Quote Originally Posted by 5 Little Monkeys View Post
For myself, I let parents know that I am a smaller group setting. They get the family home like environment and relationships but they also get a centre feel to it because my dc is in the basement with it's own kitchen, washroom, play room, naproom and a backyard for outside time. I also run my program like a mix of both....it's relaxed and nothing other than lunch and naptime is scheduled but we do have a fairly normal routine. Things like circle time, baking, art, story time, sensory play etc is all offered but it's not at set times every day.

Another thing I recently did to set myself apart was start a fb page for my dc. I was leery and hesitant to do so but so far it's working great.

I've had a spot open for about a month and a half and the not knowing when it's going to fill can be hard. Luckily I am okay financially for a bit. If it's still open in Jan/Feb I know it will fill then because I have an infant turning 2.

Ask your current families to spread the word as well as your friends and partner (if your married etc). Good luck!!
Unfortunately my home doesn't have a second floor. We also have a pretty routine day with circle, arts & crafts, book club, sensory experiences. Right now I have all 4 year olds with the exception of two children that will be turning 4 soon. My clients like the fact that they're all about the same age since I have a preschool program. I've found that parents will often pull their kids around the 3 year old mark as they would prefer their kids to be in more of a preschool environment and around kids more of their age rather than the babies and toddlers. We also have a pretty large outside play area. I had asked a few of my clients to use them as references. One of the moms only wanted to give me a reference if it was for an older child.
I haven't had a slow period like this for a while so I guess it's just one of those times I have to ride out. I'm also concerned that I'll be loosing most of my clients in September when they all go to Kindergarten.
I don't know, maybe I should accept out of schoolers again.