Montessori to draw in the families aware of it. cater another to moms on mat leave etc...capture different audiences.

I do post multiple adds, both montessori and regular. I can't go with an agency as we do not have a fenced yard and when I talked to them they told me that was a must have. once we buy our own house I will be going with an agency. I never disclose how many spots I have. I have had lots of interviews and for the most part they seem to go over well. A few people have left unimpressed but for the most part people seemed happy and have taken my forms and handbook. I also offer a sibling discount which I am thinking of getting rid of as i only make $50/day for the two i have and they are part time. I did get another boy today but he is only 10 days a month so it is really slow going. I have a feeling my first family is going to leave without notice anyway for the first as they have yet to give me a schedule and have been a little wishy washy.
Hopefully this gets easier

What is it that they seem unimpressed by? Maybe that is a sign you need to make some changes to your setup and program.

Oh one family was unimpressed that the daycare children nap in the livingroom (I like to keep an eye on the children at all times) my yard is not fully fenced though we have a gated park right across the street (not even a busy street either) some think I am to expensive ($35/day and you only pay for days your child attends) others do not like that I hve guinea pigs and that the children are allowed to feed them (I clean their cage every 2-3 days so they are not dirty, smelly animals) others dont like that I dont have all my stuff in one space. We have a main playroom for the toys and Montessori materials however we so messy play in my kitchen. All of these things are really small nit picky stuff that I as a parent looking for care wouldnt even consider a big deal.

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Originally Posted by Montessori-Mom

Oh one family was unimpressed that the daycare children nap in the livingroom (I like to keep an eye on the children at all times) my yard is not fully fenced though we have a gated park right across the street (not even a busy street either) some think I am to expensive ($35/day and you only pay for days your child attends) others do not like that I hve guinea pigs and that the children are allowed to feed them (I clean their cage every 2-3 days so they are not dirty, smelly animals) others dont like that I dont have all my stuff in one space. We have a main playroom for the toys and Montessori materials however we so messy play in my kitchen. All of these things are really small nit picky stuff that I as a parent looking for care wouldnt even consider a big deal.

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So if you are having trouble filling spots, why not take what you have learned from parents as constructive criticism. One of the first things I did when preparing for opening my daycare was to finish enclosing our yard so that it was fully fenced (it was only partially fenced) - you can claim the expense on your income taxes. I have a large park across the street from my house as well, but I still needed a fenced yard. I might also change your pet policy, if parents are turned off by the guinea pigs then maybe they shouldn't be accessible to the daycare kids. I know lots of people who would prefer a pet free daycare environment (you need to tell the parents you have them, but that they are kept separate from the daycare area). I like animals, but would prefer a pet free environment if I were sending my girls to a daycare - no concerns about being scratched/bitten/cleanliness of the daycare space due to animal excrement or shedding hair. Just cuz you love them doesn't mean everyone else does.

As for not having all your stuff in one place, not much you can do about that. It is one of the differences between a daycare centre and a home daycare environment. Maybe just look at your space and make sure it is organized in the most appealing way you can. Look up pictures on the internet for inspiration.

I fully agree with AmandaKDT and the others in that you need to approach things a bit differently. Yes you feel you are offering so much, but perhaps you are offering too much. If someone is less expensive and seems to have it all, it doesn't always add up for a prospective family. I also would not have the animals around the daycare area as guinea pigs are one of those animals that people either love or hate. And def enclose the yard. And maybe move the sleeping area and buy a video monitor so you can still see the ones that are napping but it will not intrude on any children who are awake. I'd also drop the Montessori title. Most people have no idea what that means.
I just opened my own home day care too (back in May) and live in a small townhouse with a tiny yard and not a large play area inside and have taken every meeting as a chance to change if needed. Good luck!

One thing I would suggest is to look at some of the other daycares near you - put your postal code into daycarebear or look on kijiji for your area. You want to get a sense of how others are setting things up as that is what parents will be comparing you to. I totally understand the Montessori concept and around here a Montessori preschool is preferred by many parents. However for those that don't understand the philosophy they see things as too minimalistic and simplistic. Make sure that things are mixed or explain your day differently in the sense that if they only have Montessori in the morning and nap all afternoon parents might wonder when they get to play with the toys. Show all that you have but emphasize the access to Montessori approved activities and maybe include a page of info to explain the philosophy in your handout and how you incorporate it into your program. Basically in most areas it is not a draw or a deterrent as parents honestly don't really care. They care about price, location, hours pretty much in that order.

It can take a long time to get started so do hang in there. I would not mention why you have decided to stay home with your child as again that might be deterring families that think oh medical needs = medical appointments = needs time off.

Forget the bad fault finding client.. I'd be happy to see the back of ones like that to be honest and less forgiving if they don't pay up on time, that's why I only accept advance payment (I am starting out on home day care from home, but did care away from home in others homes when my son was a baby and at that time I only took payments at the start of the day of care every time, and told them so beforehand so they knew up front, didn't have a problem as a result. I think as long as you are competitively priced to day care centres you'll be attractive as a minder, and definitely as a montessori educator too, my son started in those settings and I think they're the best for younger children to be honest.. Just set up a contract (I posted one that others fed back on) so read that to get an idea, may help you, good luck and don't take any crap from anyone is my advice, get rid instead, never mind them messing you around don't even wait for that to happen. Be firm, not soft and stick to your decisions, otherwise people will take advantage and walk over you as that family sounds like they did or are doing. I'd be proactive and say goodbye rather than wait for them to do so ;) Make you feel better not them in these instances, doesn't sound like they care much about you, and you are a necessity end of the day, I didn't find it easy finding good care for my son apart from Montessori's and the minder he has now when I do mostly 2 nightshifts a week on average in my nursing job.

Try advertising on local bulletin boards. I have had families from this way of advertising and it's usually free.