Thriving Childcare

The Best Reason To Offer A Drop-In/Back-Up Childcare Program

Drop-In/Back-up childcare

Today is a crazy day in LA. All of the LAUSD schools are closed related to “credible threat”. To my knowledge, this has never happened before. I saw this on the news when I woke up this morning and immediately started thinking of what the parents were going to do if they were not able to take off work today. In this post, we will look at why it might be a good idea to add Drop-In/Back-up Childcare to your list of services.

Our child care started receiving calls and texts as early as 7:15 am regarding backup care for some of our former students. Thankfully we were able to help.

Do you offer Drop-In/Back-up Childcare?

This morning I sent out a message to our childcare families and put out a post on our child care’s website as a reminder that we offer Drop-In/backup childcare. Do you offer Drop-In/backup childcare?

In a recent post, I listed many extra services you might offer at your childcare.  One I added many years ago was Drop-In/backup childcare.  

I initially saw how this worked from my days as an intern at a daycare facility.  When I saw the need in my community for this service I knew I wanted to add it to my menu as well.

Drop-In Contract

get tuition on time

I have a separate one-page contract for these occasional clients and have them update emergency info at the same time.  And I keep in touch with them in emails throughout the year when there are breaks in the school year.  Spring, Summer, and Holidays are usually when I start getting reservations for a day here or a week there.  

It is not my primary service, but when you see a need in your community, and especially in your clientele base it’s just good business to see if you can fill the need.

Sometimes it may lead to a seasonal or even a weekly enrollment

This a great way to stay in touch with former clients and maybe continue to service them. It is also a way to get the word out in the community that you are there for them if they should ever need Drop-In/backup care.  Sometimes it may lead to a seasonal or even a weekly enrollment.

As I said before when this crisis arose today some of my previous clients started calling.  On our child care website, I stressed that “This is just another reason why it is a good idea to have a relationship with your local childcare providers if you have young children. You just never know when you might need a back-up plan.” 

Related Reading:
Need a tool to communicate and enforce the 24-Hour Rule? GET THE BROCHURE!

Reach Out to the Community

Accordingly, I will be taking contact info over to the local schools this week just to reach out as a Drop-In/backup childcare resource for parents in the community who may be in need of alternative childcare arrangements in the future, for any reason.

I also posted a local ad reminding our community that we offer Drop-In/backup childcare at our childcare.  I noted “If you are a working parent and you have young children (school age or younger), think about making a plan about how you might deal with emergency situations like today. You might find it a good idea to reach out to the child care providers in your community to inquire if drop-in/back-up care is available should you ever need it.”

Another way to serve the community

Hopefully, this turns out to be a false alarm and I am certainly not encouraging capitalizing on tragedy.  This really is another way to serve the community that you serve.  

If you already have this in place at times like this Drop-In/backup care really can be of great assistance.

Do you offer Drop-In/Back-Up Child Care?  Is this a service you might consider offering your community?

CLICK & LEARN HOW TO PRE-ENROLL!

Want to remember this? Save “The Best Reason To Offer A Drop-In/Back-Up Childcare Program” to your favorite Pinterest boards!

Share Post

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Adrienne Bradley Thriving Childcare

Hey there, I'm Adrienne. I help daycare providers like you create businesses they love!

Are you ready to create a thriving childcare business?  Let me show you just how build a business that is profitable and sustainable!

YOU MIGHT LIKE
childcare template subscription
Get Childcare Templates Every Month!
kangarootime
Run Your Business + Save Time!
New Provider's Club
Join The New Provider's Club - $7
free daycare contract
Get This FREE Daycare Contract

JOIN THE TRIBE

There are some things I only share with our subscribers – get on the list & never miss out!