What We’ve Learned About Enrollment by Staffing Centers

Attracting and retaining families is critical to the success of any child care center. While facilities, curriculum, and location all play a role, we believe that the staff who care for children have the biggest impact on parent satisfaction. Through our experience helping centers fill staffing gaps, we’ve seen firsthand how staff stability, engagement, and communication impact enrollment and family retention.

Interestingly, our business operates in a way that mirrors child care centers. Just as centers must maintain the right balance of staff-to-child ratios to stay compliant and fully enrolled, we must balance the number of available substitutes with the staffing needs of centers. If we have too few substitutes, centers can’t fill their open shifts, and if we have too many without enough shifts to offer, engagement drops. We’ve learned how to optimize this balance so centers always have the support they need — just like centers must optimize their own staffing to ensure enrollment growth and stability.

Here’s what we’ve learned about enrollment through the lens of staffing — and how you can use your staff as a powerful tool to grow your center.

1. Make Your Staff Part of Your Marketing Strategy

When families tour a child care center, they aren’t just evaluating the classrooms or curriculum — they are looking for trustworthy, engaged caregivers. Your retained staff are your biggest marketing asset.

Ways to Leverage Staff in Enrollment Efforts:

• Feature your teachers on your website and social media so prospective families can “meet” them before visiting.
• Host an open house where teachers introduce themselves and discuss their approach to early education.
• Highlight staff longevity — families love to see consistency in who will be caring for their child.

Not only does this build trust with parents, but it also reinforces to your staff that they are an essential part of your center’s success. When teachers see themselves featured in your marketing, it validates their expertise and dedication, making them feel more connected to their role. For ideas on how to celebrate your team publicly and why it matters for parent perception, check out this blog post on the power of spotlighting your staff.

2. Stability & Preparedness: The Key to Parent Trust and Strong Referrals

Families rely on consistency. When staff turnover is high, parents notice — and this uncertainty makes them hesitant to enroll. However, it’s equally important to acknowledge upfront that staff absences are inevitable — whether due to sickness, paid time off, or unexpected circumstances. The key to maintaining trust with families isn’t just having a stable team, but also having a clear, proactive plan for coverage when gaps arise.

How Centers Can Ensure Consistency Even During Staff Absences:

• Transparent Communication with Families: Parents appreciate honesty. Let them know that staff absences are expected and that you have proven systems in place to maintain stability. This reassures them that their child’s experience won’t be disrupted.
• Using Familiar Substitutes: When regular teachers are out, having reliable, repeat substitute teachers makes all the difference. Tandem prioritizes sending the same substitutes to the same centers whenever possible, ensuring that children see familiar faces even when their regular teacher is absent.
• Hiring Floaters & Dedicated Backups: Centers that hire floating teachers specifically for backup coverage are able to seamlessly fill in gaps without disrupting classroom routines.
• Classroom Merging as a Last Resort: When no other options are available, strategically combining classrooms — in a way that maintains ratios and keeps peer groups intact — can be a short-term solution to ensure children still receive structured care.

By openly sharing your approach to staffing stability, you build trust with families. They want to know that their child won’t face disruption every time a teacher is out — and that you have reliable systems in place to ensure the same quality care, no matter the circumstance.

3. Invest in Staff Development to Show Parents You’re Serious About Quality

Parents look for centers that prioritize professional growth because it signals a commitment to high-quality care. A center that invests in its teachers is investing in the learning and well-being of the children.

Ways to Showcase Your Commitment to Staff Development:

• Help staff earn credentials like the CDA (Child Development Associate) and share these achievements with families.
• Communicate staff training efforts in newsletters, parent emails, or during tours.
• Host ongoing professional development sessions and highlight them as part of your center’s value proposition.

When families see that you invest in your team, they know they can trust your program.

4. Strong Teacher-Parent Relationships Increase Retention

Enrollment isn’t just about attracting new families — it’s about keeping the ones you already have. Parents who build strong relationships with teachers are much more likely to stay enrolled.

How to Foster These Relationships:

• Encourage staff to greet parents by name and provide regular updates about their child’s day.
• Create opportunities for teachers and parents to connect, such as parent-teacher nights or classroom newsletters.
• Ensure teachers feel empowered to communicate concerns and celebrate milestones with families.

We see this same dynamic in our business. When centers know and trust our substitutes, they book them again and again, creating reliability in their operations. Families operate the same way — when they trust your teachers, they remain enrolled and spread the word.

5. Address Staffing Challenges Proactively to Prevent Under-Enrollment

Staffing shortages are one of the biggest barriers to full enrollment. According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), 86% of child care centers reported staffing shortages, and nearly 50% said they had to limit enrollment because of it (NAEYC Report).

This means many centers are operating below capacity — not because they lack demand, but because they lack staff. If a center can’t open a classroom due to staff shortages, that’s lost revenue and a missed opportunity to serve more families.

Strategies to Prevent Staffing-Related Enrollment Gaps:

• Offer competitive wages and benefits to attract and retain qualified staff.
• Provide clear career progression pathways to motivate and engage employees.
• Utilize staffing partners (like Tandem!) to ensure coverage when needed.

Just as we balance the number of substitutes with center demand, centers must balance their full-time and part-time staffing to maintain enrollment capacity. Without the right staffing strategy, rooms remain closed, revenue is lost, and families turn elsewhere.

Final Thoughts

Staffing and enrollment go hand in hand. The more engaged, stable, and valued your teachers feel, the easier it will be to attract and retain families.

Just as we optimize substitute availability to ensure centers always have the coverage they need, centers must optimize their own staffing models to maintain full enrollment. By making your staff part of your marketing, prioritizing stability, investing in professional development, and addressing staffing challenges head-on, you’ll create a center that families trust — and one that runs at its full potential.