Having Trouble With Getting People Enrolled

[LK5kids]

I love your colors on the main page! Love the purple, orange and green. Love the crayons against the dark background.

I also really like the font on the main page. It's all really inviting.

I think in the video " Meet Miss Holly" you are very well spoken and explain your center in a confident and knowledgeable manner. It was impressive! I do think it's too long though.

I can tell you are passionate about what you do!

Some of your photos are beautiful like the girl pulling the wagon. I'd pick out 5-10 great photos and leave it at that. There's really a lot of photos. Sometimes less is more.

[trix23]

I've made some changes based on others ' opinions. My kitchen isn't as cluttered as it was in those pictures now, so I'm taking them down.

[morningrl]

First, your website gives me the impression you are educated, loving and dedicated to making the children in your care become better people. Sounds to me as a provider and parent of many years myself, you know absolutely what you are doing and I would leave my kids with you. However, small details of a first impression can trigger things in all the different parents out there. Like photo's, videos, your opinions and sometimes you can share to much. While you would like parents to like and agree with everything you do and believe in, there are some details, with every parent they could use against you before they get to know you. As most mentioned, clean up the photos. Clean rooms, no kids in them, make sure the environment looks safe. While I loved the look of your food photos and it made me starving, I have picky kids of my own and have had picky daycare kids who's parents would feel their kids would starve having to eat, "NON KID FOOD". While that is a healthy choice for you to serve, you do not have to market it that way. Simply saying you cook healthy home cooked foods should make all parents happy. Some mentioned taking out the video, maybe, or at least clean it up as well, not quite as long and detailed and a shirt without cleavage showing as well. Also, I am one who thinks my parenting style is the right way and would love to tell parents how to parent, but parents do not like that. Having a link on your daycare site to a blog with info on how to parent would turn me away. While your opinion on parenting sounds great, there are many ways to parent and do a good job. The fact that it looks from your site, you are a mother of young children and you say in your video you are a new provider, does not show that you have enough experience to say that your way of parenting will raise children the right way. As you cannot know that yet without having raised wonderful children into adulthood yourself. Again, I want to share my opinions of the perfect way to raise kids myself, but non of us really know what that is or want to hear it from someone else. Maybe have your blog for people who want your parenting advise but not, linked to your daycare site.

[trix23]

I've looked through every picture and i have no idea what you're talking about with cleavage.... i don't wear any clothes that have cleavage and haven't for like 8 years....

[trix23]

My blog is more to establish my vestedness in this industry. It shows commitment, longevity, and also helps parents that may be dealing with certain issues at home. It's not gospel, but it's a place to start and try something new.

[KiwiKids]

I just peeked at your blog. To be honest the only posts I would consider removing are the ones on childbirth. That's a very personal experience for women and we all have different comfort zones and different ideas of what is necessary care vs elective. I'm glad you had a beautiful birth experience ( I had 4 wonderful hospital births ) but if I was a very hormonal new mom who might have not had the birth experience I had planned... I would look at your blog and it may be a turn off.

Parents want care that is safe, clean, loving and enriching for their kids. They do not want a lot of opinions. I don't see too much wrong with explaining your parenting method IF you are only seeking out like minded families. If you want to be considered by all parents then you might want to consider not having the blog linked to your daycare. I know the families I have all have very different parenting styles and I'm respectful of each as long as things run smoothly here and they understand what group care means and we work together so their kids have a successful experience in care.

Excuse the lack of punctuation. Busy morning here.

[KiwiKids]

For a specific example- "Costs : Hospital birth = prenatal care, birth, AND postpartum care (including 6-week check-up) at birth center
It’s no secret that hospitals overcharge for their services. They provide institutional care, over-sanitary environments while still somehow having staph infections happen, treat you like an animal, and have no regard for personal preference. The care I received at the birth center I went to (Inspiration Birth Center in Winter Park, FL) was amazing. The midwife that delivered my baby was perfect for my needs and respected my knee-jerk reaction requests during birth."


You may alienate anyone who works in healthcare and potentially many women who chose and are happy with their hospital births. It is ok to have strong opinions, but you can choose to separate that from business or you can choose to not do that, but the result is you narrow the pool of potential families.

[Sahmmie]

A few thoughts:

I'd remove the food pictures and just say that you cook wholesome foods from scratch. Like someone else mentioned, some children would not touch food like that, and parents of those kids might worry that their children are starving.

The statement about successfully napping children on the first day may turn parents off because it may suggest that you are rigid and/or harsh.

"If there's a mutual fit, I'm excited to see your face when you see the results that I can bring to your child's development and to your family!" This sentence is awkward, and to be honest, a bit snobbish. I'm sure you don't mean it to sound that way, but I find it a bit uppity. I'd take out the "mutual fit part."

"I think that there isn't enough quality care for children in my community." I'd remove this sentence. It sounds judgmental.

"I believe that children deserve more than to just survive- they deserve to feel loved..." I completely understand why you feel this way as I've seen plenty of day cares in which surviving seems to be the only real goal. However, most parents don't have tons of experience with the inner workings of day cares and therefore may find this statement to be extreme, and perhaps even bizarre. They might even think, "Gee, did the last daycare I chose allow my children to only survive. If so, I must be a lousy parent!" Or, they may think, "This lady is plain weird. Of course children are doing more than surviving in all other daycares in this town."

"I'm a results kind of gal-there's nothing better than the moment when I see my client's face as they are blown away with a new skill their child has learned while in my care." I'm not crazy about this sentence. I think it's a bit over the top. Also, if you decide to keep it I'd put a period (not a dash) after gal and start a new sentence with "There." I think that most parents are not going to be "blown away" if their child learns to tie their shoe or drink from a cup or write their name. They will be pleased, or excited, or happy, etc. but "blown away" seems a bit off for the situation being described.

"These kind of results are what I live for!" I find this statement to be a bit over the top as well. Deep down, maybe even subconsciously, many parents (in my experience anyway) have a less than stellar opinion of daycare workers whom they view as servant type workers. Saying things like "these kind of results are what I live for!" conveys to these types of parents (and I think there are a lot of them) that you have no life and no self-worth beyond caring for children which unfortunately in our society is not highly valued.

The comment on your video about being at a whole different level may turn off some parents. I do think your daycare is on a whole different level, but some parents may find that claim to be an insult to other day cares and that might sway them away from you instead of towards you.
It would better to just state the positives about your daycare without comparing it to others.

I hope none of this sounds harsh. I just want to help

[Blackcat31]

I've looked through every picture and i have no idea what you're talking about with cleavage.... i don't wear any clothes that have cleavage and haven't for like 8 years....

NOT agreeing with poster but in your intro video where you are shown discussing what you want for your program (around the 3:25+ mark) you are wearing a V-neck t-shirt that does show your cleavage.

Again I am NOT agreeing with the poster but assume that is what they are referring to. Some parts when you are speaking, you sort of bend forward and although I don't "see" anything I suppose it could be taken as if you are.

[trix23]

I think you were looking way too much into my content, to be honest. But my point is that I do things other programs don't. And I believe I am one of the better home daycare providers in the area. If they had my services, they would agree.

And children only nap when they feel comfortable. If a child is scared, they won't sleep. That was my point.

[Blackcat31]

I think you were looking way too much into my content, to be honest. But my point is that I do things other programs don't. And I believe I am one of the better home daycare providers in the area. If they had my services, they would agree.

And children only nap when they feel comfortable. If a child is scared, they won't sleep. That was my point.

Are you replying to me?

[trix23]

No, the other comment.

I'll prob have to take the video down if it's causing an issue. To edit it would be a lot of time that i just don't have at the moment.

[Blackcat31]

No, the other comment.

I'll prob have to take the video down if it's causing an issue. To edit it would be a lot of time that i just don't have at the moment.

I don't know... just because one person thought something is not reason to dismantle anything on your site

Everyone has an opinion but opinions aren't facts.

[trix23]

Oh i know. But to me, I think the video is my selling point. They can see my demeanor and personally beforehand but i don't want to seem like a floozie either (which I'm totally not anyway)

[Sahmmie]

I think you were looking way too much into my content, to be honest. But my point is that I do things other programs don't. And I believe I am one of the better home daycare providers in the area. If they had my services, they would agree.

And children only nap when they feel comfortable. If a child is scared, they won't sleep. That was my point.

That may have been what you meant, but it is not what is implied especially since you follow it up with that being the results you live for. I'm not trying to be mean, but you asked for help, so please think about what people are saying. Referring to getting children to nap as "results you live for" sends a certain message, and it's not that the children are comfortable enough to sleep at your home. The message it sends is more like, "I know how to make your kids nap, and I'm proud of it!'

And even here you continue to say that if they (parents) had your services, they would agree (that you are one of the better home daycares in the area). That may or may not be true. Different strokes for different folks, right? I happen to see what you are trying to do and I think it's great (really, I do), but personally, your projection of your own supremacy is a turn off. That is probably why you are not filling your spots. Tone it down a bit. Talk less about yourself and more about what children will be doing in your care.

If you hate me after this, I think it's because you don't want to hear the constructive criticism I have kindly offered and if you read the other comments, many others have said similar things, but in a different way.

Good luck. I hope you find plenty of little ones to fill up your daycare.