What Parents Want from Your Childcare Centre

A childcare centre is not just about providing care for young children while their parents are at work but also about contributing to the overall development of the child. The many hours that children spend in childcare are crucial to their learning abilities and social skills. To help children develop better, it is good to have an idea of what also goes on with them at home. A good way to answer this question is to conduct a parent survey. A parent survey can also help you gain the parents’ opinion and suggestions about the centre and make them feel involved.

The benefits of having a parent survey

How a parent survey works to your benefit lies largely with the questions you ask. Framing the right questions encourages parents to provide information that they would otherwise have not even thought of sharing.

Here are a few areas you can target when creating a parent survey and what you can gain from them:

1. Understanding what the child is like at home: Understanding what the child is like away from the centre better equips the caregivers to teach the children certain skills. Questions like how much time does the child spend with the parents, how much time does the child spend watching TV and how verbally or physically interactive is the child at home can be added to this section of the survey
2. Getting parents’ feedback about the childcare centre: The only way to know if parents are happy with the services of your childcare centre is to ask them. Have a section of the survey which collects parent feedback on what they like and doesn’t like about the centre. Ask questions like have you seen any improvement in your child’s behaviour in the months since joining the centre, have you noticed a change in the child’s eating habits, how has your child’s health been since starting childcare. You could also ask if there are any areas that the parents like in particular about the centre and any areas that they are not so happy about
3. Getting parents’ suggestions: Following up on parents’ feedback you can help to make them feel involved in their child’s development by asking for their suggestions. Don’t just ask what you can improve on but ask how you can improve in that department. Also be sure to ask parents what they think can be added to the program or if they feel something is unnecessary. Giving parents a platform to voice their opinions benefits both the parents and the childcare centre
4. Expand communication: A well-prepared parent survey is an excellent way of involving parents and making them feel heard. Knowing that they can express the opinions gives parents the confidence to reach out to the centre if they have any queries or concerns. A parent survey can vastly improve communications between parents and the caregivers
5. Make improvements if required: Once the survey has been conducted it is important to gain as much information as you can from it. Show the parents that you are taking their opinion seriously by improving on the areas that they have pointed out. By implementing parent suggestions where possible you can develop a sense of mutual respect between both sides

There is one additional benefit a parent survey can provide for the childcare centre. When conducted right and changes carried out the centre earns points with the parents. Making parents feel good eventually translates into them recommending you to friends and family. So, not only does a parent survey bring parents and caregivers together for the improved overall development of the child but it is also good for business.