Hosting an Open House.. Good Idea?

[Leaps and Bounds]

I have recently started my daycare business back up. I'm in a new location, and it doesn't seem to be as fruitful as my last venture. I've been advertising for a little over 2 weeks and nothing! I was thinking of hosting an open house this Saturday and offering 4 free hours of care as an incentive for people to come. So, with that being said, I have a few questions on the way I should go about doing it.

1. Do I just give out a flyer for 4 free hours (like for a weekend) with no strings attached, just as a thank you for coming?

2. Do I instead give out the 4 free hours but attach a clause along the lines of "4 free hours of evening care with registration"?

or

3. Is this a bad idea alltogether?

If you've done this before, or something like it, I'd love to hear about your experience and any advice you may have.

Thanks!

[mac60]

I don't think I would offer 4 free hours of care to anyone who came. I would maybe have a small drawing for a prize for those who come to your open house and have them fill out a slip and put it in a box.

You could offer 4 hours of free care to any families that sign up though as an incentive....or 50% off first week, or something similar.

You could have a small goody bag for the kids, a book from Dollar Store, coloring book and crayons, or something similar.

[melissa ann]

I had one 2 yrs ago when I first started out. IT was a flop. I had one person show up like 10 mins before it was over. I made cupcakes, had beverages, handbooks out on the table to view. I was very disappointed. I wish you better luck. I hope you gain some new families.

[AmandasFCC]

If I were doing something like that I would do 4 hours of free care WITH registration. Like a 4 hour trial day or something like that, but not to any Joe that walked in the door. You'll be working for free for a month with a million kids you'll never see again.