Clear communication with the families you serve at your preschool or daycare is essential. Follow these steps to write an awesome newsletter that keeps your preschool parents informed.
- Choose a medium. There is no right or wrong way to send a child care center newsletter. Some preschools hand out updates to parents as kids are picked up. You can also mail paper newsletters directly to your families’ home addresses. One newsletter medium growing in popularity is email. This is a great way to reach busy parents who are already checking their inboxes regularly.
- Determine newsletter frequency. Make sure you’re sending often enough that you’re giving parents the information they need. Don’t commit to sending too often, or you’ll struggle to fill all the space in your newsletter. For older kids, once a month is probably plenty to keep parents updated. You can always send a special email “blast” with especially timely information between regular updates. Once you decide how often you’ll be sending your preschool or daycare newsletter to parents, stick with it.
- Create a newsletter template. Streamline your child care newsletter with a template you can follow every month. Design sections for items that will always be included, like events, lesson plans, menus, etc.
- Outline your must-have content. Jot down a list of special events, holiday closings and reminders that absolutely must go into your newsletter. You may want to keep a sticky note on your desk between newsletters so you can write ideas down throughout the month. Fill in the empty sections of your template with a few photos and activities from the previous month.
- Write and proofread your newsletter. If possible, take a few hours and write out your entire newsletter in one sitting. In the long run, it will take less time to do it this way. Then, come back to it and proofread the entire newsletter. Parents are trusting you to educate their kids, so put your best foot forward.
- Send your newsletter again next month. No matter what interval you decide is best for your daycare or preschool, stick to it. Ask for feedback from parents and staff, especially after your first few newsletters. Take comments into account and improve every month.
Child Care Newsletter Ideas
Looking at an empty Word document or email template can be intimidating. Fill your daycare newsletter for parents with important information as well as fun recaps from the previous month.
Share Important Details
Preschool newsletters are first and foremost a way to share important information with parents about what their kids are up to. Consider adding these details to your template so they can be included each month in your daycare newsletters:
- A calendar of events, special hours and closings
- Learning objectives and lesson plans for the month
- Reminders for parents
- A menu for lunch or snacks
- A quick review of your school’s policies
- The link to your online payment portal
Build a Community
The families at your preschool are a part of your larger community. They also make up a smaller community that will continue to interact as their kids become friends and go to school together. Help foster this community with resources in your newsletter.
- Welcome new families to your preschool or child care center
- Share relevant community events
- Include links to your social media profiles
- Ask parents to review your business
- Advertise upcoming tours and ask parents to share with friends
Connect Kids and Parents
As an early childhood educator, you may spend more time with parents’ kids than the parents themselves do. Provide resources to keep kids and parents connected in the time they do have together!
- Include photos of kids doing projects at preschool
- Suggest activities to do at home
- Link to your website’s latest blog posts
- Offer resources from industry experts
