Tom Callahan
- Mar 4, 2021
- 3 min read

Child Care Service Providers Need to Provide Flexibility Like Never Before

COVID-19 has only accelerated many changes that were already in progress. For many people, the traditional Monday through Friday, 9-5 work schedule has gone the way of the horse. Child Care Seer helps day care owners and directors meet these changing needs.

Child Care Service Providers Need to Provide Flexibility Like Never Before

COVID-19 has altered many aspects of daily life for everyone, but parents of young and school age children are among those most affected. It’s entirely likely that once the threat has lifted, some changes will become permanent fixtures of daily life. What does this mean for the daycare owner/director? It’s an opportunity to meet parents’ needs, build relationships, and increase profits at the same time.

Changing Work Schedules Require Flexible Daycare Scheduling

Many parents are dealing with changes to their work schedules. Some work fewer hours while others pull long shifts. Some must make up the difference by taking on a second job. In addition, schools change schedules constantly as COVID-19 numbers rise and fall. One week, learning is virtual; the next is hybrid; the following is in-person. Just as a pattern starts to emerge, something changes and the whole process of adapting has to begin again.

Daycare centers must now be able to offer part time services and allow parents to easily use and adjust them, since parents’ schedules also change from week to week. Child Care Seer offers parents the option to select more than one program and stack them, making a hybrid offering like Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings and Thursday afternoon not only doable, but easy! Some parents may need an occasional drop-in slot for the unforeseen meeting that comes up. Seer allows parents to request an hourly visit for those unexpected meetings, and to do so from their phone at any time of the day, rather than having to call the center during business hours.

For the daycare operator, Child Care Seer has the unique and unprecedented capability of showing directors available space in real time – both present and future. Open slots can be viewed and categorized by age group and type of visit (i.e., one-time drop-in visits or recurring programs.) This allows directors and staff to easily assess all of their waitlist requests. What's more is that they can review and approve requests from anywhere that they have web access.

Parents Are Dealing with Stress and Other Emotions

Parents are facing demands from all directions. Surveys reveal that working mothers and fathers feel that being a parent is a strike against them in the workplace. They may worry about being asked to change their shift at work or to attend an important meeting. They may feel guilt that they are not able to provide the level of caregiving to their children that they would like and feel concerned about their child’s emotional security.

Daycare center directors can help alleviate some of this stress by providing the greatest amount of flexible scheduling that they can, using the flexibility that this daycare software offers. Parents are relieved of the panic that may arise when a teleconference is scheduled outside of their child’s normal attendance at the center, knowing that a changing part-time work schedule will not affect the center’s capability to care for their child. Parents also feel reassured that stability for the child can be maintained by keeping them in a familiar environment.

Daycare center directors can respond promptly to requests within the Seer platform, alleviating parents’ anxiety. Soon, they will be able to let Seer automatically make decisions within the center director’s wishes, providing instantaneous feedback. With all these features, center directors can build stronger relationships with their clients, translating into greater customer loyalty and more referrals. Child Care Seer builds a win-win situation, where customers receive better service, and the daycare business receives more profits.

About Tom Callahan

Tom Callahan is a serial entrepreneur and seasoned executive with a track record of starting, growing and leading companies of all sizes. He is the owner of Callahan Learning Center, a Virginia-based child care management company that operates centers providing high-quality and highly flexible child care. He is the founder of Child Care Seer, an all-in-one platform that can make child care a more manageable and profitable business. He came to the child care industry after more than two decades in the software and technology industries, where he invented multi-million-dollar product lines and guided multiple startups from cradle to exit, including his last startup selling for over $200 million in 2019. Learn more about Child Care Seer at childcareseer.com.