Mission-driven advertising
"Makes you want to work there"
by Margaret Leitch Copeland, Susan Gimilaro, and Nancy Sullivan

• The director's challenge
• Mission-driven recruiting: Lessons from corporate America
• Writing with the applicant in mind: A "makes you want to work there" ad
• How to make a positive impression
• Closing the loop

To read more see Child Care Exchange January/February 2011.

The lifetime value of a loyal customer
What can a child care director learn from Domino's Pizza and a Cadillac dealer in Dallas?
by Margaret Leitch Copeland and Susan Gimilaro

How are parents who are five minutes late treated in your center - as criminals or as valued lifetime customers?

Is a parent who is laid off treated as an automatic farewell or as an ongoing parent whose tuition is paid for through the hardship fund or bartered for other services?

Are parents whose children graduated from the program taken off the e-mail list or recognized as permanent marketing champions receiving regular communications?

To read more about this topic click here to visit Child Care Exchange's website.

The AppleCorps: An alternative to young teens home alone
by Margaret Leitch Copeland, Libby Burnette, and Susan Gimilaro

Ten years ago when the first group of children aged out of the Applewood Learning Center's school-age child care program, parents asked the program to find a way to serve their young teenage children so that they would not be left home alone for the summer. The teens had friendships based on many years together in the program, but were not eager to continue receiving ‘child care' services. And they were not old enough to be hired by the Center or other local employers and the other communities opportunities in town for young teens were limited or non-existent.

In the midst of a campaign to make the center more family-friendly, the director responded with a summer program for 14 and 15 year-olds (which has grown to include 13-year-olds) called AppleCorps. Teens volunteer in the program and parents pay a minimal fee to cover the cost of uniform shirts. And it is a win-win-win-win for everyone...

To read more about this success story click here to download the PDF.

Reprint permission from Exchange magazine. Visit them at www.ChildCareExchange.com or call (800) 221-2864.

This article is an example of how Dr. Copeland works with her protégés in a collaborative form. Margaret enjoys co-authoring articles within her coaching adventures.

Countering Center Gossip
Guidelines for Implementing an Anti-Gossip Policy
By Margaret Leitch Copeland and Holly Elissa Bruno

When asked about their greatest management challenges, a group of Vermont directors mention gossip as eroding the professionalism and their centers. Two factors contributed to the director's concerns: 1) during the staffing shortage, new hires are often young, inexperienced and under educated, and 2) in small, rural towns, employees know the families enrolled in the program, which creates home and center boundary questions.

Why Do Staff Gossip?

When asked why staff gossip, directors were also very clear in saying...

To read this article click here to download the PDF.

Reprint permission from Exchange magazine. Visit them at www.ChildCareExchange.com or call (800) 221-2864.

Margaret listened to the needs and thoughts of providers to form the basis of this article.