It may be very confusing for people to think about why some daycare facilities conduct daycare fundraisers – to think that parents already pay them a lot of money. If you would have an opportunity to ask a daycare center operator, you will be surprised at how many hidden costs most parents don’t know about in running a daycare. Parents must be thinking that they are already paying too much for daycare tuition – so why support daycare fundraisers?
The truth is, it is so expensive to run a daycare institution, and the money coming from tuition fee alone is not enough to cover other costs which parents don’t have any idea about. There are common reasons for daycare fundraisers. And so what are they?
Many parents are not fully aware that daycare centers are not just paying teachers for their salaries. There is a ton of paperwork that is done in operating daycares so there is a cost for office supplies. Though tuition fees may include children’s school supplies, still that could not be enough knowing children often waste a lot of supplies daily at school. The center still has to replace wasted supplies. Moreover, kids are often playful and careless. They could write anywhere like walls, desks, chairs, and even on the floors. Cleaning up such mess also adds up to the facility’s expense list.
Maintenance expense is unavoidable in the operation of any business. As for daycare centers, cleanliness is a top priority. Keeping the building and grounds clean is a daily operation where daycare centers put much of their budget. Also part of the maintenance expense is to keep chairs, tables, and benches in good condition. Pieces of Furniture beyond repair will need to be replaced. Paying for a piece of new furniture, as we all know, is very costly. For the best preschool and elementary school fundraising solutions, visit www.fundraisingzone.com
Books in daycare centers may easily be torn apart by small children due to carelessness. For another reason, books may need to be replaced for obsolescence. Furthermore, there will be times that the library needs to fill in their shelves with new books that could aid in the learning process of the children. You see books may be expensive, thus, the need for daycare fundraisers arises.
Daycare fundraisers are very common during the holiday season. Daycare centers need additional funds to cover the cost to some extra activities like Halloween celebrations, Christmas parties, Easter egg hunts, etc. Imagine where will daycare operators get funds needed for such festivities if they will not campaign for daycare fundraisers?
On some other times, daycare facilities hold a fundraiser not intended for their centers. Depending on their chosen beneficiary, a daycare center may hold fundraising campaigns for a sick child or teacher in your community, for a charity foundation, and for other valid cause.
The most common reason why parents complain about supporting daycare fundraisers is miscommunication. Oftentimes, daycare centers hand over flyers or brochures about a daycare fundraiser without fully explaining the reason for such activity. This could result in parents feeling angry as they feel they were taken advantage of. Disappointment heightens more especially if parents learn that the campaign is a for-profit daycare fundraiser.
For the parents, anger will not be of any help in questioning daycare fundraisers. Asking the teachers and the officials of the daycare center nicely and calmly will help ease the tension. Ask politely and learn to understand the explanation from the organizers. Learn more about the daycare fundraiser. Ask questions constructively, this way you will avoid tension build-up.
To avoid miscommunication, there must be open and honest communication among the daycare officials, teachers, and parents. Explaining the reason behind a daycare fundraising campaign will make parents and supporters dignified. One effective way of getting the sympathy and support of parents is by giving them details on how the fundraiser will benefit their children. Give out details on how a daycare fundraiser can help aid in their children’s learning. You see people will have a soft heart when they know that their effort and money is going to a noble cause.
Lastly, show parents that they too are being taken care of – never take them for granted. Just like any other business, you need to maintain a harmonious relationship with your customers. Parents are the lifeblood of your daycare center, without them, your business will not fulfill its primary objective – a caring, fun facility for daycare children to learn. Find ways to keep their loyalty and make them fall in love with your daycare institution. By doing this they will have unending support to your daycare fundraising activities.
