This post may contain affiliate links, which means I'll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.

As we gear up for another exciting year of caring for little ones, let's talk about how we can simplify the process of enrolling children for summer and fall ensuring we stay full to capacity.

Whether you are part of a family home daycare, child care center, or preschool, I'm here to share some insights on keeping your enrollment steady and avoiding the hassle of last-minute withdrawals.

Before we get started,  If you’re new to my site, don’t forget to snag my FREE Interview Guide to hiring quality staff for your program before you leave!

Now Let's talk about how to keep your childcare program full at all times without the summer drop.

1. Require Summer and Fall Registration

You know how it goes – families say they'll be here for the summer and then switch plans at the last minute due to grandma's visit or summer vacation plans. We get it. That's why we tweaked our approach in our center, asking families to sign up for both summer and fall. It's been a game-changer, and I'm excited to break down the process, hoping it can be a handy guide for your daycares and childcare centers.

2. Start the Process Early

Let's keep it clear and start early! We start by sending an email in mid-January, giving parents the details on our upcoming summer program and fall program. We give them until the end of February to register for summer, fall, or both. 

Parents who want to take the summer off are allowed to register for fall only without paying the holding fee during the summer. Since we know in advance who is attending during the summer, we can fill our open spaces with 6-12 year olds by offering a summer program full of fun activities and field trips. 

Summer Registration 

• Our summer program usually starts the day after Memorial Day and ends when school starts in early August. All children attending (June & July) are required to register.  

• We charge a $75.00 registration fee for currently enrolled kiddos, ages 6 weeks to 5 years. The fee gets credited back in June after the first week of summer ONLY IF they attend. (In the beginning, we called it a deposit, but it confused parents when they would withdraw right before summer and couldn’t get their “deposit” back.)

• Currently enrolled after school students and 6-12 year old siblings or children who attend during school breaks are required to pay a non-refundable $75 registration fee. It is non-refundable regardless of attendance due to the extensive summer program and activities.

Fall Registration

• Our fall program starts when our county returns to school in early August. Fall is our annual enrollment period in which all attending families are required to pay the annual registration fee.

• All children (6 weeks to 12 years) attending on or after August 5th need to be registered. This applies to children who attend after school and during school breaks. 

• A non-refundable $75.00 registration fee applies to all children and a $120.00 book fee applies to K-3 and K-4 students only. An early bird book fee of $100.00 is available if paid by February 29th, after which it becomes $120.00.

Click here to download my Summer/Fall Registration Parent Letter and tweak it to fit your needs!

3. Timing is Everything

We let our parents know that February 28th (or 29th) is the last day to secure their spot. I give parents the heads up that we open enrollment to the waiting list on March 1st. If they register late, they risk losing your spot. On March 1st, I start sorting out registered kids into their classes and dialing up the waiting list.

Raising Tuition

It's standard practice for tuition rates to increase by 3-5% every year or so. The fall is the perfect time to implement the increase and January is the perfect time to discuss any tuition changes. If you decide to increase tuition, you should simply say in the January email. “It’s now time to register for the summer and fall. Here are our new rates effective August 5th, 2024.” This gives them plenty of time to make the decision on whether they want to remain in your program with no last minute surprises. Click here to use my New Rates Flyer Canva Template. If you need a Rate Increase Letter, you can find that in my freebie section here.

Other things worth mentioning are:

• We sometimes waive the summer/fall registration for brand new families who have just enrolled.

• You can choose whatever registration amount works best for you. We started with $50.

• You can also choose to do a family registration instead of a child registration. It’s just harder to keep track of if you have an infant registered for summer and fall and a school aged child only registered for summer. 

• You can have parents use a paper registration form to check off what programs they are registering for or use an online registration process through your childcare management system. We have done both. 

• You may have a family with 2 or more children paying $300 or more in registration fees. If a parent complains, explain the reason for the process and remind them of the portion that will be credited back. 

• Make sure you have this process outlined in your parent handbook so that parents are fully aware of the summer registration process and the annual fall registration fee due. 

• Some Parents will ask to register for summer and then apply that fee to the fall. We require them to register for each separately before March 1st. 

• We send out an additional email to families with children ages 6 - 12 years who attend during school breaks and summer. You can download the registration letter for 6-12 years here. 

  Click here for my Summer/Fall Registration Flyer. You will be taken to a free Canva template.

Conclusion:

Clear communication and a solid enrollment process make everyone's lives easier. You may not follow this process exactly, but I hope this breakdown becomes a handy guide for your childcare centers, bringing efficiency and clarity to your enrollment processes.

Got questions or need more details? I'm just a message away. Here's to a super successful enrollment season!

Here are some other articles packed with valuable content you are sure to enjoy:

6 Must-Do’s To Effectively Communicate To Staff

How To Avoid Burnout in Childcare

How To Screen Families For Your Daycare

6 Tips To Ace Your Licensing Inspections

30 Daycare Policies You Need in Your Parent Handbook

Important Daycare Forms You Need For Your Childcare Business

How To Deal With Parents Who Consistently Pay Tuition Late!

The 12 Most Common Child Care Business Mistakes

One Surefire Way to Boost ECE Staff Retention