How Parents Really Search for Daycare: Our Founder on the More Tours Podcast

Introduction (00:00)

Brooks: Hey everyone, this is Brooks from Clear Path Childcare Marketing. Welcome to the More Tours podcast, a show for daycare center and preschool owners to learn more about the industry and grow their centers. I'm very excited to bring on Sam Douglas. He's the founder of something I think is really useful to a lot of parents, called daycarefinder.net. Sam's webcam isn't working today, so he'll be audio only, but we'll still get a lot of knowledge from him. Sam, welcome to the show.

Sam: Thanks so much for having me.

What Daycare Finder is (00:46)

Brooks: To get started, tell us what exactly daycarefinder.net is.

Sam: Daycarefinder.net is a place for parents to find daycares for their children. When I was searching, there wasn't a place where I could find all the options available in a particular area. That's what Daycare Finder is meant to do: help families know which daycares are available, what's distinctive about them, and what other parents say about them, to make the search a little easier.

Why Sam started it (01:34)

Brooks: How did you come up with the idea? How did you realize there was a need for this?

Sam: It came from a personal experience. I was a single dad with an 18-month-old, and I suddenly and unexpectedly had to find childcare for him. I expected it to be easy: I'd Google, find a daycare and have it done in half a day. What I found was very different. The first place I went had about an 18-month waiting list. The second had a nine-month waiting list. I was in Asheville, North Carolina at the time, a medium-sized city, and there weren't a huge number of options. I got to the point where I felt I might not be able to find childcare for him at all, and wondered whether I'd have to take time off work until I could get something lined up.

I was surprised there wasn't a single source I could search. I was so used to buying things on Amazon, where you can just put on search filters. I expected to be able to say: an 18-month-old, within ten miles of this location, rated four stars or better. Nothing did that. So I wanted to build the solution I wish I'd had: something for parents like me who are trying to find childcare and maybe don't have a deep network where they live, where they could ask a neighbor or a friend what they did.

Brooks: Because, like you said, it's not just finding the center. Say you find the perfect center: it matches your values, your location, all of it. Then there's a waiting list for months and months. That's a piece you might not even think of. I think this could be really big in the industry. Like many great businesses, you started with the need. Is daycarefinder.net live now?

Sam: That's right, it's live now, and we cover many of the metro areas across the US, though not every single one yet. We started with the top 50 metro areas and tried to catalog all of the daycare centers we could find. We tried to be exhaustive, but if listeners search and don't find their center, we're happy for them to add a listing. That's completely free. We're getting parents searching and filling out the form, and we're trying to help them get connected with the centers they're interested in.

How parents use the site (05:36)

Brooks: Tell us about the parent journey when they use your site.

Sam: We've organized it around cities, so there are separate city pages. Say you look at Austin, Texas: you go to the Austin page, and you can filter for centers rated four stars or more, or centers that serve a certain age group, because at the youngest and oldest edges not every center covers the full range of ages. Then they can click into an individual center. Maybe those filters give them five possibilities.

For each one we've tried to write a custom description based on the center's website and social posts, paired with information from reviews, whether parents gave them to us or posted them elsewhere. Between what the centers say about themselves and what parents have posted publicly, we can write a blurb that gets at what's distinctive and what parents appreciate about that center. It's a similar insight to talking to a couple of moms in the neighborhood who know that center. We also share some of the reviews we found.

When parents find a center worth a closer look, they can click to get more information and fill out a form with their name, their child's name and age. We take that and get them connected with the center: here's a parent who is interested in you. That's the experience we've set up, and we're seeing people use it. We're looking forward to generating more tours for your listeners as well.

What would have helped Sam as a parent (08:17)

Brooks: Switching gears a little: part of the reason I asked you on the show is your perspective on finding daycares and preschools, from your own experience and from parents using your site. When you were in the middle of your search, wondering whether you'd find anything, what would have helped you? Easy pricing? A center that resonated with you? Location?

Sam: When I remember my search, the first thing is availability information. Sometimes you find a website and think, look at these pictures, these claims, these reviews, this inspiring video, they're changing lives. Then you call and they say it's going to be a year and a half before your child could join. That was a waste of time. I'd taken time on a lunch break to make that call, and they weren't even available.

Second, so much of the process is phone based, and for some parents calling during the workday is hard. I found I was often searching at nine or ten o'clock at night, after I'd gotten the kids to bed. I wished I could have done more of the process outside business hours, because I was working.

Third, finding out the limitations. Some places start at two years old, and my child was younger than two. You can get deep into the process and then hear, "Actually, now that you mention it, we can't accept your child at that age, but call us in six months." Well, what am I going to do for six months?

There were a variety of sources, individual websites and some of the big center networks, but there wasn't a one-stop shop. And I think different people have different opinions on this, but there wasn't much pricing transparency on the websites. To some extent I understand that. You want families to come in and feel that this is a great fit, so that the quality justifies the price. But I had a pretty fixed cap on what I could pay, and it was hard that I had to make a phone call during the day just to get pricing. I think a lot of parents feel that way.

Brooks: Just getting an idea. We build websites and do SEO for centers, and I always tell them to at least give some kind of range. If someone can only spend $500 a month and your tuition starts at $1,000, just throwing out numbers here, at least they can see from the start that it's out of their range. You're not giving exact numbers, but you're giving them an idea. I think that's an overarching theme: give parents what they're looking for without being too exact. Same with a waiting list. You don't have to publish your head count, but if you have availability, make it known: "Yes, we're offering new enrollments." If you don't: "No enrollments at this time, join our waitlist." Would things like that have helped you, and the parents who come to your site?

Buying daycare vs buying a phone (13:40)

Sam: I think it really would. One thing that stood out to me was how different buying daycare was from how I buy other things. If I'm buying a new phone, I can find out right away the price, how many are in stock, the shipping time, and what this phone does that others don't. I can do all the comparison shopping in maybe 15 minutes and have it in my hand within two days. With daycare, that price transparency wasn't there. I didn't know how much was "in stock," to use the same term, meaning what the availability was, or really any of the specifications, other than descriptions of how it would be a transformative, positive experience for kids. Most daycares make statements like that, so they run together.

So I looked at that contrast and asked: how do parents usually buy things, and can we make daycare selection mirror the way parents already make financial decisions and purchases? That was one of the driving principles behind daycarefinder.net. It's a little different from how many center directors approach it, as you said. But some of the most successful companies in the world are customer obsessed. They ask what customers want and what process they'll use, and how to make it more convenient and faster. Those are the problems I was trying to solve with daycarefinder.net.

Discoverability: search like a parent (15:59)

Brooks: What can owners do about discoverability, being easy to find? If you're in a large metro area, there are a lot of centers out there, whether daycare, preschool or after-school care. What do you recommend?

Sam: My first recommendation is a simple one, but I think it's really effective. For a minute, put on your hat as a parent searching for daycare. Pretend you don't know about your center and ask what you would search for. Maybe you go on Google and search "daycare" plus your city. Or if you have a particular focus, if it's a Christian daycare or a Montessori daycare, put that in with your city and see whether you come up. It's easy to think about all the channels you have: your website, Facebook, Instagram, other sites. But when you put yourself in a parent's position, you may realize, "I would never find my center if I searched the way the people I know search." That can be really eye-opening. It's a simple step that many people don't take.

For Daycare Finder specifically, go to the page for your city and see whether you're there. We've used all the sources available to us, many of the same channels parents use to find daycares and reviews. If your center isn't there, we're happy to add it and get updated information. We have a page where you can submit your center so more people can discover it. We want to be part of the solution that helps people find your center.

Brooks: We'll get to how people can join at the end. One thing I always push with daycare and preschool centers is understanding the journey. If you're having trouble with enrollment, where is the disconnect? Is it after the tour? Is it people not showing up after they schedule one? And one more tip for listeners: do those searches in an incognito window or a different browser. If you're on your own website a lot and type your center's name a lot, Google may show you higher than it would for someone on a fresh computer who has never searched "daycare near me" before. That can skew your results. I've heard people say, "I'm coming up everywhere," and it's like, no, you're not. Retargeting ads do the same thing: "Every website is showing me an ad for my center!" That's because you're on your site and getting profiled as a prospect.

Sam: Exactly.

What sets one center apart (20:51)

Brooks: You brought up an interesting point I wanted to touch on: the differences between daycares. If everyone has a nice website with good pictures and the same basic services, infant care, toddler care, it can be hard to tell them apart, especially when several have great websites. Tell us about your journey, and other parents', when it comes to telling centers apart.

Sam: When I was compiling information on the different daycares, it was interesting to see themes emerge, distinctive things that multiple parents mentioned in their reviews. In some cases it was communication: the center did a great job of communicating. Just because it's what people talk about doesn't mean it's the only thing a center does well, but if three different parents mention the same thing, there's probably something to it.

At some schools parents said the communication was excellent. At others it was such a loving, caring, nurturing environment. Some talked about deep relationships. Some said, "My kid learned so much, it was such an engaging, stimulating environment," which was exactly what their child needed. Some talked about a particular focus: faith, play, literacy and early exposure to reading. Or for after-school programs, "My kids always came home exhausted and got their wiggles out."

I think parents often have one or two things where they say, "For my kid, I'd love it if this were really strong." Those things come through in the combination of the reviews and what the centers say about themselves. Sometimes centers are afraid to communicate their distinctives because they think, "If I'm A, that implies I'm not B." But parents do want to know: what do you stand for? What do you really lean into? What do you do as well as or better than anybody else? I'd suggest not being afraid to communicate what you do best. When the parents who enroll are aligned with your philosophy, you'll have happier customers, and you'll have kids enrolling who need what you do really well.

It's tempting to try to be all things to all people, but that's difficult. It's good to be comfortable with what you do well, what your staff does well and what your facility is suited to, and to be proud of that and communicate it.

Brooks: And communicating not just what's different about your center but what parents are saying: having reviews front and center. The great thing about your own website is that you choose which reviews to show. On Google, if you get a negative review, Google won't take it down; it's up there for good. There are strategies around that, but that's a different discussion. Do you showcase reviews on Daycare Finder?

How Daycare Finder handles reviews (25:02)

Sam: We do. Some come from parents directly and some we find publicly. We try to find the right balance. We're not trying to ruin any center's life. I've seen a center whose average rating was one star, because parents and kids consistently had a bad experience, and we pulled that listing rather than put up something negative. We'd rather withdraw it. We do share reviews to give parents more color on what other parents are saying about a center.

Brooks: That makes sense, and I'm sure centers with some negative reviews appreciate it.

How centers can get listed (26:21)

Brooks: To finish up: what's the process for a center to reach out and get added to your site?

Sam: We have a page on daycarefinder.net where you can add your center. It starts with a form with your information, so parents can get in touch with you and so we can, along with the things you think are distinctive, going back to earlier in the conversation: what's unique about your center and what parents appreciate most. I'm always available, or our team is, through the contact form.

One other thing that's in development: alongside the city pages where you can search for daycares that meet your criteria, we're planning a "best around" or top-rated daycare feature based on ratings and reviews. Hopefully it can bring positive attention to centers that are doing a great job in the eyes of the parents who know them best, the ones bringing their kids there most weekdays. I think that will get even more parents engaged with the information. More to come on that.

Since this was recorded, those awards have launched as the Daycare Finder Best Daycare awards, now given in cities across the country.

Brooks: This has been really eye-opening. You're a parent yourself, you've been through the struggle of needing a center quickly, and you have a unique view of the parent journey. Any last tips for daycare and preschool owners?

Interest is only the start: tours and follow-up (28:45)

Sam: I agree with what you said earlier. If you're trying to grow enrollment, figure out where in the process to improve. Where we specialize is getting the contact information, but it doesn't end there. The tour is critical, and the follow-up after it is critical. The job isn't done just because there's interest. It takes the tour and the follow-up to make sure the experience families get when they engage with you matches the message you're putting out on your website and everywhere else.

Brooks: Absolutely. Finding is just the first step. We call that the discovery phase of the parent journey. Then there's the trust-building phase, then the ease-of-use phase, how easy it is to submit a form or call, and then the sales phase after that. It sounds like you've got something great going, and I think it could grow very big. Congrats on what you're doing, and thanks for joining us today.

Sam: I enjoyed it. Thanks so much for having me.

Brooks: And thank you all for watching another episode of the More Tours podcast. If you'd like to be a guest on the show, there's a link in the description to reach out and tell us your story. See you in the next one.

Find or update your center on Daycare Finder

Search your city on Daycare Finder the way a parent would. If your center is missing or out of date, add or update your listing for free. Want more on these ideas? Read how parents actually search for daycare and why daycares don't list prices or openings.