With the onset of COVID-19, the need for child care centers to connect with families has never been higher. Since March, centers have been faced with the challenge of making nearly split-second decisions with limited information, all while communicating any changes (closures, policy changes, etc.) to staff and the families they serve.
This is where child care management software (CCMS) can help and where our child care products and services best serve. Centers can send emails, text messages, newsletters, and more to parents with the click of a button – and keep track of those interactions to ensure centers can stay organized. Below are examples of how a CCMS platform can help child care providers engage with their parents to cultivate stronger relationships in this new environment. For the examples below, we’ll be referencing Procare Connect, our web- and app-based CCMS.
Parent Messaging
Using this feature, messages go to each of the parents and allows them to respond back. These could be small snippets of messages like, “Hope everybody is doing well,” or “We hope to be back in session from next week after a thorough deep cleaning of the center.” All messages create a push notification on the parents’ Procare Connect daycare app.
Daily Activities
Parents want to know what their children are doing throughout the day. Procare Connect allows teachers and staff to share photos, videos, learning activities, naps, meals and diaper changes. Each time an activity is logged by the teacher, the parent app is updated and receives a push notification.
In addition, all activities and photos from the day are summarized and sent to parents via email. This summary offers a way for parents to chat with their child about their day.
SMS Texting
Emergencies happen, especially these days. Procare Connect allows centers to quickly contact parents in case of emergencies through a text blast from the app. This text goes out to all parents who have a mobile phone listed.
Newsletters
This is by far is the most popular way for centers to send out detailed communication to their families. As centers are beginning to reopen after COVID-19 closures, they are using this feature to keep parents updated about their new processes and procedures. With the newsletter feature, centers have a variety of templates they can choose from to best fit their needs and the needs of the families they serve.
Calendars and Meal Plans
Keeping parents up to date on school events is easy through the calendar feature, which adds events directly to the parent’s calendar in the app.
Centers can also set up a calendar for meals and send it to parents ahead of time on the weekly basis. This can be sent out via a PDF and is tied to the daily meal activity, which reduces work of the teachers who are recording meals.
Parent engagement does not have to be a burdensome task when you leverage CCMS to automate communications. If you’re interested in learning more about how you can leverage a CCMS like Procare Connect to support parent engagement, you can request a demo here.
