Most new daycares open at 40% occupancy and burn cash while enrollment catches up. It does not have to be that way. Enrollment is the one part of opening you can start months before the doors open.

This is a 90-day launch marketing plan for a new daycare: what to do before opening, at launch, and in the first three months to fill seats fast.

Phase 1: 90 to 60 days before opening

1. Open a waitlist with a deposit. $100 to $250 refundable, held against the first invoice. This is your demand test and your cash flow bridge. Families plan childcare months ahead; meet them there.
2. Launch a simple website. Programs, photos of the space, tuition ranges, and a waitlist signup. It does not need to be perfect; it needs to exist.
3. Claim your Google Business Profile. Even before opening. Post construction updates and “opening soon” content.
4. Start community outreach. Pediatricians, libraries, real estate agents, local employers, parenting groups. Introduce yourself in person.
5. Publish your prices. Providers who make parents call for pricing lose the comparison before it starts.

Phase 2: 60 to 30 days before opening

1. Run local ads. Facebook and Google ads targeting parents within a few miles. “Now enrolling” with a waitlist or tour link.
2. Host preview events. Hard-hat tours, meet-the-teacher mornings, playground playdates. Let families experience the space early.
3. Build social proof early. Founding-family testimonials, construction progress videos, staff introductions. Document everything.
4. Start content. A few blog posts answering parent questions. “Now enrolling in [neighborhood]” pages for local SEO.
5. Set up your systems. CRM, tour scheduling, follow-up automation. Do not launch marketing without a way to catch the leads.

Phase 3: 30 days to opening day

1. Grand opening event. Invite families, community partners, local officials. Tours, trial sessions, early sign-up offers. Capture photos and testimonials for years of marketing.
2. Launch your referral program. Founding families get rewards for enrolled referrals. Your first families are your best marketers.
3. Press and partnerships. Local news, parenting blogs, community calendars. “New childcare center opens in [neighborhood]” is a story.
4. Convert the waitlist. Personal outreach to every waitlisted family. Tours, enrollment packets, deposit collection.

Phase 4: the first 90 days open

1. Convert tours relentlessly. Every inquiry gets instant response and same-week tour options. Your tour-to-enrollment rate is the number that matters.
2. Ask for reviews immediately. Every happy family, in the first month. Reviews compound; start the flywheel now.
3. Nurture every lead. Not everyone enrolls in month one. Automated follow-up keeps them warm for month three.
4. Track everything. Where is each enrollment coming from? Double down on what works, cut what does not.
5. Keep marketing. Opening buzz fades. The centers that stay full market continuously, not just at launch.

Budget guide for launch

• Website: $1,000 to $3,000 for a solid template site with tour booking.
• Branding: $300 to $2,000 for logo and basic identity.
• Ads: $500 to $2,000/month during the launch window.
• Events: $200 to $1,000 for open house costs.
• Total launch marketing: typically $3,000 to $15,000 in the first year.

Mistakes new daycares make

• Marketing starts at opening. By then you have lost three months of enrollment runway. Start 90 days out.
• No waitlist deposits. Interest without commitment evaporates.
• Hiding prices. New centers need trust fast. Transparency builds it.
• No follow-up system. Launch leads are gold. Losing them to slow response is the most expensive mistake.
• Stopping after opening. Launch is the start of marketing, not the end of it.