The KindiCare childcare directory and discovery platform is now part of the OWNA childcare management ecosystem.
KindiCare is built to connect families and ECEC services, making access to great early learning and OSHC easier, and helping families to find and compare services in their area.
For providers, your KindiCare listing is your digital shopfront. It’s the first impression families get before they ever pick up the phone or book a tour, and a key driver of enquiries.
In this article, we’ll show you how to optimise your KindiCare profile, stand out from other services, and turn more views into real enquiries.
KindiCare provides a valuable opportunity for you to reach families in your community
Tens of thousands of parents search for childcare each month using the KindiCare app or website.
And a visually appealing and information-rich listing will encourage local families to enquire with you, book tours, and apply.
If you haven’t done so already, claim your KindiCare listing here.
Once you’ve claimed your listing, KindiCare makes it simple to enhance your centre listing
First, you’ll be prompted to choose a password and log in.
You will then be taken to a ‘Marketplace Listings’ landing page in KindiCare’s CRM.
This is where you’ll find your single centre, or all the centres under your brand.
Simply select the centre you’d like to update, then work through the Listing Strength checklist at the top.
KindiCare will guide you through 11 steps to ensure your listing contains all the information prospective parents want to see
As part of this process, you will:
Step 1: Check and update your centre’s contact information, including the phone number, website and email address.
Step 2: Create a unique description to give families a feel for your centre.
Step 3: Provide additional information about your centre, such as details about your rooms, curriculum, services and staff.
Step 4: Add your centre or provider logo, to help your service stand out in a parent’s search results.
Step 5: Add 10 or more photos of your centre to show families what you offer.
Step 6: Add at least one video that showcases your people, environments and program.
Step 7: Check and update the opening hours and days for your centre.
Step 8: Add your childcare services and fees. This enables families to see which age groups and types of care your centre offers.
Step 9: Highlight the different features and inclusions your centre provides.
Step 10: Check your reviews. Make sure at least 10 of your childcare families have left positive feedback about your centre on KindiCare or Google.
Step 11: Set up automated responses to parent enquiries, enabling you to quickly engage with families who are interested in your service.
Five things to know when updating your listing on the KindiCare childcare comparison platform
Choosing a childcare centre is a big emotional and financial decision for parents.
So, keep these five things in mind when updating your KindiCare listing:
1. Pictures tell a thousand words
Uploading images to your listing is essential. Make sure the photos you choose showcase the unique and appealing attributes of your service.
The image you put first should be particularly eye-catching, as it’s the photo people see when scrolling through their search results.
And all the images should give parents a real feel for childcare life at your service, by showcasing your environments, activities and educator-child interactions.
It’s helpful to have a few photos of your facilities, but try to mix these up with people shots that show interesting moments and happy faces.
A video is also important for parents to see, and this doesn’t need to be a slick production.
An engaging and authentic walk-through video, filmed by your friendly Centre Director, will resonate well with parents.
2. Modern mums love social media
If your centre is active on socials, then linking to your Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and/or other channel is a great way to engage parents with your childcare offering – and maybe get a few more followers.
So, add those links to your KindiCare listing, under the ‘Social Media Channels’ section, and let your exciting social media accounts speak for your service.
3. Differentiation is important
Every service is unique, so think about what makes your service special, and what will be appealing to prospective parents.
For example, a Montessori approach, mixed aged grouping or Bush Kinder could be real selling points in your ‘About the Centre’ section.
While a funded preschool/kindy program, family-friendly app and all meals provided could be points of interest in the ‘Features & Inclusions’ section.
All in all, your listing content should be as individualised as your service.
4. Parents want to know who they’re entrusting their child to
So, make sure you include at least one Staff Profile for the person who’s leading your centre, with a friendly photo and details of their role, experience and qualifications.
And, if possible, include profiles for other key people at your service, with a focus on well-qualified and long-serving staff, whose profiles will instil confidence in prospective parents.
5. Reviews say a lot about your service
Five-star reviews from parents who’ve actually experienced your childcare service are worth their weight in gold, and newer reviews are better than ancient ones.
So, if you’ve received positive feedback from a parent, they might be happy to give you a Google or KindiCare review.
To leave a KindiCare review, they simply need to create a KindiCare account and log in, then click the ‘Write a Review’ button in your listing.
The Essentials subscription also enables you to respond to, and dispute parent reviews, so you can have a dialogue if someone’s experience hasn’t been too great.
All these updates will make your childcare service more appealing when parents are exploring their options in the KindiCare platform.
So, if you haven’t done so already, claim the free KindiCare Essentials offer as an OWNA or Kidsoft customer.
Then put in a little time to present your service in the best possible light.
