Top 3 Marketing Tools Every Preschool & Daycare Should Use to Grow Enrollment

Running a preschool, daycare, or early childhood education program means wearing a lot of hats—and marketing is one of the most important.

Whether you're trying to increase preschool enrollment, improve communication with families, or boost your online visibility, the right tools can help you work smarter instead of harder.

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The good news is that you don’t need a big marketing budget to get started.

These three marketing tools are affordable, easy to use, and highly effective for preschools and childcare providers looking to grow enrollment.

3 Must-Have Marketing Tools for Preschools and Daycares

The tools below are widely used by childcare programs and each offers a free version, making them accessible even for small daycare centers and preschool programs.

1. Canva: Create Professional Marketing Materials in Minutes

Best for: social media posts, flyers, signage, newsletters, and brand consistency.

Canva is a beginner-friendly design platform that allows preschool owners and daycare directors to create polished marketing materials—even if they have no design experience.

With hundreds of ready-made templates, you can quickly design materials for:

• open house flyers

• Instagram or Facebook posts

• parent newsletters

• program brochures

• event announcements

For programs that want more features, Canva Pro includes brand kits, premium templates, and collaboration tools that are especially helpful for multi-location centers.

Tip: Use Canva templates to keep your branding consistent across your website, social media pages, and printed materials.

2. Mailchimp: Stay Connected With Families Through Email

Best for: parent communication, waitlist follow-ups, marketing newsletters, and tour reminders.

Email marketing is still one of the most effective ways to stay connected with prospective and current families.

Mailchimp allows preschools and daycares to send professional newsletters, manage contact lists, and track how families interact with your emails.

The free plan includes:

• up to 500 contacts

• up to 500 emails per month

• basic email templates

Paid plans offer additional features like automations, advanced analytics, and A/B testing, which can be useful for larger childcare programs.

Tip: Send a monthly email update that includes classroom highlights, upcoming events, and any available enrollment openings.

3. Google Business Profile: Get Found by Local Parents

Best for: improving local search visibility and building trust with families.

A Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is one of the most powerful free marketing tools available for childcare providers. While it’s technically a business listing platform, it functions as a critical marketing tool because it helps your preschool or daycare appear when parents search for childcare in your area.

It helps your preschool or daycare appear when parents search for phrases like:

• preschool near me

• daycare near me

• childcare center in [your city]

A fully optimized listing allows you to:

• appear on Google Maps and local search results

• display your hours, contact information, and website

• collect and respond to parent reviews

• share photos and updates about your program

Keeping your listing updated with accurate information and current photos helps build credibility with prospective families.

Tip: Encourage happy families to leave Google reviews. Positive reviews can significantly improve your visibility in local search results.

Need Help With Your Preschool Marketing Strategy?

I’m Annie Liu, a marketing consultant specializing in preschools, daycares, and early childhood education programs.

I help childcare centers improve their online presence, strengthen their marketing strategy, and attract more families.

Through marketing audits, strategy sessions, and hands-on support, I help childcare programs identify what’s working, what’s missing, and how to improve enrollment.

Contact me at annieliuconsulting@gmail.com to learn more about how I can help you create a marketing action plan for your preschool or daycare. Or, set up a free 30 minute discovery call here.