Interview advice

[sheila s]

I was wondering if anyone has any interview advice that can encourage potential parents to take a spot.
I have been in this business for 19years & families stay with me for at least 6 years.Recently I had 3 children leave (siblings) & have managed to fill one of the spots with a part timer.The trouble is I have been doing interviews( 4 in total) & nobody seems to want a place.
I am beginning to take it personally ,as in the past, I have always filled spots by referral only.I am not sure what I am doing wrong.My home is clean & safe,with a structured learning program,meal plan,tax receipts,contracts,e tc, etc.I am fully qualified & have lots of experience.I have put ads on web sites & flyers on mail boxes but can't seem to get anyone.Obviously something is going wrong at the interview process but I can't seem to pin point what.
A couple of times I have emailed parents back( to try & get feedback) but get ignored.I am not sure if it is because I have pets? (but I do tell people before they even come to my home), is my house is too clean?, am I too expensive ? is it,that I use my basement as the learning/play centre.?
PLEASE, somebody tell me where I am going wrong?It is driving me mad & have to admit causing me a lot of stress

[Spixie33]

That is a tough one. It drives me crazy to interview people and not hear back too. It usually means I check the phone or my email every 10 minutes for the next 5 days. I run through everything that was said in my mind and analyze what I forgot to say or didn't say.

I feel your pain.

Perhaps there are a lot of other daycares in your area and they are choosing to go with other providers?

Do you do a newsletter or something else that sets you apart from the competition that you can show the parents? Or do you have some sample crafts or learning activities that you can present during the interview to show what type of thing your program offers?

Ask them where they are at in terms of interviewing and when they will make their decision...Think of all the things that make your daycare great and then boast about them and toot your own horn about all the experience you have and that parents have always stayed with you from 1-6 year old and that you become a stable person in their child's life to get them ready to go out into the world.

The good news is that you are getting interviews. Soon you should find a good match. Everything happens for a reason so maybe the right family just hasn't come along yet.

[Momof4]

It's hard to answer your questions because I don't know much about you but if you have been in business for 19 years then you obviously run a great daycare. Do you have a resume with your current and maybe some past clients listed as references? I just signed on a new family and they told me that my current clients said such wonderful things about me that they were sure they were making the right decision to sign with me.

Do you have a website? Parents see lots of action shots and learn a lot about you from a website and are kind of pre-sold before they come for the interview. Do you prescreen and weed out people who won't match your hours, basic philosophies or other basics so you don't waste your time interviewing with people who are not a good match? Do you take charge of the interview from the beginning and exude confidence in your business and abilities? These are all things I've learned are really important for me.

Spixie had a good point that we should all find our strengths and our niche and add it to our advertisements and websites as our best selling points. Something that sets us apart from the next daycare down the road. For you, there is all of your experience, you should really stress the number of graduates who have gone through your daycare, with lots of good letters of references and happy pictures in a photo album if you don't have a website.

I also agree with Spixie that I don't chase clients but rather I keep interviewing until there are signed contracts in my hands. If you want to ask more questions, please do!

[momofnerds]

its been slow for me I did have an interview last week and first thing she said was that my house was clean, but I think when she read my contract and I asked for consistancy it scared her away. I don't think it has anything to do with you, I just think that people don't want to pay the price and don't want to sign contracts.

[Crayola kiddies]

Type your postal code in the home page of this site and you will see all the daycares with spots in your area ..... Look at their rates and how many spaces are available .... This will tell you if you rates are competitive and if they all have several spots open then it could just be a slow time .... Also look at their operating hours ... I open 15 mins earlier then anyone in my area and I have a waiting list .... The other ladies are right you have to find your niche .... Even if its just opening 15 mins earlier. ; )