With a rapidly changing landscape of technology, shifting customer expectations and even more competition than before, childcare services must stay ahead of the curve with goal setting. Establishing clear, achievable goals for the coming year can help a childcare service stay competitive and remain successful.
As we look ahead to 2023, here are some new year goal ideas for childcare services to consider.
1. Increase community engagement
Childcare services could aim to become more connected with the local community. Activities for this goal include hosting events, getting involved in local groups and organisations, or participating in volunteer activities.
Hosting events like open days, parent-teacher socials, or a grandparent / special person morning tea can help strengthen the connection between families and teachers. It also allows the service to showcase its facilities, staff members, and programs.
Getting involved with local groups and organisations can also help build a connection between the childcare service and its surroundings, as well as provide unique experiences for the children. Visiting local libraries, nursing homes, or men’s sheds can be an opportunity for children to learn about different cultures and communities.
Finally, participating in volunteer activities within the local community is an excellent way to demonstrate that childcare services are dedicated to making a difference in their neighbourhood.
Each of these efforts can have many benefits for childcare services, such as increasing visibility and reputation, building relationships with parents, and creating fundraising opportunities.
2. Invest resources for staff members
Another goal for childcare services in 2023 can be to invest resources in nurturing and developing their educators and administrators.
Educators are the backbone of any childcare service, so ensuring they are happy, feel valued and have the training and resources they need to do their job well is essential.
Ways to do this include providing them with professional development opportunities and adequate compensation for their roles, introducing recognition programs or awards to reward their hard work, and promoting their value to parents by highlighting the skills they bring to the table.
Administrators, too, should be given the support they need to manage a childcare service effectively. Investing in technology solutions that simplify administrative tasks such as scheduling or financial management can free up time for administrators to focus on other important operations like marketing and customer service.
Childcare services may also consider utilising the training available from their childcare software provider to ensure they are making full use of the software’s functionality and are aware of any additional optional tools that could help them.
Smart Staff – Smart Central’s rostering and timesheet tool, for instance, helps administrators manage staff availability, educator-to-child ratios, and more. This technology simplifies the administrative process while helping administrators get enough breaks throughout the day.
3. Embrace sustainability
As the world continues to grapple with climate change and other environmental issues, childcare services could also focus on sustainability in 2023.
This goal could mean small changes, such as reducing water consumption or switching to energy-efficient lightbulbs. It could also mean more significant initiatives like implementing composting systems or using sustainable materials for construction and renovations.
By embracing sustainability, childcare services can not only help protect the environment, but they can also create a more positive learning environment for children. Learning about sustainability from an early age will help them become environmentally conscious adults in the future.
In addition to these initiatives, childcare services can reduce their paper waste by digitally performing administrative tasks. Smart Admin offers features for managing online enrolments, finances, bookings, attendance, occupancy, and more – allowing childcare services to go completely paperless.
By switching to digital administrative processes, childcare services can make the switch to sustainability while streamlining their operations.
4. Improve educational outcomes
In 2023, childcare services may also consider improving educational outcomes and enhancing their quality of care. One way to do this is by leveraging an observation and learning platform such as Smart Learn, Kinderloop, or Early Works.
These platforms enable educators to capture detailed information about children in their care, such as milestones achieved or areas of development that may need extra attention. Educators can then use this data to create individualised plans for children, which helps ensure they are receiving quality care tailored to their specific needs.
By using these platforms, educators can share observations with parents easily, so everyone is kept up-to-date on a child's progress. Parents, too, can provide their observations from home or during outings and other activities. This provides educators with a more holistic view of the child's learning and development, enabling them to craft precise plans for each individual.
In addition to leveraging technology, childcare services can also seek out resources to learn about the latest trends in learning. This could mean attending conferences or online workshops on early childhood education, child development, and play-based learning.
Childcare services may also consider creating or joining a network with other educators to share best practices, collaborate, and get feedback from one another on new ideas. This step can be especially useful for those just starting in the field of early childhood education and looking for guidance from more experienced colleagues.
Lastly, incorporating critical reflection into the process of goal setting can help childcare services stay focused on their objectives and assess their progress over time. Reflection allows educators to reflect on what has been achieved, identify areas where improvement is needed, and create strategies for achieving success.
5. Enhance communication
Communication is key to the success of any childcare service. In 2023, childcare services could focus on enhancing communication between staff and parents, as well as within the team itself.
The first step is to ensure parents are aware of the resources offered and how to access them. This can be done by sending out regular updates about new programs, events and other announcements.
Childcare services can also ensure they are making good use of the Smart Central Parent App to communicate. Administrators can set up notifications for parents about events and activities, update them on their child’s progress, or send out reminders about deadlines.
Moreover, it is important that childcare services look into different communication channels, such as text messages, emails, and in-app messaging. This will help to guarantee that all parents are kept up-to-date with what’s happening at the centre.
Childcare services could also strive to create an open environment where staff members feel comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns.
Regular meetings between staff members are a great way to achieve this goal. Childcare services can use these meetings to discuss best practices for dealing with challenging situations or brainstorming new initiatives.
By creating an open and communicative environment, childcare services can foster collaboration between staff members while also improving the overall experience of parents.
6. Increase parent satisfaction
In the coming year, childcare services can strive to increase parent satisfaction. This could be done by determining what parents expect from their childcare service and then meeting or exceeding those expectations.
For example, childcare services could provide additional amenities such as free meals for children or offer more flexible hours to accommodate working parents.
Another way to increase parent satisfaction is through customer feedback surveys sent out periodically throughout the year. Childcare services can use the survey results to make changes or improvements that would benefit the parents and their children.
Finally, increasing parent education and involvement in their child's care can also help to raise satisfaction levels. Services can consider offering opportunities for parents to participate in activities or workshops that help them better understand their child’s development, as well as provide regular updates on progress.
7. Boost enrolment
One of the key goals childcare services may consider is to boost enrolments. This can be achieved by creating and maintaining a strong presence on social media, offering promotions and discounts, word-of-mouth marketing, and other customer relationship-building strategies.
It's important to be proactive in your approach to enrolment and ensure that you have the right resources in place. For example, a well-designed website with clear information on what your centre offers can help drive enquiries and enrolments.
Add to that an AI chatbot plugin like Ask Iris, which can provide customers with 24/7 assistance and help them find the information they need quickly.
Ask Iris is the first-ever AI chatbot solution designed to engage parents and nurture enrolments. It can help childcare services quickly and easily answer questions from prospective parents, such as what the service offers and what their enrolment process looks like.
Ask Iris saves childcare services time and resources that would otherwise have been spent responding to enquiries. It also helps create a better experience for parents, as they get fast and accurate answers to their questions.
With Ask Iris, childcare services can quickly and easily make a positive impression on prospective parents and ultimately increase satisfaction.
8. Be financially sustainable
One of the most important goals for any childcare service is financial sustainability. Developing a comprehensive budget, monitoring income and expenses, and setting aside funds for future growth are essential to achieving this goal.
A good strategy would be to focus on reducing costs while providing quality services. Additionally, setting up or improving existing systems that track spending can help ensure that your finances remain in check throughout the year.
Furthermore, setting up or improving existing systems that track spending can help ensure that your finances stay in check throughout the year.
Income diversification is also a critical factor in achieving financial sustainability. Developing new revenue streams such as special events, after-school activities, or even partnering with other organisations can help bring in additional funds.
9. Expand services
Childcare services must stay ahead of the competition by offering services that differentiate your service from its competitors. Consider expanding your services to include after-school care, tutoring, excursions and other activities to help children develop essential skills.
Language classes or music lessons are also great options for childcare services to consider. These activities help children become more well-rounded and engaged with their learning experience.
In addition, childcare services can also offer additional services such as nutrition classes or physical activity programs. These activities can help children learn important health and wellness lessons while providing an enjoyable experience.
Finally, childcare services could also look into offering services tailored to specific age groups. For instance, a service can offer story time for toddlers or science sessions for school-age children.
Offering additional services can help childcare services position themselves as an all-in-one destination for parents looking for quality care and education for their children.
Furthermore, these other services will also create new job opportunities for staff members as they may need to be hired to teach or supervise certain activities. This initiative could increase employee job satisfaction, leading to better performance overall.
10. Promote healthy eating
Making sure children eat healthy meals and snacks is essential for their well-being and development. Establishing a goal to promote healthy eating through menu planning, healthier snack options, growing vegetable gardens, or even partnering with local growers and suppliers can help meet this critical objective.
By providing healthier food options, childcare services can help encourage children to make better food choices. This step could lead to a reduction in sugar and processed foods, which can positively impact their overall health and well-being.
It is also vital for childcare services to educate parents about the importance of healthy eating habits. Providing resources such as cookbooks or nutrition classes can be a great way to do this.
Working with parents and staff members can help ensure childcare services can create an environment that promotes healthy eating habits for all children under their care.
11. Improve premises
The physical layout of a childcare service can significantly impact the overall experience for both children and parents. In 2023, childcare services should focus on making improvements to their premises that can help create a more comfortable and inviting atmosphere.
Under this goal, childcare services may consider updating the furniture or decorating the walls with artwork created by the children. It could also involve adding new outdoor play areas or setting up a reading corner, as these features can help create an immersive environment for learning and exploration.
In addition, childcare services should strive to ensure that all safety regulations are being met at all times, including ensuring that any playground equipment is in good condition and that high hygiene standards are maintained throughout the service.
By taking steps to improve the physical layout of their premises, childcare services can not only create a better experience for children and parents but also ensure that everyone is safe at all times.
12. Invest in simpler, smarter childcare solutions
Technology can be a great way to streamline processes, save time and money, and improve the overall quality of care.
Integrated systems that avoid double-handling information are a great asset for childcare centres looking to stay ahead of the game. Automating bookings, payments, and communication processes will help reduce time spent on administrative tasks, freeing up staff to focus on more important childcare duties.
One example of an integrated system is Smart Central All-in-One – a comprehensive software that tracks attendance, billing, payments, and other important information in one easy-to-use platform.
This all-inclusive solution helps streamline operations while making sure that parents have accurate information about their child's activities from the comfort of their own home or office.
Smart Central All-in-One can also help childcare services become more efficient in their daily operations. By integrating functions such as administration and rostering, observation and learning, and parent communications, childcare services can save time and money while reducing manual errors.
Final Thoughts
New Year is an ideal time for childcare services to set goals and create a plan for success. From increasing parent satisfaction to embracing sustainability, investing in simpler, smarter childcare solutions or expanding services, there are many ways that childcare services can stay ahead of the competition and remain successful in 2023.
This article's new year goal ideas provide plenty of direction for childcare services looking to set themselves up for success in the years ahead. By taking steps towards meeting these goals and staying ahead of the curve, childcare services can help ensure they are well-positioned to weather any challenges that may come their way.
