According to experienced and wise child-care operators, here are some of the things that helped them become successful.
Invest In Yourself
The greatest asset you could ever own is yourself. That’s why it’s important to nurture your own experiences, talents, and skills by undergoing training. “To value something goes beyond regarding it as important; you also appreciate its qualities while investing time, energy, effort, and sacrifice in its nurturing or maintenance,” Steven Stosny, Ph.D., explains.
An example is Lois Mitten Rosenberry of the Children’s Discovery Center. She knew that no one else would invest in her company as much as she did. So she did the next best thing, which is to invest in herself. She went to conferences despite the budget, and it gave her a lot of opportunities. It helped her and her company go to where they are in right now.
Find Out How You’re Doing
It’s also important to take into mind the parents when it comes to your centers. Ask them to evaluate your centers and what they think about the care their children are receiving. This is important in improving your center. You can also try to compare how your center is doing as compared to others through secret shoppers and consultants. “Feedback can set you free when you ask for it,” Richard Boyatzis, Ph.D., wrote.
Extend Your Services
Don’t be afraid of competition. Instead, see it in the positive limelight. Try to see competition as a way you can make your business different and how to make it stand out from your competitors so that parents will choose you.
One way that makes Rosenberry’s business stand out is how her calls are handled. The calls are first recorded, and the caller’s name, the name and age of the child, what the parent wants, and other information are discussed in the call. Linda Dupie, on the other hand, stood out for her service hours. A lot of centers don’t like it when a slot is taken by a child who won’t even be in the center all day. So her business appealed to parents who are looking for such.
Commit To Your Customers
Don’t be afraid to ask your customer for a commitment to your business. Don’t shy away from asking them to sign a contract that would make them avail of your services for a specific timeframe. While there will be an escape clause, this can help make a point to your customers about your commitment to your business and their children and that, in return, they should also do the same.
Always Do A Follow Up On What You Do
When it comes to the impact of management and marketing, it’s also important to study them so that you’ll know how to adjust. However, when doing marketing, make sure you only do the amount you can follow up on inevitably. If you’re going to ask for referrals, make sure you’re going to follow up.
Keep A Professional Distance
It can be easy to develop an emotional bond with children, especially with how much time you spend with them. But you should also keep them under control and maintain a professional distance. According to Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., “Boundaries are essential to healthy relationships and, really, a healthy life.” There will come a time when these children won’t be going to be there, so it might only devastate you. It’s easy to get attached to kids to the point that you won’t want to see them leave and grow up.
Kids might also consider you an extension of their family so there will be times wherein they will say things that shouldn’t be said and repeated. Keep whatever you know confidential and don’t share it with others.
Be Prepared For The Challenging Days
Managing a center isn’t always smooth or successful. It requires a lot of hours and effort that eventually lead to stress. There will be times when things seem to be going wrong but remember why you started this in the first place. If that feels too tough for you, you are more than welcome to seek help from BetterHelp psychologists.
Enjoy The Rewards
This kind of business differentiates itself from other businesses by giving not only financial rewards but also personal and emotional satisfaction. While providers often try to keep a distance and their emotions under control, seeing how the family of a child they are taking care of develops and finds success gives them a sense of personal satisfaction.
Seeing how kids also grow up and how you helped in molding their personality and future can also be gratification for others. Besides the financial benefits, there’s always the benefit of having a child’s hug and hearing their laughter.