Open seats cost you every month they sit empty. The good news: most preschools don’t need a huge budget to fill them. They need a few simple systems that run every week. Here are 12 preschool marketing ideas you can start on, roughly in the order I’d tackle them.
Get Found Online
1. Finish your Google Business Profile
This is the free listing that shows up in Google Maps. Fill in every field: categories, hours, ages served, programs, photos of your classrooms and playground, and a link to book a tour. A complete profile is one of the easiest wins in preschool marketing.
2. Post weekly on your Google profile
Share a photo from a class activity, an enrollment reminder, or an upcoming open house. Regular posts show Google (and parents) that your center is active.
3. Make sure your website answers parents’ questions
Ages served, schedules, curriculum, safety, meals, and how to schedule a tour. If a parent has to call just to find out whether you take 2-year-olds, many won’t bother.
4. Create a page for each program
Separate pages for infant care, toddlers, preschool, and pre-K help you show up when parents search for that exact program.
Build Trust
5. Ask for Google reviews every month
Pick a moment when families are happiest, like after a school event or a great progress report, and send a short note with a direct review link. A steady trickle of reviews beats a one-time push.
6. Reply to every review
Thank families by first name for positive reviews. For a negative one, respond calmly and offer to talk offline. Parents read your replies as closely as the reviews.
7. Show real photos of your teachers and classrooms
Stock photos don’t build trust. Parents want to see the actual people and rooms their child will be in every day.
Turn Tours Into Enrollments
8. Make booking a tour easy
Put a “Schedule a Tour” button on every page of your website and your Google profile. Call back every inquiry the same day.
9. Send parents home with something
A simple take-home folder with your schedule, tuition info, and what makes your program special keeps your center top of mind while parents compare options.
10. Follow up after every tour
A thank-you email the same day, then a short check-in a few days later. Many centers lose families simply because nobody followed up.
Grow Through Your Families
11. Start a referral program
Your current families already know other parents. Give them an easy reason to recommend you, like a tuition credit for every family they refer who enrolls.
12. Host community events
Open houses, story times, and holiday events bring new families through your doors in a low-pressure way. Promote them on your Google profile, social media, and to current families.
Where to Start
If you only do three things this month, finish your Google Business Profile, start asking for reviews, and follow up after every tour. For a deeper look at how parents search for and choose a preschool, read our guide to preschool marketing, or grab the free Preschool Growth Workbook.
Want help putting these into place? Book a free Marketing Pathway Session and we’ll map out a plan for your center.
