Special Year Round Activities
Special events are always fun. Here are some ideas to do throughout the year to show your child care families how much they mean to you. These are also a great marketing tool.
* Christmas Party - invite all your day care families to a fun-filled Christmas party. I have mine on a Friday night around the 2nd week of December. It starts at 5:30 with a pot-luck meal. At 6:00, Santa arrives and has each child sit on his lap (big Kodak moment for everyone), and after that we exchange gifts.
* Christmas shopping night for parents - Offer to keep the day care kids late one night before Christmas; either for free or a small fee.
* New Years Eve party - keep the kids overnight for New Years.
* Easter Egg Hunt
* Parents night out - Once a month (or however often you want), keep children later so parents may have a night out.
* Halloween Dinner prepare a ghoulish meal to serve your day care children before parents pick them up on Halloween. This saves them time before trick-or-treating.
* Children's Concert - get together with several other providers in your area and hire a local childrens singer. You could rent a church and have it inside or during the summer make it a concert in the park.
* Summer Carnival - Have your schoolagers come up with some fun carnival games (duck pond, shell game, fishing game, etc.) and collect old McDonald toys from all your parents and friends to give as prizes. For added fun, invite a few neighboring day cares to join you.
* Birthday Parties - one provider I know celebrates every childs birthday in her care on the same day. She throws a huge bash with balloons, games, and prizes and celebrates everyones birthday on this day.
FIELD TRIPS
Plan field trips throughout the year. Try to get parents to help chaperone these events. It is not only a helping hand for you, but the children LOVE to have their Mom or Dad come along. Here are some fun places to visit:
* Pumpkin Patch
* Apple Orchard
* Post Office
* Fire Station
* Parks
* Pet Store
* Dentist