Looking to boost enrollment and stand out in a competitive market? Enrichment programs might be the game-changer your child care center needs.
Megan Bowling is the director of franchise development at Stretch-n-Grow, a well-known children’s fitness business with 125 locations around the world. In this episode, she shares how child care centers can benefit from offering enrichment programs and how to market them to parents! She describes how these programs benefit children's physical and cognitive development, support teacher retention through much-needed breaks and create compelling differentiators that attract modern families.
Megan also shares practical strategies for selecting the right enrichment partners, marketing these programs effectively to current and prospective families as well as avoiding common implementation pitfalls.
Whether you're considering your first enrichment program or looking to expand your offerings, this conversation provides insights to help you make informed decisions that benefit children, teachers and your bottom line.
In this episode, you’ll learn the following (with timing outlined below so you can fast-forward to the parts that most interest you!):
- (04:11) Physical, cognitive and social benefits for children
- (10:32) How enrichment programs support staff retention and well-being
- (17:05) Marketing strategies to attract and retain families
- (22:40) Choosing the right enrichment partner for your center's culture
- (28:15] Common mistakes to avoid when implementing new programs
- (33:50) How to position your center as the top choice for parents seeking comprehensive early learning experiences
To learn more about Megan and the work that her company does, visit www.stretch-n-grow.com.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:03):
Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Child Care
Business Podcast.
My name is Leah Woodbury.
I'm the head of content here atProCare Solutions, and I am
happy to have you all join ustoday.
Today we're thrilled to haveMegan Bowling with us.
She's the director of franchisedevelopment at Stretch Grow.
It's a well-known children'sfitness business with 125
(00:26):
locations around the world.
And today she's going to talk tous about how childcare centers
can benefit from offeringenrichment programs and how to
market them to parents.
So welcome, Megan.
Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_01 (00:40):
I'm so excited to be here.
SPEAKER_00 (00:42):
Oh, we're great.
We're so glad to have you.
So we always like to start thesepodcasts by getting a little
background on our guests.
Can you tell us how you becameinvolved in children's
enrichment programming and choseit as your career path?
SPEAKER_01 (00:56):
Sure.
So, and I always laugh a littlebit when I tell this story
because I was quite literallyborn into it.
My mom, Jill, and my dad, Bob,they had me at a later age.
And I have seven older sistersand one brother.
SPEAKER_00 (01:13):
Wow.
SPEAKER_01 (01:14):
Yes.
And some of my siblingsstruggled with health issues,
with weight issues.
And so when my mom found out shewas pregnant with me, she really
started to research how to setme up for success and how to
implement healthy habits at avery young age, even at that
(01:35):
preschool age.
And what she found was therereally weren't any structured
physical education programs inthe preschool environment.
And so the idea for themedadventure activity fitness
program was born.
And then my dad was a salesguru.
And so he went out in Galvestonand tested it on the preschools
(01:59):
there.
They all said yes, and theybegan franchising a year later.
So I taught classes all throughcollege.
And then I went and worked acouple corporate jobs and then
ended up back into the familybusiness, missing the kids and
the fun, and just our industryis the best.
So came back to it in 2016.
(02:21):
That's when I started afranchise here in St.
Pete, Florida.
And then in 2019, unfortunately,my dad passed away.
And I stepped into his role inleadership and kind of it, it
all kind of happened, especiallybecause of COVID.
And I was able to really relateto the franchisees because I was
(02:43):
going through everything theywere going through in my
franchise.
And so from there, I've steppedinto leadership and just love
what I do.
I love getting to work with mylocal center directors and then
all of the center directors thatI get to talk with in our
franchisees.
So feel very blessed to be here.
SPEAKER_00 (03:04):
Yeah, you're carrying on what your parents
wanted for you.
So that is that's such a greatstory.
Thank you.
Thank you.
So let's jump in and start withdefining what an enrichment
program is, specifically, youknow, in a daycare, a childcare,
I mean any ECE setting.
SPEAKER_01 (03:24):
So an enrichment program is a specialty program.
It's really an add-on.
It's to enhance the center'scurriculum.
And it's often really differentthan those four learning
objectives that we normally seein the childcare setting.
It's going to be things likemusic, dance, sports.
(03:46):
Um, I've seen manners programs.
There's all sorts of differentenrichment programs, but it's
going to be really a differentspecial program and often taught
by a specialist or a trainedinstructor in that enrichment
topic.
unknown (04:02):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (04:03):
So which programs do you find are the most popular?
Is it sports or dance orsomething else?
And how does that change thatpopularity change by age group?
SPEAKER_01 (04:14):
That's a great question.
So we offer, and I'm speaking onstretching group, but a lot of
the enrichment programs, so weare we offer our programs two
different ways.
We have a center-wide model,which is where we partner with
the school to offer theprograms, and then we have our
voluntary parent-paid model, andthat's where the parents sign up
for the program, still at thechild care center, but it's
(04:36):
optional.
So for our center wide programwhere everybody participates,
hands down, our fitness programis the most popular around the
world.
Every week we're going on adifferent adventure.
We might be going to the moon orthe beach.
So it's really fun.
And even the teachers sometimesjump in and get some exercise.
But then on the voluntary parentpaid programs and a lot of the
(04:59):
other enrichment programs thatwe see out in the field are
going to be dance or soccer.
We see a lot of soccer.
For us, dance is our mostpopular parent paid program.
SPEAKER_00 (05:12):
You know, and we were talking about this a little
bit before when my kiddos werein um were in childcare, it was
they did soccer and they diddance.
And it was so great that theycould do that during the day.
And it was something else that,you know, I didn't have to run
run them to afterward, but I'mI'm getting ahead of ourselves.
But it was much appreciated.
(05:34):
So, how do the the childrenbenefit from these types of
programs?
SPEAKER_01 (05:39):
Well, there's multiple different ways.
So, first of course, we knowactive kids learn better, right?
And exercise is there's hundredsof studies that show that
exercise improves how childrenlearn.
And then also, of course,depression, anxiety, and mental
health.
(05:59):
So that's one of the biggestbenefits is getting active.
Um, NASPE recommends 60 minutesof structured physical activity,
and that's structured.
And while running around on thepreschool playground is so
important, so is actualstructured physical activity.
So um that is a huge benefit, isthat they get to move and
(06:22):
exercise at school, which alsocan result in better naps,
right?
And so help them, which theteachers appreciate as well.
And so better naps at school.
But then even further than that,what I love and what is so cool
to see is how they learn to lovephysical education and taking
(06:44):
care of their bodies.
So it's so much more than justgoing out there and throwing
balls around or kicking ballsaround.
It's teaching them why do webrush our teeth?
Why do we need to take our nap?
Um, why do we need to take careof our bodies?
And of course, we know that thatpreschool age group, their
little sponges, they're learningso much.
(07:06):
They're gonna carry those valueswith them for the rest of their
lives.
And so, for example, we teachmuscles in our programs.
So our four-year-olds can nametheir major muscle groups, and
often their parents can't evendo that.
So it's so many benefits for thechildren.
And then what you just said,most parents are working, right?
(07:30):
We we see that a lot of childrenwho are in a childcare setting,
their parents are working, ormaybe they're from a single
parent home and that parents areworking.
And so the idea that after workor after school they that
they're gonna go and take asports class or take a dance
class becomes really difficultfor parents to do that in the
(07:51):
evenings to have at theirschool.
They get to try sports that theymaybe never would have tried.
They get to try dance, maybethey never would have, or
gymnastics, whatever it is, thatmaybe they never would have had
the opportunity.
And then also in our lowerincome schools, we sometimes see
that those children would havenever had that opportunity
(08:13):
because often enrichments at theschool can be more affordable
than maybe at a studio orsomething.
So lots of benefits for thechildren.
And that's really, of course,our mission is to get kids
moving.
SPEAKER_00 (08:27):
And you were talking about benefits for teachers as
well, of beyond those good naptimes, which are so precious to
us all.
Um, what other what otherbenefits are there for the
teachers at a center?
SPEAKER_01 (08:40):
Absolutely.
So the the teacher benefits areone of the things that I love
the most.
And I really hope that that anyof the ECE leaders that are
listening to this will look atenrichment programs as a
resource to them after this.
And one of the biggest benefitsis the teacher breaks.
So that center wide program thatI mentioned earlier, where
(09:02):
everybody participates, that's30 minutes where the teacher is
not the star of the show for alittle bit.
We can take a class, we can takethem on their adventure of
whatever the program is, andthat teacher can wipe the tables
down or just sit down if sheneeds to.
Some teachers throw on theirtennis shoes and exercise with
(09:23):
us.
So the teacher breaks have beenhuge, and really we've seen that
a major lift in that sinceCOVID.
A lot of our schools will bringus in two or three days a week
so they can get those teacherbreaks.
So it helps with staff retentiona little bit.
And um, and then also enhancingthe curriculum.
So that gives the teachers anopportunity to take pictures or
(09:47):
send their parents home picturesof what they're doing in the
class.
So it enhances the curriculumand add-on to what the teacher
is already teaching.
SPEAKER_00 (09:58):
Okay.
So the children are benefiting,the teachers.
Um, let's talk about another waythat centers can benefit too.
If a center offers enrichmentprograms, how can they use that
as a competitive advantage toattract new families?
SPEAKER_01 (10:14):
All right.
So, well, there's been somestudies, and parents,
millennials, and Gen Zs, theycare a lot about what their
children do, and all parentscare a lot about what their
children are doing at school.
But millennials care a lot aboutexperiences for their children.
And then Gen Z, they care a lotabout that their child is
(10:37):
prepared for the next step,right?
And so we are providing anexperience at a school that the
children would not normally get.
And a lot of the childcarecenters that we work with are
limited on the field trips thatthey can take.
Transportation is an issue.
Um, finding places that are ageappropriate are an issue.
(10:58):
And so bringing in an enrichmentprovider and specialist brings
that field trip to them.
So the parents get excited, andthat helps set you apart from
your competition.
If a child is, or if a parent istouring multiple child care
centers and one is offering abunch of different enrichment
(11:19):
programs and another isn'toffering any, uh, that's gonna
matter to the parents.
SPEAKER_00 (11:27):
Yeah.
So any tips for marketing theseprograms, um, whether to current
families or as part of um amarketing outreach to bring in
bring in new families to thecenter?
SPEAKER_01 (11:39):
For sure.
And so any enrichment providerthat you partner with should
help you with this.
They should have marketingcollateral that you can use,
videos, posters.
When a parent walks in for theirtour, you should have posters up
that show that you have thatprogram provided to you by the
enrichment provider.
(12:01):
Enrichment providers should makethings a lot easier for you.
It should be a plug-and play.
And so they should provide youwith flyers to go home and other
marketing collateral.
They also often will do meet andgreets with the parents.
We love to be at the back toschool nights or any other event
(12:22):
that the school is doing, and sooutreach to the current families
is important.
And then with parents who arecoming in or looking at your
center, posting on social mediathat you have that enrichment
program.
Again, we provide videos, butyou can also take pictures in
your class of the programhappening, and that's really
(12:42):
powerful to showcase thedifferent opportunities that the
children will have there.
SPEAKER_00 (12:49):
Yeah, I always loved getting the photos.
Um, my kids went to a centerthat used that used ProCare.
So I would get those updatesthrough our child care mobile
app and see, you know, like,yeah, we did spend a little
extra money for this soccerprogram and look at them have so
much fun and learn these newskills.
It was it was really great tosee it and validating as well,
(13:11):
you know.
SPEAKER_01 (13:12):
Absolutely.
I think reschool as well, and Ilove I love it when I get those
pictures.
SPEAKER_00 (13:20):
Yes.
So, and we talked about this alittle bit before like how do
these enrichment programs affectretention rates at child care
centers?
Can you take a little deeperdive into that?
SPEAKER_01 (13:31):
Yeah, I think that we did touch on quite a bit on
it, but um, as far as itretention for the children, so
again, parents are looking forpreschools that have all these
enrichment opportunities.
And so if a child is involvedin, let's say, dance, for
(13:52):
example, and they're workingtowards a recital at the end of
the year, that's important tothem, and that's important to
the families that they stay andthey're there for that recital.
But then also that theenrichment providers are
involved in the culture of theschool and that they get to know
them and the children love them,and so they they're like more
(14:13):
likely to stay if they'reinvolved in something like that.
And we've seen that on just eventhe cognitive retention that
memory is improved by exercise,and then also the teacher
retention I mentioned earlier,too, that giving them that extra
break can be a huge differencein their day.
SPEAKER_00 (14:36):
Yeah.
So, what do you suggest forcenter owners or directors who
are wondering how to incorporatethese types of programs into
their center and into the intothe days of the children they
serve?
SPEAKER_01 (14:51):
I have a few suggestions, and I'm gonna go
into that too in our webinar ofhow to pick the perfect
enrichment program.
But the first thing would be tolook at your school's culture,
look at what you want to offerand what your ideal enrichment
provider will be like.
And then look around.
There's lots of differentenrichment providers.
(15:12):
Some offer one program, someoffer multiple.
Decide if you want to offer avariety of things, and then if
you want to offer it through oneenrichment provider to keep it
simple, or through a differentvariety of enrichment providers.
Then I would at your what areyour competitors offering?
(15:34):
Are they offering enrichmentsand what are they offering?
And maybe what are the morepopular enrichment programs in
your area?
SPEAKER_00 (15:42):
Okay.
And we'll end on what not to dofor our for our final question
today.
Um, any common mistakes you seethat center leaders should avoid
when either starting orcontinuing this these types of
enrichment programs?
SPEAKER_01 (16:00):
Yes, I I thought of one immediately.
So often we will go and speakwith center directors and
they'll want to do a survey fortheir families about bringing
the enrichment provider in,which is great.
But my suggestion would be toinvolve your enrichment provider
in that.
Let them come in and do demos,let them help you with the flyer
(16:23):
going home.
It should not add any extra workon to you to provide this, these
services.
And so let the enrichmentprovider help you with that
survey.
Let them explain the program tothe families.
That way, if they have anyquestions, you're not bombarded
with things.
And it can just be a more smoothprocess for everybody.
SPEAKER_00 (16:45):
Oh, yeah, when you don't have to be the middleman.
People are, yeah, see thosespecific questions.
You're like, um, just go to thesource right away.
I like that.
SPEAKER_01 (16:54):
Absolutely.
I've seen directors getoverwhelmed in that situation.
I think that let look at us as apartner and look at us as a
resource.
We are here to help you and helpyour school not add any extra
stress onto you.
SPEAKER_00 (17:12):
Well, I think that's a great way to end our
conversation.
Megan, thank you so much forjoining us today.
Um, could you please let ourlisteners know where they can
find out more about yourwebsite, about stretch and grow,
um, any anything like that.
SPEAKER_01 (17:28):
Sure.
Our website isstretchandgrow.com.
You can look at our locationsthere and learn all about us and
all of the different programsthat we offer.
It's just stretch, hyphen inhyphengrow.com.
SPEAKER_00 (17:43):
Awesome.
Well, thanks again, Megan, andthank you to all of you who took
time out of your busy schedulesto listen to this podcast today.
Um, we here at ProCare Solutionswant to say thank you to the
important work that you're doingevery day to nurture and educate
children.
Um, if you do want to learn moreabout how ProCare can help your
center with covering all theback end things like tuition
(18:07):
collection, family engagement,the app, um, all of these things
that can save you this time, um,we are at procaresolutions.com.
Thanks again, everybody, and wewill see you next time.
Bye.
Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Child Care
Business Podcast.
My name is Leah Woodbury.
I'm the head of content here atProCare Solutions, and I am
happy to have you all join ustoday.
Today we're thrilled to haveMegan Bowling with us.
She's the director of franchisedevelopment at Stretch Grow.
It's a well-known children'sfitness business with 125
(00:26):
locations around the world.
And today she's going to talk tous about how childcare centers
can benefit from offeringenrichment programs and how to
market them to parents.
So welcome, Megan.
Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_01 (00:40):
I'm so excited to be here.
SPEAKER_00 (00:42):
Oh, we're great.
We're so glad to have you.
So we always like to start thesepodcasts by getting a little
background on our guests.
Can you tell us how you becameinvolved in children's
enrichment programming and choseit as your career path?
SPEAKER_01 (00:56):
Sure.
So, and I always laugh a littlebit when I tell this story
because I was quite literallyborn into it.
My mom, Jill, and my dad, Bob,they had me at a later age.
And I have seven older sistersand one brother.
SPEAKER_00 (01:13):
Wow.
SPEAKER_01 (01:14):
Yes.
And some of my siblingsstruggled with health issues,
with weight issues.
And so when my mom found out shewas pregnant with me, she really
started to research how to setme up for success and how to
implement healthy habits at avery young age, even at that
(01:35):
preschool age.
And what she found was therereally weren't any structured
physical education programs inthe preschool environment.
And so the idea for themedadventure activity fitness
program was born.
And then my dad was a salesguru.
And so he went out in Galvestonand tested it on the preschools
(01:59):
there.
They all said yes, and theybegan franchising a year later.
So I taught classes all throughcollege.
And then I went and worked acouple corporate jobs and then
ended up back into the familybusiness, missing the kids and
the fun, and just our industryis the best.
So came back to it in 2016.
(02:21):
That's when I started afranchise here in St.
Pete, Florida.
And then in 2019, unfortunately,my dad passed away.
And I stepped into his role inleadership and kind of it, it
all kind of happened, especiallybecause of COVID.
And I was able to really relateto the franchisees because I was
(02:43):
going through everything theywere going through in my
franchise.
And so from there, I've steppedinto leadership and just love
what I do.
I love getting to work with mylocal center directors and then
all of the center directors thatI get to talk with in our
franchisees.
So feel very blessed to be here.
SPEAKER_00 (03:04):
Yeah, you're carrying on what your parents
wanted for you.
So that is that's such a greatstory.
Thank you.
Thank you.
So let's jump in and start withdefining what an enrichment
program is, specifically, youknow, in a daycare, a childcare,
I mean any ECE setting.
SPEAKER_01 (03:24):
So an enrichment program is a specialty program.
It's really an add-on.
It's to enhance the center'scurriculum.
And it's often really differentthan those four learning
objectives that we normally seein the childcare setting.
It's going to be things likemusic, dance, sports.
(03:46):
Um, I've seen manners programs.
There's all sorts of differentenrichment programs, but it's
going to be really a differentspecial program and often taught
by a specialist or a trainedinstructor in that enrichment
topic.
unknown (04:02):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (04:03):
So which programs do you find are the most popular?
Is it sports or dance orsomething else?
And how does that change thatpopularity change by age group?
SPEAKER_01 (04:14):
That's a great question.
So we offer, and I'm speaking onstretching group, but a lot of
the enrichment programs, so weare we offer our programs two
different ways.
We have a center-wide model,which is where we partner with
the school to offer theprograms, and then we have our
voluntary parent-paid model, andthat's where the parents sign up
for the program, still at thechild care center, but it's
(04:36):
optional.
So for our center wide programwhere everybody participates,
hands down, our fitness programis the most popular around the
world.
Every week we're going on adifferent adventure.
We might be going to the moon orthe beach.
So it's really fun.
And even the teachers sometimesjump in and get some exercise.
But then on the voluntary parentpaid programs and a lot of the
(04:59):
other enrichment programs thatwe see out in the field are
going to be dance or soccer.
We see a lot of soccer.
For us, dance is our mostpopular parent paid program.
SPEAKER_00 (05:12):
You know, and we were talking about this a little
bit before when my kiddos werein um were in childcare, it was
they did soccer and they diddance.
And it was so great that theycould do that during the day.
And it was something else that,you know, I didn't have to run
run them to afterward, but I'mI'm getting ahead of ourselves.
But it was much appreciated.
(05:34):
So, how do the the childrenbenefit from these types of
programs?
SPEAKER_01 (05:39):
Well, there's multiple different ways.
So, first of course, we knowactive kids learn better, right?
And exercise is there's hundredsof studies that show that
exercise improves how childrenlearn.
And then also, of course,depression, anxiety, and mental
health.
(05:59):
So that's one of the biggestbenefits is getting active.
Um, NASPE recommends 60 minutesof structured physical activity,
and that's structured.
And while running around on thepreschool playground is so
important, so is actualstructured physical activity.
So um that is a huge benefit, isthat they get to move and
(06:22):
exercise at school, which alsocan result in better naps,
right?
And so help them, which theteachers appreciate as well.
And so better naps at school.
But then even further than that,what I love and what is so cool
to see is how they learn to lovephysical education and taking
(06:44):
care of their bodies.
So it's so much more than justgoing out there and throwing
balls around or kicking ballsaround.
It's teaching them why do webrush our teeth?
Why do we need to take our nap?
Um, why do we need to take careof our bodies?
And of course, we know that thatpreschool age group, their
little sponges, they're learningso much.
(07:06):
They're gonna carry those valueswith them for the rest of their
lives.
And so, for example, we teachmuscles in our programs.
So our four-year-olds can nametheir major muscle groups, and
often their parents can't evendo that.
So it's so many benefits for thechildren.
And then what you just said,most parents are working, right?
(07:30):
We we see that a lot of childrenwho are in a childcare setting,
their parents are working, ormaybe they're from a single
parent home and that parents areworking.
And so the idea that after workor after school they that
they're gonna go and take asports class or take a dance
class becomes really difficultfor parents to do that in the
(07:51):
evenings to have at theirschool.
They get to try sports that theymaybe never would have tried.
They get to try dance, maybethey never would have, or
gymnastics, whatever it is, thatmaybe they never would have had
the opportunity.
And then also in our lowerincome schools, we sometimes see
that those children would havenever had that opportunity
(08:13):
because often enrichments at theschool can be more affordable
than maybe at a studio orsomething.
So lots of benefits for thechildren.
And that's really, of course,our mission is to get kids
moving.
SPEAKER_00 (08:27):
And you were talking about benefits for teachers as
well, of beyond those good naptimes, which are so precious to
us all.
Um, what other what otherbenefits are there for the
teachers at a center?
SPEAKER_01 (08:40):
Absolutely.
So the the teacher benefits areone of the things that I love
the most.
And I really hope that that anyof the ECE leaders that are
listening to this will look atenrichment programs as a
resource to them after this.
And one of the biggest benefitsis the teacher breaks.
So that center wide program thatI mentioned earlier, where
(09:02):
everybody participates, that's30 minutes where the teacher is
not the star of the show for alittle bit.
We can take a class, we can takethem on their adventure of
whatever the program is, andthat teacher can wipe the tables
down or just sit down if sheneeds to.
Some teachers throw on theirtennis shoes and exercise with
(09:23):
us.
So the teacher breaks have beenhuge, and really we've seen that
a major lift in that sinceCOVID.
A lot of our schools will bringus in two or three days a week
so they can get those teacherbreaks.
So it helps with staff retentiona little bit.
And um, and then also enhancingthe curriculum.
So that gives the teachers anopportunity to take pictures or
(09:47):
send their parents home picturesof what they're doing in the
class.
So it enhances the curriculumand add-on to what the teacher
is already teaching.
SPEAKER_00 (09:58):
Okay.
So the children are benefiting,the teachers.
Um, let's talk about another waythat centers can benefit too.
If a center offers enrichmentprograms, how can they use that
as a competitive advantage toattract new families?
SPEAKER_01 (10:14):
All right.
So, well, there's been somestudies, and parents,
millennials, and Gen Zs, theycare a lot about what their
children do, and all parentscare a lot about what their
children are doing at school.
But millennials care a lot aboutexperiences for their children.
And then Gen Z, they care a lotabout that their child is
(10:37):
prepared for the next step,right?
And so we are providing anexperience at a school that the
children would not normally get.
And a lot of the childcarecenters that we work with are
limited on the field trips thatthey can take.
Transportation is an issue.
Um, finding places that are ageappropriate are an issue.
(10:58):
And so bringing in an enrichmentprovider and specialist brings
that field trip to them.
So the parents get excited, andthat helps set you apart from
your competition.
If a child is, or if a parent istouring multiple child care
centers and one is offering abunch of different enrichment
(11:19):
programs and another isn'toffering any, uh, that's gonna
matter to the parents.
SPEAKER_00 (11:27):
Yeah.
So any tips for marketing theseprograms, um, whether to current
families or as part of um amarketing outreach to bring in
bring in new families to thecenter?
SPEAKER_01 (11:39):
For sure.
And so any enrichment providerthat you partner with should
help you with this.
They should have marketingcollateral that you can use,
videos, posters.
When a parent walks in for theirtour, you should have posters up
that show that you have thatprogram provided to you by the
enrichment provider.
(12:01):
Enrichment providers should makethings a lot easier for you.
It should be a plug-and play.
And so they should provide youwith flyers to go home and other
marketing collateral.
They also often will do meet andgreets with the parents.
We love to be at the back toschool nights or any other event
(12:22):
that the school is doing, and sooutreach to the current families
is important.
And then with parents who arecoming in or looking at your
center, posting on social mediathat you have that enrichment
program.
Again, we provide videos, butyou can also take pictures in
your class of the programhappening, and that's really
(12:42):
powerful to showcase thedifferent opportunities that the
children will have there.
SPEAKER_00 (12:49):
Yeah, I always loved getting the photos.
Um, my kids went to a centerthat used that used ProCare.
So I would get those updatesthrough our child care mobile
app and see, you know, like,yeah, we did spend a little
extra money for this soccerprogram and look at them have so
much fun and learn these newskills.
It was it was really great tosee it and validating as well,
(13:11):
you know.
SPEAKER_01 (13:12):
Absolutely.
I think reschool as well, and Ilove I love it when I get those
pictures.
SPEAKER_00 (13:20):
Yes.
So, and we talked about this alittle bit before like how do
these enrichment programs affectretention rates at child care
centers?
Can you take a little deeperdive into that?
SPEAKER_01 (13:31):
Yeah, I think that we did touch on quite a bit on
it, but um, as far as itretention for the children, so
again, parents are looking forpreschools that have all these
enrichment opportunities.
And so if a child is involvedin, let's say, dance, for
(13:52):
example, and they're workingtowards a recital at the end of
the year, that's important tothem, and that's important to
the families that they stay andthey're there for that recital.
But then also that theenrichment providers are
involved in the culture of theschool and that they get to know
them and the children love them,and so they they're like more
(14:13):
likely to stay if they'reinvolved in something like that.
And we've seen that on just eventhe cognitive retention that
memory is improved by exercise,and then also the teacher
retention I mentioned earlier,too, that giving them that extra
break can be a huge differencein their day.
SPEAKER_00 (14:36):
Yeah.
So, what do you suggest forcenter owners or directors who
are wondering how to incorporatethese types of programs into
their center and into the intothe days of the children they
serve?
SPEAKER_01 (14:51):
I have a few suggestions, and I'm gonna go
into that too in our webinar ofhow to pick the perfect
enrichment program.
But the first thing would be tolook at your school's culture,
look at what you want to offerand what your ideal enrichment
provider will be like.
And then look around.
There's lots of differentenrichment providers.
(15:12):
Some offer one program, someoffer multiple.
Decide if you want to offer avariety of things, and then if
you want to offer it through oneenrichment provider to keep it
simple, or through a differentvariety of enrichment providers.
Then I would at your what areyour competitors offering?
(15:34):
Are they offering enrichmentsand what are they offering?
And maybe what are the morepopular enrichment programs in
your area?
SPEAKER_00 (15:42):
Okay.
And we'll end on what not to dofor our for our final question
today.
Um, any common mistakes you seethat center leaders should avoid
when either starting orcontinuing this these types of
enrichment programs?
SPEAKER_01 (16:00):
Yes, I I thought of one immediately.
So often we will go and speakwith center directors and
they'll want to do a survey fortheir families about bringing
the enrichment provider in,which is great.
But my suggestion would be toinvolve your enrichment provider
in that.
Let them come in and do demos,let them help you with the flyer
(16:23):
going home.
It should not add any extra workon to you to provide this, these
services.
And so let the enrichmentprovider help you with that
survey.
Let them explain the program tothe families.
That way, if they have anyquestions, you're not bombarded
with things.
And it can just be a more smoothprocess for everybody.
SPEAKER_00 (16:45):
Oh, yeah, when you don't have to be the middleman.
People are, yeah, see thosespecific questions.
You're like, um, just go to thesource right away.
I like that.
SPEAKER_01 (16:54):
Absolutely.
I've seen directors getoverwhelmed in that situation.
I think that let look at us as apartner and look at us as a
resource.
We are here to help you and helpyour school not add any extra
stress onto you.
SPEAKER_00 (17:12):
Well, I think that's a great way to end our
conversation.
Megan, thank you so much forjoining us today.
Um, could you please let ourlisteners know where they can
find out more about yourwebsite, about stretch and grow,
um, any anything like that.
SPEAKER_01 (17:28):
Sure.
Our website isstretchandgrow.com.
You can look at our locationsthere and learn all about us and
all of the different programsthat we offer.
It's just stretch, hyphen inhyphengrow.com.
SPEAKER_00 (17:43):
Awesome.
Well, thanks again, Megan, andthank you to all of you who took
time out of your busy schedulesto listen to this podcast today.
Um, we here at ProCare Solutionswant to say thank you to the
important work that you're doingevery day to nurture and educate
children.
Um, if you do want to learn moreabout how ProCare can help your
center with covering all theback end things like tuition
(18:07):
collection, family engagement,the app, um, all of these things
that can save you this time, um,we are at procaresolutions.com.
Thanks again, everybody, and wewill see you next time.
Bye.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Ruthie's Table 4
For more than 30 years The River Cafe in London, has been the home-from-home of artists, architects, designers, actors, collectors, writers, activists, and politicians. Michael Caine, Glenn Close, JJ Abrams, Steve McQueen, Victoria and David Beckham, and Lily Allen, are just some of the people who love to call The River Cafe home. On River Cafe Table 4, Rogers sits down with her customers—who have become friends—to talk about food memories. Table 4 explores how food impacts every aspect of our lives. “Foods is politics, food is cultural, food is how you express love, food is about your heritage, it defines who you and who you want to be,” says Rogers. Each week, Rogers invites her guest to reminisce about family suppers and first dates, what they cook, how they eat when performing, the restaurants they choose, and what food they seek when they need comfort. And to punctuate each episode of Table 4, guests such as Ralph Fiennes, Emily Blunt, and Alfonso Cuarón, read their favourite recipe from one of the best-selling River Cafe cookbooks. Table 4 itself, is situated near The River Cafe’s open kitchen, close to the bright pink wood-fired oven and next to the glossy yellow pass, where Ruthie oversees the restaurant. You are invited to take a seat at this intimate table and join the conversation. For more information, recipes, and ingredients, go to https://shoptherivercafe.co.uk/ Web: https://rivercafe.co.uk/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/therivercafelondon/ Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/therivercafelondon/ For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iheartradio app, apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com