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Getting new children
I am having a difficult time finding children. I have put up postings at the library and around my end of town. Does anyone have any suggestions?
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I found almost all of my daycare kids thru my ad on kijiji. Nothing fancy, just offering home daycare, a little bit about myself and a brief example of care I can provide. No rate details or anything in this.
Good luck
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I think there are just very slow periods Annastasia
when I started I advertised for nearly 5 months with barely a nibble and 0 interviews. My family would call and sort of jokingly laugh and ask whether I had any luck. I felt like it would never happen. But things do sometimes pick up in spring, summer. Hopefully that is the case for you.
I also did signs, flyers, etc...,but in the end I found most people through this website. I got off kijiji because I got a lot of odd responses
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I found all my clients thru kijiji .....I got tons of responses mostly looking for cheap daycare(I'm average) or people with siblings wanting a major discount .... But eventually I filled all my spots and actually December was a busy month for me I had 7 interviews .... My ad now says next opening is sept and my email is still filling up .... I actually have an interview tonight for my sept space. I have also used "used Ottawa" and . Word of mouth has been helpful for me too. In the beginning I got two kids right away one part time and one full time (different families) and one b& a and then I waited for 10 months with no interviewsand then bang in dec I was overwhelmed ..... I have some great families .... So just be patient eventually it will come .... Sometimes parents are hesitant to be the first so that can be a challenge..... Put your name at the local schools and leave it with the school secretary... I know when I moved to Ottawa and I didn't know anybody I called the school and asked for a list of caregivers and that's how I found care for my then jk....also try opening a little earlier then home daycares close to you .... That worked for me too cause a lot of the daycares didn't open early enough to allow for their commute but unfortunately I have to get up at 6
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There are slow periods, it's true.
Once I found this website I thought the calls would come pouring in, not so. But like a couple others have said, I found everyone of my clients through kijiji or craigs list. You have to be on top of the posting though or it gets lost in a million others. I made it a habit to repost every morning including saturdays and sundays. This means you have to have two similar ads (as they won't let you repost the same one the second after you delete it). Just delete yesterdays and post the other one. You see better results.
Since march break is coming up, put up another post to offer care for that week. Temporary is better than nothing right?
Good luck!
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I forgot about doing this. . . .I was bold. . . . . I found ads on kijiji or craigs list for parents looking for nannys (just wanted child care, no housework) or 'companions' for their little ones for a few hours a few times a week. I emailed these people and proposed my daycare as an alternative. explaining that it was cheaper than a nanny and they would constantly have playmates around and such. I got my first two clients this way and quickly
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I too scoured the want ads on kijiji and replied to the ones that applied to me as well as the nanny ones cause I am in a small town and getting a nanny is difficult .... Actually I replied to one last fall and she ignored me ... I got an email two weeks ago from her asking me if I still had a spot .... Which I don't ....
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After reading that some of you have had such positive luck with filling spaces using kijiji - I put my ad back on last night.
Sure enough today I get yet another weird email and the only thing they want to know are
1- my fees, 2- whether i take vacation (What?) and 3- whether I take sick days
2 out of 3 of those questions I find to be very odd. doesn't everyone take some vacay during the span of a year and obviously no one plans to get sick
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They probably meant whether or not you charge for vacation and sick days...but still, not a good sign if those are their number one concerns! I have always had good luck with Kijiji though...most of my clients have come through it. Also, I am a member of CCPRN here in Ottawa...I've had quite a few inquiries through that.
Originally Posted by Spixie33
After reading that some of you have had such positive luck with filling spaces using kijiji - I put my ad back on last night.
Sure enough today I get yet another weird email and the only thing they want to know are
1- my fees, 2- whether i take vacation (What?) and 3- whether I take sick days
2 out of 3 of those questions I find to be very odd. doesn't everyone take some vacay during the span of a year and obviously no one plans to get sick
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I answer those questions just because you never know it may turn out to be a great lead.... The fee question I usually ask them some questions before giving out my fees.....cause "what do you charge is too vague" it's like asking how much is a car ....well it all depends on what hours they want how many days a week and so on .... I fell into that trap in my early days when I just answered the question and then I found out later they wanted to drop off before I opened and they were going to be the last pick up and it was for sporadic shifts each week .... So now I ask questions .... The serious ones will answer back and give lots of info and others won't reply at all ....I have never even had an Interview from daycare bear .... I had three calls only ...I have never been on Craig list ....
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