Happy Parents

Last week we talked about the importance of making a good first impression when a prospective parent calls your program or handling the call of a current parent appropriately.  This week we’ll go into a bit more detail on making sure that parents are satisfied with your program.  It’s a lot less difficult and expensive to keep the clients you already have than it is to get new clients.

We all work on fostering parent satisfaction every day.  First and foremost, we provide high-quality care for their children.  In addition, we greet them and their children at the door by name, with a smile; give them a quick run-down of the day when they pick up their children; post menus and lesson plans so that they understand what is happening in the program.  Frequent and open communication is one of the most powerful tools we have in keeping parents satisfied.

Even though we have regular communication with the parents, we also need to have formal procedures in place to measure their satisfaction with our program.  We have an annual Parent Satisfaction Survey that we use to solicit input from, ideally, every parent in our program.  We start with the basics such as which classroom each of their children attends and how long they have been in that classroom.  Then we get to the nitty-gritty like:

• Overall satisfaction
• Health and safety
• Child satisfaction
• Staff qualifications and performance
• Staffing levels
• Program hours
• Classroom activities and supplies
• Opportunities for parent involvement
• Communication
• Affordability

Some parents are very open in their regular communication with us, but others are not so open.  Surveying parents regularly gives us an opportunity to reach out in a very non-threatening way to those parents who are a bit quieter with their thoughts and opinions.  If you don’t already have a Parent Satisfaction Survey, check ours out here.

Misty

First Impressions

Many people are going to get their first impression of your program through the telephone. Who answers your telephone?  Who answers when that person is not available?  Do they all understand phone etiquette and what is expected of them?  Do they understand that they can make a great first impression and make someone excited about the possibility of enrolling in your program or make a horrible first impression and assure that person never sets foot on your property?

In my very first job in a child care center, I was the Assistant Director of a well-established program.  We had a receptionist who answered the phone (very professionally) and when she was unavailable, the phone rang in one of the preschool rooms for one of the teachers to answer.  I was walking past that classroom one day when I heard the phone ring.  The teacher answered it with the words "Daycare. What do you want?"  All I could think was "Who is on the other end of that phone and what must they be thinking right now?"

Prior to that incident, I assumed that phone etiquette was common knowledge.  I realized in that moment that not everyone knows how to properly answer a phone, which leads to the knowledge that not everyone knows how to properly respond to a client or potential client’s questions.  Who we have answering our phones and how they do it could make or break our program.    

So, how do we make sure that the messages I would like to have shared with people are the same messages my staff will be sharing?  We establish the standard and then train our staff so that they understand our expectations.

• How would we like the phone answered?
• What happens if you are helping a parent when the phone rings?
• How do you handle a conflict with a parent?
• What verbal and nonverbal techniques should be used?
• How do you take a message for another staff member....and be sure that person receives the message in a timely manner?

After you establish your Customer Relations Policy, you need to ensure that EVERY staff member is trained on it during their New Employee Orientation.  You work hard to ensure the success of your program.  Don't let a mistaken assumption of common knowledge undermine all of your hard work.

Misty

Parent Satisfaction in Child Care

We all work on fostering parent satisfaction every day.  First and foremost, we provide high-quality care for their children.  In addition, we greet them and their children at the door by name, with a smile; give them a quick run-down of the day when they pick up their children; post menus and lesson plans so that they understand what is happening in the program.  Frequent and open communication is one of the most powerful tools we have in keeping parents satisfied.

Even though we have regular communication with the parents, we also need to have formal procedures in place to measure their satisfaction with our program.  We have an annual Parent Satisfaction Survey that we use to solicit input from, ideally, every parent in our program.  We start with the basics such as which classroom each of their children attends and how long they have been in that classroom.  Then we get to the nitty-gritty like:

• Overall satisfaction
• Health and safety
• Child satisfaction
• Staff qualifications and performance
• Staffing levels
• Program hours
• Classroom activities and supplies
• Opportunities for parent involvement
• Communication
• Affordability

Some parents are very open in their regular communication with us, but others are not so open.  Surveying parents regularly gives us an opportunity to reach out in a very non-threatening way to those parents who are a bit quieter with their thoughts and opinions.  If you don’t already have a Parent Satisfaction Survey, check ours out here.

Misty

Customer Service in Child Care

Just like with retaining employees, it is much easier and more cost-effective to retain your current customers than to have to seek new ones.  And, similarly, word-of-mouth is the best way to gain (or lose) customers.  

Obviously, we need to provide high-quality child care.  But, other than taking excellent care of their children, what else can we do to make parents happy? 

• We must have an established Customer Relations Policy and make sure that each of our staff members is trained in it prior to service and periodically throughout their tenure with us.
• We must provide service as quickly and effectively as possible, providing friendly, equal treatment to all patrons. 
• We must demonstrate solid listening skills and be adept at both verbal and nonverbal communication.
• We must use appropriate courtesy regardless of whether the parent is on the phone or standing in front of us.
• We must focus on solutions rather than problems and attempt to identify win-win situations.
• We must retain full control of our own emotions and know when we need to refer a difficult situation to a supervisor or another individual.

Next week we’ll talk about how to assess parent satisfaction with our program.

Misty

Back-to-School for Child Care

Last weekend's USA Weekend magazine (the one in our local Sunday paper) included an article entitled "Your A+Back-to-School Action Plan".  Although it's intended for parents of children in grades K-12, it struck me that many of the suggestions would be a good annual check-up for child care providers as well.

The author, Peg Tyre, makes the following suggestions:

1. "Make contact with teachers by Week 3."  Hopefully, we have open lines of communication with each family.   Even so, back-to-school is a good time for a refresher; check-in with your families and evaluate whether there are any families with which you don't have good communication.  If so, what can you do to try to improve it? 

2. "Check that your child is reading at grade level."  While we won't be checking for grade-level reading, this is a good time to make sure that we have some sort of system in place to monitor the development of the children in our care.  (DayCareTools has Developmental Checklists available, if you don't already have this in place.)

3. "Understand the importance of downtime."  We wrote a blog article back in 2008 about the importance of recess in the daily schedule.  Outside play time is just as important (if not more so) for young children, as is the opportunity for a lot of free choice of inside activities throughout the day. 

4. " Analyze test scores".  In this, Tyre suggests that parents look at the overall school philosophy; are they all about test prep activities or are they focused on " helping kids understand, analyze and write about complex subjects"?  Use this back-to-school time to check your own program for developmental appropriateness.

5.  "Stay on track for college".  My first thought was to skip this tip, but we are preparing our students for college and/or careers.  How?  By empowering the children in our care to be self-motivated active learners; the most important skills they need to be successful in college or a career.

6. "Don't trash-talk about math", or any other subject.  Recent brain research reinforces what we have often told students; you can do anything you set your mind to doing.  Young children are generally not afraid to try new things.  We have to be careful to keep our own biases out of our programs and not squelch their enthusiasm.  We have to encourage them to branch out, even if it's something outside of our own comfort zone. 

7. "Be part of the learning community".  Look at your parent involvement calendar for the upcoming year.  Do you have opportunities for parents to have conferences with your teachers; do you have some family activities involved; have you invited parents, and given them suggestions for being involved in your program?

An annual review of your program will help you stay on track.  Back-to-school time can be a good reminder for that review.

Misty

Image courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net

Cultivating Communication

"Daycare. What do you want?"  I'll never forget the day I heard those words coming from a staff member at the center where I was a brand-new Assistant Director.  Really??  That's the way our staff answer the phones here?  I was stunned.....I suppose I just figured that simple phone etiquette must be common knowledge.  All I could think was "Who is on the other end of that phone and what must they be thinking right now?"

Obviously, in retrospect, not everyone knows how to answer a phone properly.  Which also means that not everyone is going to respond to a parent's (or potential client's) inquiries in the same way either.  So, how do you protect your program by making sure that the messages you would like to have shared with people are the same messages your staff will be sharing?  You have to establish the standard and then train your staff so that they understand your expectations.

You will need to establish a policy that addresses situations that you feel are important to your program and how you expect your staff to respond. 

• How would you like the phone answered? 
• What happens if you are helping a parent when the phone rings? 
• How do you handle a conflict with a parent? 
• What verbal and nonverbal techniques should be used? 
• How do you take a message for another staff member....and be sure that person receives the message in a timely manner? 

 After you establish your policy, you need to ensure that EVERY staff member is trained on it during their New Employee Orientation.  You work hard to ensure the success of your program.  Don't let a mistaken assumption of common knowledge undermine all of your efforts.

Misty

Thank Your Staff (or Parents)

At this time of year when we stop to reflect on all of the things we are thankful for, I would like to suggest a quick and inexpensive way to thank your staff or parents.

Assemble a "Thank You" kit and present it to each person during the holiday season.  Choose 5 or 6 of these items to include (along with a note with the text so that they know what you are thinking):

• A Couple of Marbles: To replace the ones you have lost.
• A Hershey's Hug & Kiss: To remind you that someone cares.
• A Jingle Bell: To ring for help when you need it. We're here to help one another.
• A Puzzle Piece: To remind you that, without you, we wouldn't be complete.
• A Tea Bag: To remind you to take time to relax daily.
• A Starburst: To let you know that you are a shining star.
• A Shape: To thank you for helping to "shape" the future.
• A Packet of Seeds: To remind you that you plant the seeds of knowledge.
• A Clothespin: To remind you to "Hang in There"; you're doing a great job.
• An Eraser: To remind you that the good start you provide for children can never be erased.
• A Penny: To remind you that you are priceless.

You can put these items in a gift bag, a simple ziploc bag, or even in a mug with an addition to the note to include:  A Cup: My hope that your "cup always runneth over".

Thank you for all that you do for children.  I hope your Thanksgiving is truly blessed!

Misty