If you’re finding that parent leads are hard to secure and childcare occupancy is down, then you’re not alone.
Many providers are seeing fewer parent enquiries and increased childcare vacancies, and this lived experience is reflected in recent data.
The latest Child Care Subsidy data report has found a 1.3% drop in the number of families using Centre Based Day Care in December quarter 2025, compared to December quarter 2024.
At the same time, there was a 2.2% increase in the number of Centre Based Day Care services.
This means more centres are competing for fewer families, and with Australia’s birth rate staying low and the cost of living crisis continuing, there’s a strong sense that occupancy rates will fall further.
In light of this, you might be tempted to pour money into online advertising to reach parents and raise occupancy.
But before you do, here are nine ways to generate interest in your service without spending big.
Ways to drive parent leads and boost childcare occupancy
1. Focus on differentiation
With more centres opening all the time, and growing consolidation in the early learning sector, it’s really important to set your service apart.
So, think about what makes your service unique – whether that’s a particular educational approach, longstanding team, or parent lounge with free coffee.
KindiCare’s Founder, Benjamin Balk says, “You need to look at the childcare market within two and a half kilometres of where your centre is and ask, ‘What are the other offerings, and how do we differentiate our service?’”
Then, once you’ve decided what makes your service special, promote these points of difference in your online presence and human interactions.
2. Look at your website through a marketing lens
This means including relevant local keywords, like ‘[City name] childcare’ or ‘Daycare near me’ to increase traffic to your website via SEO.
And when parents land on your site, it needs to present well on any device they’re using.
Your website should be responsive, fast-loading and easy to navigate, with interesting and helpful information for families, and clear ways to enquire and book tours.
3. Optimise your online profiles
A well-maintained Google Business Profile, KindiCare listing and Care for Kids listing will ensure that your service appears in parents’ search results.
So, make sure your profiles include correct contact details and operating hours, positive parent reviews, plus appealing photos.
And invest extra time and thought into your KindiCare listing.
Tens of thousands of parents search for childcare each month using the KindiCare app or website, and this free listing is your service’s digital shopfront.
It enables families to enquire, book tours and apply.
So, follow the steps in this article to ensure your listing stands out in the search results and sells your service to prospective parents.
4. Build strong community relationships to boost childcare occupancy
Word-of-mouth is one of the most powerful marketing tools in early education, so focus on creating a positive culture at your service.
Happy families will recommend your centre in a genuine way, and it also helps to make your presence known in the wider community.
This could mean that you partner with local primary schools and businesses, host family-friendly events, and invite special visitors into your service to build visibility and trust in your local area.
5. Streamline the enquiry and enrolment process
The childcare management software you use can have a real effect on occupancy, and services using OWNA’s CRM for childcare have 12% higher occupancy.
OWNA’s Founder and CEO, Kheang Ly explains that, “With KindiCare and Kidsoft in the OWNA Group, our all-in-one ecosystem simplifies admin, giving your staff more time for authentic interactions with parents.”
Quality engagement helps to transform leads into enrolments.
And Kidsoft’s CTO, Adrian Karzon says, “It’s so important to jump on parent leads quickly and treat each enquiry as an urgent matter, because agility helps with lead conversion.”
Your team should also know that some leads need extra nurturing.
Mr Karzon explains that, “Although one parent might be familiar with early learning, and happy to book a tour straightaway, another might be totally new to the process and have lots of questions.
“So, make sure your team tailors the enquiry process to each family.”
6. Train your team to convert every tour into an enrolment
In this market, it’s common for parents to visit six or seven services, and the centre tour is your best opportunity to get a parent to enrol with yours.
Mr Balk says, “If they don’t enrol with you on the day, the chance of winning them as an enrolment dramatically reduces.”
This means your team should encourage families to book a tour, at a time that suits them, then sell your service to parents in a warm, authentic and time-conscious way.
Mr Balk says, “Your team needs to pivot from the ‘tour and follow-up’ approach, to encouraging enrolments on the spot.
“So, if a family has met your team, toured the centre, and has no further questions, you can offer to start the enrolment process straightaway, and convert that tour before the parents go elsewhere.”
7. Keep parents engaged while they’re on your waitlist
Sometimes parents can work around the days you have available (and flexibility is key for boosting occupancy).
But if you don’t have the vacancy they need, then it’s really important to keep parents in the loop while they’re on your waitlist.
This means staying in touch via email, monitoring the waitlist with them in mind, and building a friendly rapport with parents, so they feel part of your childcare community and continue to be excited by your offering.
8. Increase utilisation from existing families to boost childcare occupancy
If you’re finding it hard to access new parent leads online, then look for occupancy opportunities on-site by offering extra days and flexible booking options.
Mr Karzon recommends that, “You use your existing pool to see which families still have unused capacity with their Child Care Subsidy hours. Then think about how you can drive those additional days with casual days here and there, or a regular move from two or three days to three or four days.”
OWNA’s Maximise CCS feature will help you improve affordability for families while boosting utilisation.
And when it comes to casual bookings, Mr Balk has seen one provider increase their centre’s overall occupancy by 2%, simply by focusing on filling short notice casual space in their different rooms.
9. Offer families a single parent app
An all-in-one parent app, like OWNA, or a branded app that includes your provider’s logo, colours, features and philosophy is highly recommended.
Mr Ly explains that, “A single parent app creates a consistent childcare experience, with easy admin, clear communication and engaging content for families.”
They’ll feel included and heard at every step of their early learning journey, making it very likely that your happy parents will become powerful advocates for your service.
Which brings us back to that marketing masterstroke called ‘word-of-mouth’.
All in all, there’s lots you can do to generate parent leads and boost childcare occupancy levels
The above tips aren’t expensive to implement, and OWNA’s Enquiry, Waitlist & Enrolment Management course is completely free.
This quick online course will help you get the very best out of OWNA’s childcare CRM software, so you can save time, stay organised, and take a proactive approach in these challenging times.
