Your childcare center newsletter is a great way to engage parents and keep them informed about important happenings at your program. Whether you send out a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly newsletter, paper copy or email version, you can be sure your parent newsletter is one of your most essential communication tools. Here we discuss ten things you may want to include in your parent newsletter. Read on to find out more.

10 Things to Include in Your Parent Newsletter

1 – A Personal Greeting from You – Whether you operate a childcare service out of your home or you are the owner of a multi-center operation, it’s important to include a special note written by you in your parent newsletter. This adds a personal touch to let parents know you are more than simply the business owner or director; you are intimately involved in the day-to-day happenings at their child’s program. Even a few brief sentences can convey your genuine involvement and interest in their child’s care.

2 – Updates from Your Childcare Team – In addition to a personal greeting from you, you may wish to include updates from your teachers about what’s going on in their classrooms. You can also take the opportunity to introduce new team members, share a “Teacher Spotlight,” or ask your teachers to provide a classroom update on a rotating basis. Again, these timely updates will help your families feel more connected to their child’s caregivers.

3 – Upcoming Events – Your parent newsletter is the place to announce upcoming events like holiday parties, field trips, or parent-teacher conferences. If you would like to request volunteers or supplies for upcoming events, you can do so here. This way, parents know what’s going on and can plan to become involved if they wish.

4 – Policy Reminders – Occasionally, you may find it necessary to remind parents about one or more of your daycare policies. For example, if cold and flu season is approaching, remind parents about your sick policy and share tips for recognizing whether to send their child to daycare or to keep her home. Try to stick to one policy reminder in a single newsletter.

5 – Daycare Menu – Give parents a sneak peek into the nutrition their child is receiving at your childcare program by sharing your weekly menu. You may even want to share a favorite recipe or a nutrition tip families can implement at home. Use your menu as a bridge between the care children receive at daycare and at home.

6 – Learning Goals – Use your parent newsletter to share what children are learning about right now at your early learning center. Are you exploring the world of bugs? Showcasing the weather? Learning the letters of the alphabet? Making music? Talk about it! Parents are eager to know about their child’s development and learning.

7 – Parent Feature – Here’s another great way to engage parents; reach out on a rotating basis to parents who want to be featured in your newsletter. Parents can contribute an ad for their business, a relevant article, or even share what your childcare program means to their family. Chances are that parents will be enthusiastic about an opportunity to connect with your childcare community in a meaningful way.

8 – Promotions – Your parent newsletter is the place to announce any current promotions you are running for your childcare business. Consider asking for parent reviews in exchange for a chance to be entered into a giveaway. Share details about your referral program. Announce sibling discounts or any other incentives you may offer.

9 – Link to Your Payment Portal – If you send out an email newsletter, you can easily include a link to your payment portal to give parents a convenient and easy way to make a payment. You could include the link at the end of each edition of your parent newsletter. It may be just the thing to prompt a busy parent with an upcoming—or past due—payment deadline.

10 – Link to Your Website and Social Media Accounts – Finally, if you send out an email newsletter, we recommend including a link to your daycare website and your social media accounts within your newsletter template. Either the beginning or end of your newsletter works. This helps you brand your newsletter communications for a professional look, as well as giving parents easy access to your childcare center’s online presence.

We hope these ideas provide lots of inspiration for your own parent newsletter. Use some or all of them to enhance communication efforts with the families you serve and see what a difference it makes. Feel free to share your own parent newsletter tips in the comment section below!

Honet Buck Accounting is dedicated to serving Early Childhood Education providers with a full range of professional accounting services. Schedule a call with us to speak with one of our experts. We look forward to hearing from you.