As more parents begin working from home, engagement with childcare has changed. Many children have been staying home from daycare and parents have become disconnected with their children’s care facilities. Now is the time to connect with potential customers by holding daycare events to promote your business.
Holding your own event is like making your own news: you give prospective parents a reason to connect with your business and learn more about what sets you apart from the competition. Events provide time to meet with families and create relationships that will help nervous parents trust you and your team with their precious child.
There are other reasons why events are such important tools for increasing your customer base:
- Your business can work to bring the community together.
- You can demonstrate how your business can play a role in the support system of new parents.
- You can share upcoming programs and features you offer at your daycare.
- You can partner with complementary businesses to expand your marketing efforts.
- You can collect email addresses of families who are in need of your services.
Plus, coming up with daycare events ideas can be a lot of fun! Families are always looking for reasons to get out of the house and do something active in a safe, controlled environment.
What’s more, during stay-at-home mandates, virtual events have gained popularity as well. You can schedule both in-person and virtual events, or whatever makes the most sense for your community.
Parents who have currently enrolled their children in your program may be willing to volunteer, which will then give them a reason to spread the word about your great program to their friends. You want to implement an effective event marketing strategy but Word-of-mouth advertising can be just as effective as the online listings and review sites that so many parents rely on for daycare recommendations.
Here are 10 daycare event ideas for increasing the reach of your childcare business, as well as tips on how to promote your events to the public.
Increase enrollments and keep families informed with expert advice and all the tools you need, in one place.
Daycare Events Ideas
1. Playground Candyland
Sure, you could just set up kid-friendly board games in an outdoor environment, but that’s not quite as fun as this. Bring the board game to life! Use temporary ground paint to create squares that families can advance through when one of your team members rolls the dice.
You can make Chutes and Ladders to get kids climbing and sliding, make silly hats for participants to wear, and have prizes at the end for those who complete the game. By keeping it organized and outdoors, it’s possible to follow safety protocols while creating a unique activity for all ages.
2. Virtual parent-child cooking class
Kids love helping in the kitchen, but parents don’t always know what’s age-appropriate. That’s where day care professionals and trained chefs can help. Enlist the help of a chef from a popular restaurant in town to share a recipe that everyone can enjoy.
Hold a virtual cooking class that can get children mixing, measuring, and snacking to their heart’s content. Parents can do the serious stuff like chopping and putting the final product in the oven.
3. Nature scavenger hunt
If you’re lucky enough to have some natural parks in your area, you can organize a nature scavenger hunt for families. Most everyone has a smartphone with a camera these days, so create a list of things that parents (or their children) can take pictures of.
Get creative: they can look for a rock that’s shaped like a heart, a fuzzy animal, a leaf with more than one color on it, or a purple flower. Have participants meet at a specific time to get their instructions. Then, set a timer and see who returns with all the pictures first. One of the prizes can be a discount on your daycare program.
4. Virtual arts and crafts day
Daycare owners are famous for knowing the best arts and crafts projects. What about holding a lesson over Zoom? You can give parents a short shopping list or, for a small fee, create boxes with everything that’s needed to complete the project and have them ready for pick-up.
This idea is especially good in chilly climates, when families may be looking for something to do on snowy or rainy afternoons. When you provide a solution to a parent’s problem, they’ll come to see that you can help in other ways, too.
5. Obstacle courses
Jump over the rock! Duck under the branch! Run around the barrel! In this time of high-tech video games, we may forget how easy it is to create simple, fun exercises that kids (and parents) love. Obstacle courses can take place in any field, playground, or park.
Don’t forget to create ribbons for the winning families. Have each team compete for time, rather than against each other, for adequate social distancing. You can schedule each team to race at a specific time to keep the day more organized.
6. Silent disco dance party
Silent discos are a fun way to get families active and moving. Have parents bring Bluetooth earphones that can connect with a music system, which you can play outdoors on a makeshift dance floor. Don’t forget the lights! A silent disco can be held anytime, anywhere.
7. Parent-child yoga classes
Almost every parent would love some time to just breathe — conveniently, that’s exactly what yoga classes offer. Collaborate with a yoga teacher in your area to hold a virtual class that’s designed for both children and parents.
The key to engaging children in a yoga class is to honor their limited attention span. Trained child yoga teachers can make stretching and breathing into a game that everyone will love.
8. Outdoor storytime
Spread out cushions on the ground at a park or outdoor café for children to listen to a story you read aloud. You’ll keep the kids engaged and give parents a break. Provide refreshments and information about your programs that the parents can enjoy while their children are absorbed in the storybook.
9. Drive-in movie night
Drive-in movies are as socially distanced as you can get, and it gives families something fun to do on the weekend. Work with a local radio station for the event so the movie’s audio can be streamed through the radio. Then, simply hang sheets as a screen. Don’t forget the popcorn!
10. Community clean up
Finally, there’s not much that brings a community together quite like doing good for their neighbors. Organize a community clean-up at a local park, beach, or roadway where kids can help pick up litter. You can supply trash bags, safety vests, and plastic gloves.
How to promote your daycare events ideas
Once you decide on some daycare events ideas, you’ll want to spread the word as much as possible. Promote your events by:
- Listing the event as a landing page on your website
- Creating an event on social media
- Partnering with local radio and TV stations
- Sending a press release to the local newspapers
- Sending a digital flyer to your email distribution list
- Making posters or flyers to hang in grocery stores and other family-friendly spots
If you’d like to improve your marketing strategy overall, make sure to check out Constant Contact’s The Download. This free guide is perfect for daycare owners looking to maximize their exposure without spending a ton on advertising.
