Doing everything wrong?!?

[Teagansmom]

Hi, I'm sorry it's been hard for you. I'm not sure where you are from but I myself have recently been through this after relocating to a new city. I do hand out my policy and handbook, I know it could be a pain but in the end I think it's worth it to get the right families in.
Have you tried setting up a website? I feel as though parents may think you take your business more seriously. When interviewing for my first spot I really emphasized how great it was for the first child as we had more one on one time to bond and adjust to our new situations. I found this helped a lot. Also let them know that you have other interviews lined up.

Good luck

[Lee-Bee]

I too am a teacher and an ECE. I opened in January. I started advertising last October and did many interviews before my first family registered (with 2 week deposit) in late November for a Feb start date. I am receiving about $15 a day more than the other daycare near me but have the education, experience and the facilities to draw in families willing to pay that much. After that first family sign on they rolled in much faster. It's painful in the early steps. How long have you been advertising and interviewing?

In the beginning focus on signing on one family. What can you do to get that first family to trust in you? That will be your biggest hurdle. Sell yourself and your daycare. It sucks, it's painful but you need to sell yourself. BUT you need to do it in a way that makes them trust you not makes them think you talk too much lol. Most of my families coming through commented on how the children were comfortable with me, how the kids connected with me. My interviewing skills are not perfect because I forget about the policy and I am on the floor playing...chatting with the parents about important things but the main point of my interviews was to have the parents see that the kids are comfortable with me and I am comfortable with them. The policies and nitty gritty details follow in emails and a second interview. I just wanted to win their hearts!