10 Core Values Your Childcare Facility Needs to Increase Enrollment
As a parent, you always want peace of mind when it comes to your children. There are basic values you want them to be surrounded by and soak up when you’re not around to teach them. Working parents utilize childcare on a daily basis and each of those parents wants what’s best for their child. As a child care facility, there are some core values that will increase your enrollment when you incorporate them. Let’s break down 10 of those values. HONESTY In all aspects of life, honesty is the best policy. This is no different in your line of work. Always being honest with parents about their children will make them feel comfortable with your facility. Keeping parents aware of any situations that arise and how their child is doing gives them confidence in your abilities. Peace of mind is the number one value to a parent looking for quality childcare. ACCOUNTABILITY Being proud of your work and taking responsibility for the things you do are necessary for child care providers. Setting goals for yourself, your staff, and the children will lead to success. Teaching children responsibility for their choices will be a trait they can foster for their entire lives. Taking responsibility for your actions and encouraging your employees to do so as well will keep the work environment honest and friendly. SAFETY Safety is key when working with kids. Having the proper credentials for emergencies and being up to date on CPR and First Aid will draw families to your facility. Children should also feel safe in your facility, physically and mentally. With this value, you can keep children and parents at ease, most likely leading to repeat business. COMMUNICATION Communication ties in with a few of the other values. Communication includes keeping your parents updated on what’s going on with their kids and keeping your staff informed of anything that changes in operations. EQUALITY In life, we all come into contact with people of all different backgrounds and ethnicities. So, making sure that your facility fosters equality for everyone working and attending is a great core value. This can also mean educating children about different kinds of people, showing parents and employees that everyone is treated the same regardless of where they come from or their background will prove to be a successful tactic. PATIENCE Children require many things to grow up to be a well-rounded adult. Learning patience will serve them well for their entire lives. As a child care provider, having patience with children is crucial. Children learn what they see and seeing an adult have patience and understanding with them on a regular basis will definitely be a positive trait for them to learn. Children thrive on positive reinforcement and that goes hand in hand with patience. RESPECT Respect, again, ties in with a lot of the other values. Demonstrating respect within the workplace and with parents will increase enrollment because, at the end of the day, we all want respect from each other. Respect is a mutual agreement. Showing a parent respect is a core value that will give them peace of mind that their child is in a safe space. Children should also be recipients of respect. If you give it, you should receive it and vice versa. EDUCATION Choosing to be a facility that values education will also increase enrollment because parents will feel more comfortable leaving their children in your facilities’ care if they know their child will be receiving a good education. Any curriculum should be well rounded and age-appropriate. Educational supplies and materials don’t have to be overly complicated or expensive. Remember to work with what you have and make it enjoyable! FUN Any environment with kids should definitely have elements of fun. Parents want to know that their children will have a great time during their time at your childcare center. The internet is your best asset when it comes to simple games, experiments, songs, etc that kids will love! TEAMWORK A child care center has to run like a well-oiled machine. Everyone has a role to play and they should play it well. Being organized with your records, having an open-door policy with your employees when it comes to ideas and suggestions, and having a schedule that parents can collaborate on can all be very successful tools. Make sure that you’re hiring the people who value teamwork by checking out my ebook on hiring and firing.
These 10 values will help you navigate life, in general, but they will also help increase your enrollment, lead to repeat business, and FREE word of mouth advertising. Being successful in the child care business means that you have to keep your parents comfortable and involved. Having morals and values in your facility makes it easier for children to pick up on those practices as well. Which core value is most present in your center?
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