Advertising Tips for Home Daycare

Need advertising tips for home daycare?

So you’ve thought about the pros and cons of doing daycare, created your contract, got required certifications, & figured out what to charge but now that you are ready to start enrolling kids where do you start?

Finding clients can be one of the hardest parts of starting any business, especially when it comes to opening a family child care program in your home.  Not only because are you opening your home, your family’s personal space, but also because you are offing care for what’s most precious to someone, their child.

Advertising Tips for Home Daycare Providers

One of the most important advertising tips for home daycare that I like to tell people is that it takes time to find the right clients. Especially the first one or two clients. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get a bunch of inquiries right away. It’s also important to remember that not every family that emails you will be a perfect fit. Use your interviews to find the family that fits with your program the most. Don’t accept clients you don’t feel comfortable with just to fill spots. 

Now onto the advertising tips for home daycare! 

There are several options for providers to use for advertising their home daycare:

• Craigslist
• Care.com
• SitterCity.com
• Facebook
• Vistaprint Marketing
• Word of mouth
• Local referral agencies
• Family & friends
• Leaving business cards at local children’s venues (clothing stores, activity centers, coffee shops)

I’ve tried all the above except Vistaprint Marketing. I honestly have to say the only ones that have really worked *for me* are Craigslist, Facebook, and word of mouth. With the majority of my clients coming from word of mouth referrals.

Never once have I gotten anyone that wants more than drop-in care from Care.com or SitterCity.  Many providers that I know have also advertised in these same locations but had no success. I have nothing against these sites and I think they could be a great resource for parents and providers but in my opinion, these sites are really more aimed at helping parents find the occasional babysitter, not an actual full-time provider.  That said it’s been a few years since I’ve tried them so maybe their formats have changed.

Facebook

In recent years this has really become more popular among daycare providers. You can create a Facebook page for your daycare and target specific demographics of people to see your posts. You can also promote your daycare with Facebook ads or by posting in local daycare or mom’s groups. I have a public Facebook page for my daycare where I post photos of my space and picture of the activities or crafts that we do. That is the page that I use for advertising and marketing purposes more than connecting with my current parents, I have a private Facebook group for that. I do have a set of rules for using social media to help navigate how to use it beyond advertising. 

One thing to note is that Facebook generally will not approve Facebook Ads for your home daycare business. Currently, they do not allow for paid ads on “service” businesses, which they define home daycare. You can still get your ads approved, you just have to be very careful about how you word your ad if you want to advertise that way.

Children of friends and family

When it comes to family and friends I tend to avoid these situations. The old saying about not mixing family or friends and business has been coined for a reason. Family and friends know you on a personal, non-professional, level and that can affect your business relationship.  

What happens if they pay late or don’t follow your policies? Will you be able to enforce it and be firm with them? Or will you worry about the relationship you have with them and let it slide?

The fact is that a lot of people seem to forget is that this is your business. It’s how you pay your bills and provide for your family, it’s not a hobby. It’s also very common for friends and family to expect you to be more flexible or give them special treatment.

Craiglist advertising tips

Since Craigslist is my main avenue for advertising I’ve spent a bit of time analyzing my ads and what works or doesn’t.  Although I do use Craigslist with success, I will say that you have to be very careful when using Craigslist. Sometimes it seems like there are more scammers than there are actually legit inquiries.

Here are a few tips that I recommend when using Craigslist (and other sites too):

• Never include a phone number or email address
• Use the anonymous address option for people to reply to
• Create an email address for your daycare, do not use your personal one! I’m paranoid (and hate spam!) so I even created a second email address for my program that I use just for my daycare Craigslist posts.
• Never include your exact physical address
• Do not include personal information

I know it sounds like you are taking out the bulk of what people want to know but honestly, you aren’t. Craigslist scams are rampant and you have to protect your information. Real people will make an effort to contact you.

It’s amazing to me but I frequently see ads on my local Craigslist where they list so much personal information it’s scary! They give away details of their family (names and personalities, employers, church, activities), location with times when they aren’t home, photos, cell phone numbers, personal email addresses… the list goes on and on. I know you’re thinking I’m paranoid but really craigslist has no regulation. I want the parents, children, and my family to feel safe.

What not to post in ads:  (most are real ads – details changed 😎)

“My name is Jane Doe and I am located at 123 Smith Drive. I’m married to my husband Joe and have 2 amazing children (Susie and Johnny) and a super friendly dog named Spot! We attend 1st Street Church, Susie takes dance at ABC Ballet school,  and Johnny plays on the Bad News Bears T-ball team!!” with a family portrait attached often- Way too much personal info! Protect your kid’s safety and privacy!

“I am located at 123 Sesame ST …. I don’t provide weekend care as we are usually out of the house doing things as a family” -hmmm… “Here’s my address and when we won’t be home”

“You can call or text me anytime at 867-5309 or email me at Sexykitten1@email.com” -Don’t use personal emails, especially if they aren’t professional sounding. Make one for your business.

Other things that will turn potential clients off:

“U need babysitter? Hit me up! Cheap rates! TTYL” –Text speak and “cheap” should ever be in your ads.

“hi im Jenny 21 yrs old got experience with kids any ages im available any days anytimes even weekend you call me.” -ads should be clear and spell checked.

“Cash only” -No tax information will be provided at the end of the year.

“I need money so I’m offering low rates.” -Please don’t say this. 

“Any time, any day, any age! Lots of kids for your child to interact and play with while doing fun stuff I offer them!” -Clients will think you are desperate for money and most likely over legal ratios.

What you should post in ads

There are some important things that you should include when advertising your home daycare. Things that make your daycare look attractive to new clients. 

• Hours of operation
• Ages you accept 
• Your experience/education
• What makes your program unique 
• Photos of your space 
  • Clean/organized, no kids in the space
• Activity photos
• Craft photos
• Outdoor space
• A professional photo of yourself (if you feel comfortable)

It’s important that all your photos are not blurry and that your space is clean and organized. Your photos are the first thing potential clients will see. Make sure that they are clear and professional. Personally, I never post photos of children in my care unless it doesn’t show their faces. 

Focus on what makes your program unique from other home daycares in your area. Are you play-based? a Preschool program? Montessori-inspired? Organic? Field trips? Do you have any education in a related field or years of experience? Anything that makes your program stand out is something to highlight in your ads.

Important advertising tips for home daycare

Please spell-check your ads! Nothing looks more unprofessional than an ad riddled with spelling errors! And definitely no sexy/racy “selfies” or “duck face” photos. These are not personal ads and if you want your business to be taken seriously you have to present it professionally.

When replying to email inquiries go with your gut.  If something just doesn’t feel right don’t waste your time replying only to end up with an inbox full of spam.

I never reply to emails that have the following:

• Lots of misspelled or misplaced words.
• The person says they are out of town or out of the country.
• Wants to pay a large lump sum prior to services starting via money order.
• The email is (or contains) a long string of random numbers or letters.  These are auto-generated emails that spammers use, something like dsafjsdvbi@email.com.
• If they list another email (generally with a string of numbers/letters) for you to reply to.
• They only ask personal/financial questions.
• The email itself contains a string of random letters and numbers at the bottom (some times you have to scroll down a bit to see them) like 4ijvnbmaoeyutn45vnwo97am04ut494vnamboruyt9.

Don’t be afraid to be picky about who you reply to, it’s your information and your business.

It seems like it a lot to take in and a lot to beware of. In reality, it’s not that hard to figure out the spammers from the legit interest that you get. You just have to pay attention to the responses. 

I’m really picky about what I respond to and what clients I interview or accept. It’s my home and my business, following my gut is most important. I think that’s a big part of why I have been so fortunate to have great daycare families.

Interested in learning more? Check out the rest of my posts in my How to Run a Home Daycare Series. Also, check out our daycare forms and full daycare contract template in our store:  Shop Now! 

Looking for more post about running a daycare? Check out my daycare page to learn about starting or running an in-home daycare.