The 2023 Child Care Management Software Industry Trends Report from Procare Solutions found that more than a third of those who responded to the survey used to compile the report stated they struggle with registration and enrollment. 

This finding comes at a time when child care programs should be amping up their enrollment due to demand from working parents, many who are returning to the office at least on a hybrid schedule.

Let’s take a deeper look at the report’s findings and how software can help with these challenges!

Managing Daycare Waitlists

A recent NPR Planet Money episode illustrated how difficult waitlists are at child care locations nationwide. 

“Even once you find a place you like, many daycares have waitlists stretching 6 months, 9 months, a year,” according to the episode. 

Yet, even as families are clamoring for quality child care and when many centers are under-enrolled, 37%  of respondents said they have no plans to implement waitlist management. 

Keeping track of prospective families is vital to managing enrollment and planning for staffing needs. Attracting new families is a key component of operating a successful child care business. 

To do that well, it’s imperative to understand how effective the business is at enrolling families who show an interest in a center. Software metrics, tailored to measure the effectiveness and health of how a child care center manages waitlists, can help.

Relying on Manual Business Processes

The Procare Solutions trend report also showed that half of the centers not using software rely on manual processes to track their business operations. 

There is upward movement toward child care management  use in this segment, with 6% saying they’re implementing software now and another 10% saying they plan to do so in the next two years. Only 11% of the respondents not currently using software  say they have no plans to begin using it any time soon. 

Using a daycare waitlist template, or relying on sticky notes to keep track of families who’ve shown an interest in your center, creates extra work for you in addition to the work it takes to manage staff and run your early childhood education program.

To meet the challenges of today that will persist into tomorrow, programs must look at how to incorporate software to grow and prosper. 

How Procare Can Help!

Procare gives you the tools you need to grow your enrollment, including our Leads Insights enhancement that uses an insights funnel diagram to help you visualize how prospective customers are moving toward enrollment, from start to finish.

You can choose a series of statuses to help you track those interested families, often known as leads. The funnel shows you how a family goes from being interested in your center, to touring it, to being admitted and ultimately enrolled, which is the bottom of the funnel. (Waitlisted families, for instance, would be at the top of the funnel.) 

If you want to learn more about how you can grow your business, download the 2023 Child Care Management Software Industry Trends Report. Your peers in the industry provided insightful data that will help you achieve your goals and learn more about:

• Software usage
• Accounting
• Enrollment
• Parent and family engagement
• Curriculum and early childhood education
• Challenges being faced
• And more!

Be ready for all the opportunities that come your way with Procare! Request a demo today to learn how Procare has helped hundreds of thousands of early childhood professionals streamline child care management.