Top 3 Child Care Center Challenges + Management Software Solutions
Child care management software programs prove beneficial for day-to-day challenges faced by child care centers
As the child care industry continues to struggle, industry-specific software strives to alleviate some of the daily challenges affecting it. You might easily exclude child care management apps when planning your center's success, but utilizing management software that's geared to your needs is a good step in the right direction.
How can management software help your child care center address common challenges? We've already addressed some obvious benefits in previous articles such as "Long-term Benefits to Offering Parents Flexible Child Care Hours at Daycare Centers," but we want to focus on the "why" behind this need now.
In order to better understand the need for targeted management software, let's address some of the most common challenges child care facilities face.
#1. Staff Challenges at Child Care Centers:
We know this point didn't catch anyone by surprise. In fact, we recently talked about staffing challenges post-pandemic and how all involved in running the child care facilities have been affected.
Many parents won’t enroll their children in a child care center if they see it's understaffed — at least that's how it used to be. While this is still a concern, things are changing now. Parents are desperate to receive child care services upon having to return to work and would understandably rather have their child enrolled in an understaffed facility than left alone at home while they work.
What's the solution?
Having a well-staffed child care center with the appropriate amount of staffing for the number of children enrolled is easier said than done. However, child care management software makes it easier to do, not just say.
Some child care management software such as Child Care Seer's Seer app specifically addresses the staffing challenges faced by many child care facilities. With an Admissions & Scheduling feature, child care facility managers and staff can:
schedule classes
track enrollment
manage registration
and see staff and children in real-time throughout the day
These features allow for easy class viewing, changing, or scheduling to keep your capacity right-sized for your business goals. You can also manage changes to room capacity and sell excess capacity to maximize revenue!
The official Child Care Seer website provides additional insight on features of the app and how it works for directors & owners, teachers, and parents.
A facility that's able to track the amount of children per provider makes a good impression on parents, increasing the possibility of referrals and eventually business growth.
#2. Paperwork/Documentation Challenges for Child Care Facilities :
Too much paperwork distracts from spending time with children. But the child care industry relies heavily on tracking & records in order for facilities to continue to run successfully. Thus, a lot of paperwork. In fact, one app called the Daily Connect stated, "Not an hour goes by without teachers and staff recording daily activity that requires some type of form."
Paperwork is time-consuming, boring (let’s face it), and distracts you from spending time with children creating meaningful bonds. That’s not to mention the cost. Many childcare centers spend thousands of dollars every year on paper and printing! And while sifting through various lookalike forms can take a lot of time, it's a necessity in this industry. But is it necessarily effective?
What happens if a situation comes up where a child is in danger, and the professional inevitably is putting more time toward finding the right form within the myriads of forms the filing cabinet?
While this is A scary situation that no one wants to experience, the documentation and lack of effective organization is simply one of the many challenges child care centers experience on the daily.
What's the solution?
Consider switching from paper to digital forms that are handy to each staff member. Because, whether it be a child check-in, taking supplies inventory, noting an accident, or filling out a behavioral slip, keeping all paperwork available and ready is a no-brainer. And it's also a no-brainer to understand the role child care management software plays in this solution.
Reporting Feature: Create reports on revenue, attendance, class statistics and many more items of interest.
Billing & Payments Feature: Perform billing and invoicing, including partial payments, track account balances, print statements, and create reports.
This management software can save you and your staff hours during the week. What you would typically spend printing and looking for physical copies inside a folder is all organized on a central hub.
#3. The Challenge of Communicating With Parents:
Child care facility challenges affect everyone involved, including the parents who need to be aware of their kid’s everyday learning and growth. "Parent engagement is a crucial part of any successful child care program," says Active Network, "especially with the growing popularity of mobile devices." Today’s parents need constant access to information and updates on their kids, whether they’re at work or on the move. And it’s the teacher’s responsibility to make sure parents stay up-to-date; however, this part of their job requires a lot of time, energy, and patience.
With various high-priority and high-attention tasks at hand, this important step of developing clear, transparent, and consistent communication with parents can and does easily get neglected.
>> Continue Reading: 10 Common Challenges Faced by Preschool Teachers in 2022
What's the solution?
We recognize that when parents are in the loop with their kids, they're best equipped with information to support the kid to grow to their best potential so giving parents access to what's happening in/at your child care facility is key. And the best child care management and daycare software includes in-app tools to make life easier for parents.
With the Seer® app, for example, parents are updated with their child’s daily activities and progress through the interactive parent portal. Additionally, they're able to:
keep track of their child’s class schedule and activities throughout the day
view and load wallet balances
update the school/manage personal and child information, upload avatars and important documents
request enrollments and hourly care, request changes, see the actual schedule
In Conclusion:
There's no denying that it feels nice to have technology designed by and for your specific industry. The child care industry has been overlooked in the technology department for a while, with minute changes — at least up until recently "thanks" to the pandemic. With this increase in child care management app development, center owners, staff, and families are learning how to easily navigate the child care space without interfering with one anothers' roles.
But where and how should you start? Well, free is a good start. Management software such as Seer® gives you the option to get started for free, forever. So why deal with the usual challenges when you could get started with this solution for free? Start experiencing more enjoyable child care that you, your staff, your parents, and your children enjoy. Get started today for free with the Seer child care management app.
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