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Lately it seems that everyone is looking for care way in advance or flakes on the interview the day before or day of. Anyone ever thought to charge a fee, like $10-$20 paid by credit card the day the tour is scheduled?
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I have never heard of anyone doing that. :confused:
I don't do tours unless I have an immediate opening.
I have had one tour in three years.
How many tours are you doing? Do you tour everyone before adding to waitlist?- Unless otherwise stated, all my posts are personal opinion and worth what you paid for them.
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I'm a new provider with full openings. What if it's someone inquiring now to begin in August? I wouldn't hold a spot without compensation anyways, but I don't really see the point of getting the house ready and a folder etc for a long-shot.
WWYD?Comment
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I have a waitlist but since I'm new with 4 openings, I don't have anyone on it.Comment
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Most of us charge a fee for holding a spot, mostly the full fee. Why should you lose out on income if they bail? Holding a spot to me is the same as being in the spot, either way it is not being given to someone else so they should pay. What they pay is up to you.
I only give folders etc to people who say they want to sign up. It is a waste if they don't want to sign up. I used to email potential clients my contract but stopped doing that. I also keep "tours" short and sweet. Usually an hour to answer questions and observe the kids.
I oersonally do not think its ok to charge for an interview or tour. Lots of people are no shows at all sorts of businesses and that is kind of the price of doing business in my opinion.Comment
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- Unless otherwise stated, all my posts are personal opinion and worth what you paid for them.Comment
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I mean that I have openings (no clients enrolled for part time or full time, only drop-in clients). I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or what, but having a hard time finding clients as a new provider.Comment
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I am in a similar spot and need to fill several spots however charging for interviews will not fly in my area. What I have altered is the inquiry form on my site which now request their desired enrollment date....
If they want something soon, I book a tour
If they want something far out then I say I will put them on the list for my next open house date TBD
I am booking now for Summer and Fall openings.... I will not hold a spot until September however I will hold it form now until June for the right family since I am new and just getting established - that said I run a preschool program so it is the norm to only enroll in summer or fall.Comment
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See, this is why interviews don't phase me or worry me in the least.
I do NOT get the house ready.
When I have an interview scheduled, I want them to see what the house looks like "as is" because that is what they will see every day if they are enrolled. They aren't going to see the cleaned up shiny version then so why "pretend" it's that's normal?
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As for getting paperwork/folder ready..... I don't do that either. I have one master copy of my policy handbook that I use to go over with families on tour and I have an "interview checklist" or guideline that I use for tours but any paperwork the family may need or will get for enrollment is e-mailed to them so again, no folder or papers to get ready.
If an interview no-shows....it's no big deal for me as I didn't have to invest any additional time getting anything "ready" in the first place.
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I would never charge for tours/interviews. I think it would hurt your business in the long run.
Parents need to look at a number of daycare options before choosing one that fits their needs. They will stay away from ones who charge so they can save racking up a fortune as they hunt for care.
I personally always look for contractors etc that give free estimates. I like to get several estimates for work I need done and do not want to be out hundreds before I even begin!
Daycare shopping is no different. I have had clients who told me they looked at 20 daycare options before deciding on us. If they all charged $20 a visit, the couple would have spent $400 searching for care...ouch!!!Comment
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IIRC, NannyDe charges for tours/interviews.
She does them in a 3 part series.
If they are interested in enrolling in her program, they happily pay the fee. (I couldn't locate the older threads where we talked about this...I didn't look real hard though.....)Comment
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I forgot about that.
I remember her "The Art of the Interview", now. I don't think I ever realized she charged for them.
OP, what does your home look like from the street view? Not trying to sound rude, although it always does, but many potential clients pull up trulia, zillow or google maps street view before interviewing, now.
It may not hurt to update real estate websites if the photo is less than flattering. unfortunately, I don't think we can do anything about google, yet, but I am probably wrong on that. ::
- Unless otherwise stated, all my posts are personal opinion and worth what you paid for them.Comment
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The market here is such that families are looking for care 2-3 months in advance, and sometimes sooner.
I try to avoid doing any interviews for spaces that are too far out but if the age of the child/hours/etc fit well with my program, then I will interview to see if they are a great fit.
I used to interview all the time in an attempt to build up my waitlist. The past year I've just been advertising off and on and building up a waitlist to draw from if I have an opening coming up and THEN interview them.
No shows seem to come with the territory. I seem to remember reading that some providers will only give out their address the morning of the interview so that they don't end up sitting around and waiting. Maybe you want to consider that?Comment
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In my area, parents need to get on waitlists the day they find out they are pregnant. It's common for people to be on waitlists for a year or two before getting in.Comment
I thought you interviewed all interested potential clients. Yes, I have read it before, here. 
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