In order to be successful you need to make sure that your provisions are presented in the most appealing light.
Parents these days want to know about the things their children will learn and the educational value being offered by your setting. They need to know that the fees they are paying are worth the expense, compared to leaving their child with a family member for instance. Therefore, it is a good idea to promote Early Years education and how your setting caters for this in your marketing material.
If you offer special activities like cooking, languages, sports, music etc. then these will add extra value to your service.
Depending on where you are situated in the country, parents may have different priorities. For example, if you are situated by the beach or by rivers and lakes and provide swimming lessons as part of your offering, then this could be a great selling point for some parents. This will give them peace of mind that their children are learning a valuable life skill while they are in your care.
If you are situated in a city metropolis and many of your customers live in flats or gardenless houses, then having pets, like hamsters, rabbits or even an aquarium at your setting could add additional value. Similarly, if you have a garden and allow children to grow vegetables which they wouldn’t ordinarily have the opportunity to do, then this could also attract some more parents.
Other ideas could be to have a designated kitchen to teach children about healthy eating and giving them the opportunity to cook; be it cupcakes, chocolate crispies, pancakes or simply sandwiches. Failing that, a child sized kitchenette with play food and equipment maybe just as appealing to visiting children, who’d love the opportunity to stay and roleplay.
Although under 5s cannot sit for long lengths of time ‘being taught’, a visible, well stocked reading corner, or small library (if costs permit) or even weekly trips to the local library, could be welcomed by parents.
In short the possibilities are endless, if you give it a little thought. If you are stuck for ideas, do a little research and find out what others are providing and see if any of these can be added to your provision easily, or if you can do things better.
But remember, your setting has to be appealing to both children and parents, so toys on display to play with, such as an accessible water tray, sand pit and the obligatory painting easel, or a garden area if possible, will always get lots of votes of confidence.
But remember, whatever you provide, the most crucial element when trying to attract prospective parents, are your smiling faces and friendly welcomes they receive from both yourself, the other children and/ or staff.
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