Most owners who want to increase childcare occupancy have already tried something: a burst of Facebook posts, a banner on the fence, a few weeks of Google Ads. The problem is rarely effort. It is that the activity is disconnected, so nobody can tell what is working. This 12-month marketing plan puts the pieces in a sensible order, so each step builds on the one before it.
Month 1: Measure occupancy before you try to increase it
Before you spend a dollar, get clear on the numbers you already have. Most centres have more data than they realise sitting in their enrolment software, CRM and inbox.
- Occupancy by room and by day. A centre that looks healthy overall can still have a full nursery and a pre-kindergarten room with Monday and Friday gaps. Your marketing should target the specific gaps, not the centre in general.
- Enquiries per month, and where they came from. Phone, website form, Google Business Profile, walk-ins and referrals.
- Enquiry-to-tour and tour-to-enrolment rates. These tell you whether your problem is getting found or converting the families you already reach.
- Known departures. Children heading to school next year are predictable vacancies. Map them now, room by room.
Put these figures in a simple spreadsheet. You will review them every month for the rest of the year.
Months 1-2: Fix the foundations before you advertise
Advertising sends more families to your front door. If that door is hard to find or hard to open, you pay for the leakage. Spend the first two months tightening the basics.
- Google Business Profile: correct hours, categories, phone number, a tour booking link and recent photos (with appropriate consent for any images that include children).
- Website: a clear “Book a tour” button on every page, your age groups and session types, what is included in your fees, and a fast mobile experience.
- Enquiry handling: decide who responds, how quickly and what happens after hours. A same-day reply is a sensible minimum.
- Tracking: make sure form submissions and calls from your website can be counted, so you know which channels produce enrolment enquiries.
Months 2-3: Capture existing demand with Google Ads and local SEO
Parents already searching for “childcare near me” or “long day care” in your suburb are your warmest audience. They have a need and are comparing options right now. Google Ads lets you appear for those searches immediately, while local SEO builds your visibility in the Google map pack over time.
Start with a tightly targeted Search campaign: a realistic radius around your centre, keywords that reflect your services, a solid list of negative keywords (jobs, courses, qualifications) and ads that send people to a tour booking page rather than your home page. At the same time, invite your families to leave a Google review and keep your profile active with regular updates.
Months 3-6: Build awareness with Meta ads and content
Not every family is searching yet. Expecting parents and parents on leave are often months away from needing care, and many spend time on Facebook and Instagram. Meta ads help you become the centre they already know when the time comes.
- Run a modest, always-on campaign to local parents showing your rooms, educators, outdoor spaces and program.
- Use short videos and genuine photos rather than stock imagery.
- Offer a clear next step: book a tour, join the waitlist or request a parent information pack.
- Repurpose the same content into organic posts, Google Business Profile updates and email newsletters.
Pro tip: Give every channel its own trackable link, and a separate phone number where practical. When you review results in month six, you will know whether Google Ads, Meta, organic search or referrals are filling your places, and you can move budget towards what works.
Months 4-9: Turn enquiries into tours and enrolments
Many centres generate a reasonable number of enquiries but lose families between first contact and the enrolment form. Fixing this is usually the cheapest way to increase childcare occupancy, because you have already paid to win the enquiry.
- Respond quickly and personally. Use the parent’s and child’s names, answer their actual question and offer two tour times.
- Confirm and remind. Send a confirmation, then a reminder the day before the tour to reduce no-shows.
- Run a consistent tour. Cover what matters to parents: educators, routines, communication, meals, safety and how settling in works.
- Follow up within a day or two. Thank them, recap what they saw and make the next step easy.
- Nurture the “not yet” families. A short email sequence keeps you front of mind for families whose start date is months away.
Plan your occupancy marketing around the Australian enrolment calendar
Occupancy in Australian centres follows a fairly predictable rhythm. Children transition to school at the end of the year, and many families shortlist centres in the second half of the year to secure a place for January and February. Families returning from parental leave create further waves of demand throughout the year.
Use this rhythm to time your effort. Lift your Google Ads and Meta budgets from around the middle of the year, run open days or tour weeks ahead of the end-of-year transitions, and make sure your waitlist is actively contacted rather than left to go stale. To keep an eye on what is happening across the sector, follow our weekly childcare occupancy news.
Months 10-12: Protect occupancy and plan the next year
Filling a place is only half the job. Keeping families happy keeps places filled and generates referrals, which are often a centre’s most trusted source of new enrolments.
- Check in with new families after the first few weeks of settling in.
- Invite every family to leave a Google review, and ask whether they know anyone looking for care.
- Share your National Quality Standard (NQS) strengths and program highlights, framed around what they mean for children and families.
- Review the year: which channels produced enrolments, what each enrolment cost and which rooms still have gaps.
Use that review to set next year’s budget and priorities, focusing on the channels that did the most to increase childcare occupancy at your centre. The second year of a plan like this is usually easier, because the foundations, content and data are already in place.
Putting it all together
A plan to increase childcare occupancy does not need to be complicated. Measure first, fix the foundations, capture families who are searching, build awareness with families who are not searching yet, convert enquiries carefully and look after the families you have. Do those things consistently for twelve months and you will have a centre that is easier to fill, and a clear picture of what each marketing dollar returns.
Want help filling your places?
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