Childcare growth guide · 7 October 2026

A simple childcare enquiry follow-up checklist

Every enquiry should have an owner, a next action and a date to check back.

1. Answer the actual question

Check the age group, intended start date and preferred programme. Give accurate information about fees, hours and available places. Agree on a realistic response standard with your team.

2. Offer a useful next step

If the centre may be a fit, offer suitable visit times. Tell the parent what the visit covers and who they will meet. Avoid making them repeat information they have already provided.

3. Keep one simple tracker

Record the enquiry source, current stage, staff owner, last contact date and next action. Collect only the information needed and manage access appropriately.

4. Make follow-up helpful

After a visit, answer outstanding questions and explain the enrolment process. Ask whether the family would like further contact. Respect a request to stop.

5. Measure the journey

• Enquiries received and their sources
• Time to first reply
• Visits booked and attended
• Enrolments from those enquiries
• Staff time spent on administration

Compare enquiry cohorts over a suitable period. A higher enquiry count alone does not mean better results, and families may take longer than a month to decide.

Find where enrolments are being lost

Compare the same enquiry cohort through each stage. For example, 40 enquiries, 12 visits booked, 9 visits attended and 4 enrolments means a 10% enquiry-to-enrolment rate. These numbers are illustrative, not an industry benchmark.

• Few suitable enquiries: review your local visibility, programme details and the available age groups.
• Enquiries but few visits: review reply speed, fee clarity and how easy it is to choose a visit time.
• Bookings but missed visits: check directions, reminders and whether a parent can reschedule easily.
• Visits but few enrolments: ask about outstanding questions, programme fit and decision timing. More advertising may not fix this stage.

Agree on a useful weekly review

Keep the enquiry date, source, suitable programme, stage and next action together. Count unique family enquiries consistently and avoid counting the same child twice. Review newer cohorts again when families have had time to decide. Use anonymised totals when sharing results with a service provider.

Make it work for your centre

A paid pilot can help test one improvement before you commit to a larger programme.