Almost every parent journey starts the same way: a "daycare near me" search, a look at reviews, a tour, then a gut call about trust. Optimize those four steps and you'll carry a waitlist.
1. Win the map pack
- Claim your Google Business Profile; fill every field (hours, photos of real classrooms, programs, fees range if you dare).
- Reviews are the algorithm and the persuasion — ask happy parents at delight moments (right after a great photo update). Reply to every review.
- Get listed on your municipal childcare registry, the BC childcare map, and local parent groups' resource lists.
2. A website that doesn't embarrass you
Parents will judge — fairly or not — your program's care by your website's care. You need: real photos, programs & ages, your philosophy in 100 words, fees or a range, and an obvious "book a tour" button. (This is what we do at OKTD — Mitten founding centres get a professional site rebuilt free.)
3. Build the referral engine
Referrals convert at ~10× cold inquiries. Engineer them: a simple thank-you (a month's discount or a gift card), and — more powerful — give parents something shareable. Daily photos and milestone updates get shown to grandparents, coworkers, playground friends. Your daily report is quietly your best ad.
4. Tours that convert
- Reply to inquiries within hours — speed wins more enrolments than polish.
- Tour during happy chaos (mid-morning), introduce one educator by name, tell one specific child story (anonymized).
- End with the parent app: "this is what your phone looks like at 2pm when we post nap photos." It's consistently the moment parents decide.
- Follow up same-day with next steps and the enrolment link.
5. Keep a real waitlist
A managed waitlist (collected through your site, acknowledged, updated quarterly) turns vacancy panic into a phone call. Empty spots are the most expensive marketing problem you have — see the margin guide for the math.
Run your daycare on Mitten — free to start
Mitten does everything in this guide — daily reports, photos, messaging, billing, even payroll prep — free for your first 5 children, then just $20/mo + $2 per child.
Start free — no card needed → See the live demoFrequently asked questions
- What’s the most effective marketing for a daycare?
- Google Business Profile + reviews for discovery, and parent referrals for conversion. Parents search "daycare near me," then trust other parents — win those two and most paid advertising becomes unnecessary.
- How do I get more daycare reviews?
- Ask at peak-delight moments — right after a great daily report, a milestone update, or a happy parent comment — with a direct link. Two asks a month compounds fast.