2 Reasons Waiting Lists Are A Myth For Medium-Sized and Small Childcare Centers

by Kimberly Newman @enrollsmart

In the childcare business, we often hear talk about "waiting lists" and centers being "full." Though I understand the concept of a center being "full," I never really understood the reasoning behind a medium-sized or small childcare center saying it has a "waiting list."   

First, let me clarify one thing, yes, a center can have a "waiting list" for infant care.  Infant care is always in high demand.  In fact, we viewed our infant space as our "anchor" space because available infant space was often the key to attracting multi-child families.

Fast forward to today and, with the current cost of childcare, it's pretty safe to say that many families will try to avoid having more than one child in childcare at a time; at least that's the trend we've seen.

Now, as far as a waiting list goes, even if you collect deposits from every family that goes on your waiting list, those families will find childcare/preschool services elsewhere and promptly ask you for a refund if you take too long to accommodate them or fail to deliver on the date they need their service to start. That being said, here are the two reasons that I feel waiting lists are a myth for medium-sized and small childcare centers:

Reason #1 - Unexpected Turnover

Let's say your center is currently "full."  More than likely, you've created a "waiting list" of people who want to enroll in your center and, you've given them dates out in the future as to when the next slot will be available. 

First of all, yours is probably not the only center that has these same people on their waiting list.  Maybe if you've collected a deposit you are but, that's still unlikely.  Next, let's assume that you lose three children within a two week period but you've told the people on your waiting list that space won't be available for two months. Are you going to wait two months to fill these three openings 🤔?  I think not. So, there just went your "waiting list."

Reason #2 - The Concept of "Next"

If you someone calls looking for childcare space right now and you tell them that you have a waiting list, 90% of the time, they will be "on to the next," meaning that they'll keep calling and searching until they find a way to meet their current childcare needs.  I can certainly see the value of collecting a person's information so that you can call them later if space becomes available. I can even see the value of having an inquiry system so that you can analyze the zip codes and profiles of the people who request your service the most. But, to call it a waiting list...?? If you don't have space available when it's needed, that family will enroll with another provider and, the only way they're going to switch to your center is if they're unhappy or, the prices at the other center are just too high.

In either of the situations above, the concept of a "waiting list" goes out the door. It's best to look at "waiting lists" for what they really are and call them a "Leads" List.


Kimberly Newman is Customer Success Leader at Enrollsmart and she has 15 years of experience owning multiple small and medium-sized childcare centers simultaneously.  

Enrollsmart supplies mobile websites, online child enrollment, childcare search, attendance tracking and childcare staffing technology for small and medium-sized childcare centers.  To learn more about Enrollsmart, visithttps://www.enrollsmart.net/childcare_software/index.html






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