Does your center change its programming in the summer? Older kids aren’t at school and parents may have different work schedules, so offering convenient, flexible child care can help the summer months be successful for your business. For many centers, this means creating a summer camp-style program.
To make sure your summer camp is worth the investment, you want to reach capacity sooner rather than later. This way, you’ll also be able to plan for any increased staffing needs with plenty of time to find the best help.
Your summer camp advertisements can follow a similar recipe as your successful child care marketing. You’ll also want to remember to reach three key audiences you already have contact with:
- Families who used your center for daily child care before their kids entered kindergarten
- Parents who rely on your daycare for before or after school child care for their school-aged kids
- Families who have kids in your infant, toddler or pre-k programs who also have older kids who will need care over the summer
7 Ways to Promote Your Center’s Summer Camp
- Add a section to your website about your summer camp. Whether people find your summer programs through your website or go there to find more information after seeing another ad, it’s important to mention your program online.
- Contact local publications that put together a list of summer camps. Your newspaper, popular parenting websites in your city and seasonal magazines are a good place to start.
- Include information about your summer camp in your monthly newsletters. Start mentioning the program in late winter with a small blurb. Feature summer camps more prominently as the weather gets warmer.
- Send an email to parents who used to be clients but whose kids no longer need daily care letting them know that summer camp enrollment is now open. You should also let them know they can unsubscribe if they no longer wish to get messages from your daycare.
- Add social media posts to your content calendar that get parents and kids excited about summer camp. Links to your website for more information, details about signing up and examples of activities you’re planning for camp can all be shared.
- Add to your current search engine marketing efforts with a campaign that targets families looking specifically for summer camp. This will help reach parents who aren’t already affiliated with your center looking for summertime child care.
- Offer discounts for your current customers who sign up for summer camp with your center. Incentivize early signups, referrals or multiple kids to help retain your customers during the summer.
