| Tip of the Week |
To update your LOCATE profile or add vacancy information on-line go to www.mdchildcare.org and click on the For child care providers button, then on the second link from the top Update your Contact, Vacancy and Fee information. To update your information by phone, call 1-866-752-1614 and leave the information requested by the voicemail instructions. |
| Upcoming Events |
Domain Training:
Mathematical Thinking
9:00 am - 3:30 pm
St. Ann's Manalis Center
Hagerstown
$20.00
Missed Allegany/Garrett
Solutions for Parent Partnerships: Having Challenging Conversations?
Get on the waiting list - email Options for Accrediting Your Program Monday, November 8th 6:30 - 8:30 pm APPLES for Children $5.00
Domain Training:
Scientific Thinking
9:00 am - 3:30 pm
St. Ann's Manalis Center
Hagerstown
$20.00 |
| Contact Us | |
6 West Washington Street, Suite 210
Hagerstown, Maryland 21740
301-733-0000 or 800-924-9188
FAX: 301-733-0886
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Happy Wednesday.
Some of you are telling us that times are tough for the child care community and for familes using child care. This is the second in our four part I-Care e-newsletter series about marketing your child care program.
Last week we hope you learned here how to access your records with the LOCATE:Child Care search service, so tht families have your most up-to-date and accurate program information. If so, then you are on your way to a stronger partnership with the LOCATE service, as one aspect of your overall marketing plan.
This week we'll provide a little more information about how LOCATE works, and start the conversation about additional strategies for reaching families who are searching for care. |
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"It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it."
Lena Horne
A good plan for recruiting children and families to your child care program generally includes more than one or two methods, helpers and stakeholders. Most recruiting strategies work best when both you and your outreach partners understand your roles in the process and have the right tools to make the process work.
Partnering with LOCATE: Child Care, a search service for families looking for care, can be one of your methods. To work with LOCATE in getting your information out to families, keep your LOCATE profile current and add vacancy information when appropriate. Vacancy records are kept on the LOCATE database for 30 days, then purged from the system. Update monthly, or more often if your situation changes. (See the TIPS box in this issue for contact info.)
Of course, the LOCATE service is not the only marketing tool you can - or should - use to increase enrollment. Word of mouth is another tried-and-true strategy for recruiting. Identify a few partners or stakeholders - people who want you to succeed - to help you: - Families you currently serve can be great ambassadors;
- Your own family members may have contacts to share;
- Your child care substitutes & staff may be the most well-informed about your services;
- Where do you buy your food supplies, gasoline, etc? Do those sales people know the name of your child care program and how they can help you stay in business?
- Can you provide them with business cards or flyers to share?
- Does your "recruiting team" have the right words or talking points from you to get families to call?
Next week we'll offer talking points or quality indicators you might share with families. To preview these quality indicators, request our 23-page parent book Choosing Child Care: Parent's Guide. Contact help@applesforchildren.org to request one for yourself or several to share with families. (If you have difficulty accessing a LOCATE Provider Update Form on-line at mdchildcare.org, then email
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