Generating more income for schools

What were Staynor Hall looking for when you contacted Childcare Bookings?

The biggest issue we had was the sheer volume of phone calls & emails we were required to deal with as a result of running the administration of the club ourselves.  What we were very keen to find was a platform for parents to be able to book 24/7, manage their own account, and crucially, to ensure they paid upfront.

How would you describe the process of working with Childcare Bookings, from first meeting to your club opening with the new system?        

Really straightforward. It was very streamlined, with clear communication.  Nothing was too much trouble for Ali and the team. 

What was the experience like for parents and staff?

Parents

Registration on the system was very straightforward, and although a small minority grumbled at the change, this was short-lived and they are now all settled in using the system.

Staff 

I’ve had no gripes from the club staff - which can only be a good thing!  Signing in and out on the booking system is easy, and navigation to find children and or parents details is intuitive and simple.

Which parts of Childcare Bookings for Schools’ service do you feel are the biggest benefit for the school?

Definitely no longer having to manage the admin.  This was the biggest drain on my time and that of my team.  We constantly received emails and phone calls out of hours, that we felt responsible to respond to as soon as we came back into work.  Parents are now responsible for their own bookings, and this has alleviated a huge amount of the workload from my team. 

Working with Childcare Bookings has made a huge difference to our income.  The fact that the club has generated over 50% more income (when compared to last year) is a massive added bonus.  Working with Childcare Bookings has enabled us to change parent booking behaviour (for the better), and has made the club more inclusive as we are able to meet all of our parents’ needs.

What difference has it made to your role?

I would estimate that we were spending 15+ hours per week on club administration, and this has been completely removed.  It has significantly freed me up, as well as reducing the workload of my office team, both of whom are now free to tackle other projects.

Would you recommend Childcare Bookings to other schools?

Yes, absolutely – and I have!

What have you learnt about providing wraparound childcare as part of this process?

To run successful wraparound care – you need a booking system, clear terms and conditions, and well-structured administration systems.  We learned that setting this up for yourself can be very challenging, and operating a manual system has historically cost the school in lost income.  Outsourcing the entire service to Childcare Bookings has meant that we are now maximising income and providing parents with the responsive and flexible administrative service that they want.