5 Ways to Wow Parents

Without hard-working parents there are no OSCAR programmes. Turn your parents and whānau into raving fans by doing a little bit extra to make their lives even easier...

1. Be a teammate:

Parenting is hard and we all know "it takes a village". You have been chosen as part of that village for your parents, and therefore as their partner in childcare and education. Look at your programme administration, logistics and culture from a parent perspective and form decisions and processes that support their needs, even if it's a little bit more difficult for your staff at times.

2. Be the highlight of their child's day:

Every parent has an internal voice telling them they should be doing better by their child, and working parents suffer from this more than any other, though it is often suppressed. Recognise that your parents probably wish they didn't need your service at all...and then make it indispensible by adding real value to their child's life. Fun, friends, new skills, inspiration, mentoring, expert knowledge...going over and above what children have access to at home means parents can feel good about the time they spend with you. Raving kids, raving parents!

3. Be a Chatterbox:

Communicate, communicate, communicate! Offer an always-answered contact number, social media feeds for live updates, an email newsletter, and—perhaps most important—regular opportunities for a good old-fashioned chat. If your parents pick-up in the car park, stop by their car windows once in a while. Pick up the phone and say hello. Connect so you know what's going on, they know what's going on, and they know you care.

4. Be inclusive:

New Zealand is more multicultural than ever, and the reasons people choose to live here are becoming more diverse and complex too. Foster an inclusive environment where all languages and perspectives are welcome. Your kids from other countries are easy to spot and accommodate, but many of your parents have Kiwi-born children with strong cultural roots somewhere else. Make your expat parents smile by learning a greeting in their home language, asking about ways to honour their culture, and doing a little extra homework on their background and perspectives.

5. Be in the cloud:

Not only does out of school care software make your admin a breeze, parents love it too. aimy Plus out of school care software gives your parents access to online booking and payment, a parent dashboard where photos and child information can be shared, and even makes dealing with subsidies easier! 

Ready to make parent's lives easier than ever?