Book Description

Because family child care providers operate out of private homes and are largely invisible to parents, they are faced with a special challenge when they try to market their programs. Based on the premise that there is no contradiction between offering a high-quality home-based child care program and marketing it as a business, this book focuses on family child care marketing or procedures for communicating the benefits of the program to parents who might use it. Directed toward both new providers and experienced professionals, this book teaches the basics of marketing to help maximize enrollment and income. The book discusses ways to market to prospective clients, including home appearance, handling phone calls and interviews, and offering special services. The guide also describes marketing to current clients, including communicating procedures, the use of a finder's fee, videotapes, and evaluations. The book presents both low-cost and high-cost ideas for marketing a program, ranging from Web sites, children's t-shirts, and an alumni magazine, to paid advertising. The book then identifies the key organizations to approach to assist with marketing, such as child care resource and referral agencies, community organizations, and child care regulators, and discusses how to set rates. It also offers suggestions for competing with a new child care center and with unregulated providers. Finally, the book offers ideas for evaluating the marketing plan. Samples of forms and checklists are appended. (KB)