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Advantages of Child Care Management Software Before Opening as a New Center
Don't miss the opportunity to experience less stress as a new provider with management software for child care center
Opening a new child care center to the public can be both fulfilling and overwhelming if you're not utilizing management software. Center owners, directors, and providers must be attentive to compliance requirements, have a fully trained staff, be ready to offer assistance to parents and their children at any given moment, and more. Thankfully, there are steps that can be taken in advance so you're prepared as a facility to open. And one of the most underrated but important steps is utilizing management software.
We've discussed other advantages of using child care-based technology such as being able to spend less time on paperwork or administrative tasks and more time face-to-face with kids. Parents are also able to address natural concerns like their child's safety and staying connected and involved in their child’s daily growth. However, there are challenges that are unique to new centers that shouldn't be neglected – and don't need to be with child care software.
Developing policies and procedures
Starting and keeping track of enrollment + billing
Getting parents interested and involved
Importance of Management Software for New Child Care Centers
One of the best ways to start a successful daycare is to streamline your administrative tasks. And if you're familiar with our company, you're likely aware of our stance regarding management software – especially for new child care facilities.
Management software simplifies the day-to-day responsibilities for everyone involved to support an optimized child care facility. So let's consider how new child care facilities, in particular, could take advantage of this time-saving solution before opening.
Developing policies and procedures:
Before child care facilities open their doors to the public, they must have the appropriate forms and templates set up for staff and families. This involves developing policies, procedures, and handbooks. This could also include a disaster or crisis management plan and health, safety, privacy, and nutrition protocols, all under the guidance of your local childcare licensing requirements.
How can child care management software help in this regard? Well, like many child care software, our Seer® app gives staff the ability to manage documents and personal information. This could include important papers such as policies and procedures, and handbooks that would otherwise be filed away.
Starting and keeping track of enrollment (and billing):
Opening a center is more than finding a location and knowing your capacity — enrollment and billing are key. And one way you can ensure a successful open is to think about the enrollment phase before opening.
The beginning of the enrollment phase includes defining your enrollment process, calculating tuition, and choosing schedule options. Once that's established, you inevitably have to think about billing, because with enrollments comes payments.
For example, using Seer® means you can create and send invoices to parents, track payments, and even collect payments electronically from the parent's credit card or bank account. Parents don't even need to download the actual app – they can simply sign into their portal directly from the website.
We recommend using management software for all things billing-related because it helps you stay organized amidst taking care of other equally important tasks. Remember that the goal of choosing a management system is to make these duties easier to address. You can read more about how to get started with automated billing and payments for child care centers in this article.
Getting parents interested & involved:
Children's development depends not only on you as the caregiver, but also on the parents' involvement. There's no denying that children feel more secure and develop into confident, well-rounded individuals when they know their loved ones support them. And now more than ever, parents expect regular communication with their child care provider. However, most child care facilities provide daily sheets to parents who want updates about their kids throughout the day. This is why child care management software is necessary before you open your doors.
Rather than filling out daily sheets on paper – or worse: filling them out later based on memory – a digital activity tracking and reporting system allows you to easily make observations as they happen and share them in real time.
You can read more about how to successfully start your child care center in this comprehensive article.
The results: Parents will be delighted to know you're as concerned and committed to the total development of their children as they are. And they'll be even more delighted to find how easy keeping track of their child is.
Conclusion: Opening Your Center Doesn't Need to be Stressful
Utilizing an online child care management software is increasingly important due to it’s time-saving and communication benefits. Don't know how or where to get started? Spend some time determining what you need and what you’re willing to pay first. And if you're still not sure if management software is right for your daycare, schedule a free trial and watch a demo before making a decision to learn if it's best for you.
You might find it useful when your staff is able to keep important documents organized and easily accessible, an automated paperless daycare billing system removes the fuss behind the finances, and daily events and activities can be recorded and tracked for parents in real time right to their mobile device.
Our goal is to make child care software user-friendly – whether you've been managing your child care center for years, or you're just about to open your doors for the first time. Click here to learn more.
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