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In a rush? Here’s a quick breakdown:
*Please note: parents and families are used to encompass all caretakers and primary guardians.
Congratulations! Your center has been highly recommended by your currently enrolled families, or your neighborhood reputation is positive, or your marketing efforts are working! Either way – you’ve made your center desirable enough that a family has shown up to your open house, ready to see it all in action!
But, you’re not off the hook yet. They still haven’t enrolled. Face-to-face interactions are invaluable, and you don’t always get the opportunity to have them. So now’s the chance to really show why your families should choose your center.
If you want to stand out amongst the other childcare providers in your neighborhood, and make families choose to enroll in your center or preschool, your open house needs to be more than a simple tour, or more than just a meet-and-greet.
The open house at your childcare center should be an experience—one that feels welcoming, personal, and unforgettable. After all, It’s a famous saying for a reason: people don’t remember what you say, they remember how you made them feel.
Think of it as a mix between a community gathering, a behind-the-scenes tour, and a warm family welcome.
Here’s how to do it.
Plan your open house on a day when working families are available and that also fits the schedule of young children, like weekends and mid-mornings to avoid typical naptimes.
Before finalizing a date and time, poll your enrolled families to check their availability. After all, they are the best ambassadors for your center, as word-of-mouth goes a long way!
As you’ll see above, one aspect of creating a memorable open house is making it an engaging experience for the children giving them a chance to meet their potential new teachers. Plus, if you’re incorporating activities into the open house (more on this below), show your commitment to safety and compliance by having enough staff present to be in-ratio–even if the adults will also be participating in the activities. This will help parents feel more at ease, and show that your program is trustworthy.
Do you have a marketing or promotion strategy in place? Some common marketing tactics may include posting an update on your Facebook, Instagram, or website, posting flyers in local family-friendly spots, or even providing enrolled families with a flyer to hand out to friends that they know they’re looking for childcare. Of course, a mix of all the above is the best!
Pamphlets, brochures, and other marketing materials are helpful to have on the day of the open house so you can them out to prospective families Some programs even offer branded “swag” like stickers, magnets, and pens as a nice token of appreciation for families who attend (more on this below!).
Remember, if you’re going to give out any printed materials or gifts, give yourself plenty of time to order them and get them shipped to your program!
1) Trust and confidence
Childcare is the first time for many parents to leave their children for an extended period of time in the hands of another adult, who is technically a stranger. This is your chance to show that you and your staff are trustworthy, and to allow parents to leave confident that your center is fully committed to safety, well-being, and emotional support, in addition to teaching and learning.
In order to provide this trust and confidence, 2) transparency and openness is essential, and your open house is a great opportunity for just that. By providing a sneak peek into the day-to-day, your early childhood curriculum, your staff, your philosophy and your values, you are putting it all out on the table. Transparency is key in building trust with prospective parents.
3) A sense of belonging and community
Families aren’t just looking for a place to drop off their child for a couple of hours a couple days a week. They also want to feel a part of a community, with like-minded people who have similar values and dedication to teaching and supporting their little one’s social, emotional and academic growth and development.
That’s why the overall vibe and atmosphere of your center is so important. An open house allows parents to meet the staff and other families, offering a glimpse of the supportive community their child—and their family—will be part of.
A great way to prove your commitment to fostering a strong community is showing prospective families your childcare management software that has strong parent engagement features, like photos, videos, billing reminders, activity logs, calendar of events and all other updates. Plus, parents love how software like Famly can be accessed on a mobile app, and not only on a computer, so they can get the latest updates and those adorable photos no matter where they are!
Ok, so how do you throw an open house that allows families to trust you, be confident in your quality of care, and feel a sense of belonging?
Here are some top tips.
Families will form an opinion about your center within the first few minutes. Make those minutes count!
Remember to make sure to get names and contact information for the families that arrive who haven’t registered ahead of time. You can upload their information directly into Famly so it’s digitally stored and you won’t need to worry about losing track of a sticky note!
No one wants a generic walk-through with facts rattled off like a scripted presentation. Instead:
Arts and crafts make a perfect keepsake: Make one of the classroom “experience stations” an arts and crafts activity that children can bring home with them to hang on the fridge. Every time a family member looks at it, they’ll be reminded of your center.
Children can get fussy and distract families from truly experiencing the tour. Snacks are a great way to entertain kids, and make them happy when their tummies start growling.
Every family comes with different priorities—some are looking for a nurturing environment, others want a strong academic program. Show them how your center fits their needs.
The goal is for families to leave feeling excited and connected to your center. Key word: connected. So connected that they don’t want this to be goodbye, that they want to stay connected.
This is a simple, but easy way to add some fun to your open house. Create a theme to use throughout the event.
For example:
Theme: Little Explorers! 🔍🌳🧭
Tap into curiosity, adventure, and discovery—perfect for showcasing how your preschool helps children explore the world around them!
Incorporate it in your marketing and promotion:
At the event
After the event
And finally, we recommend taking a closer look at your enrollment process.
We hope that families love your open house and are ready to apply immediately. Have you made it easy for them to enroll? A complicated process might be just enough to deter them from going through with their application. No one wants to jump through hoops just to sign up!
A streamlined, user-friendly process with clear steps, online forms, and quick responses reduces frustration and makes a great first impression. And most importantly, when enrollment is simple, families can focus on what really matters—getting excited about joining your community!
Now, go plan an open house that families won’t stop talking about!
Please note: here at Famly we love sharing creative activities for you to try with the children at your setting, but you know them best. Take the time to consider adaptions you might need to make so these activities are accessible and developmentally appropriate for the children you work with. Just as you ordinarily would, conduct risk assessments for your children and your setting before undertaking new activities, and ensure you and your staff are following your own health and safety guidelines.
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