Season 4, Episode 9: How to Attract New Families to Your Child Care Center, with Molly Hichens

Molly Hichens is a second-generation owner at Bright Beginnings Preschool, which has three locations in Charlottesville, Virginia, and is about to celebrate 40 years in business! She’s also an accomplished child care consultant and speaker. 

In this episode, Molly breaks down some tips for how child care center leaders can attract new families!

Those tips include:

• Highlighting three to five unique selling points, also known as value propositions
• Make the tours special for prospective families (and check out Molly's 2023 podcast on that topic to go deeper and get even more tips!)
• Follow up, even if a family chooses a different center
• And more!

To learn more about Molly and her work, visit IMollyHichens.com, or email her at info@mollyhitchens.com.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Two, one, and listen, I, I start this show the same way every time, just trying to welcome everybody to the Childcare Business podcast. And , uh, I usually take some time to introduce our guest , but because we have , um, a repeat guest that we think is gonna, you know, bring a lot of value , discuss some topics that we think are relevant to the industry, I'm gonna, you know, maybe give Molly a quick chance to introduce herself. You know, Molly Hitchens, for those of you who , uh, are familiar with our show, might recognize that name. Molly , uh, had , uh, a session with us back in the fall, I think sometime in late October is when it was released. If, if you get an opportunity to go back and listen , uh, it's definitely worth the time. Um, you know, but Molly , uh, is a second generation childcare owner. She's got a lot of experience in the industry, not just as an owner and , and as a leader, but also has some perspective of what it means to grow up in a childcare business. Uh , her and her family , uh, own and operate, I believe, three centers , uh, in, in the Charlottesville, Virginia area. Um, and I think in recent years, you know, Molly, you've kind of started to, you know, move a little bit into , uh, thought leadership. You do a lot of speaking, a lot of consulting in the industry. So just wanna welcome you back to the show and maybe give you a chance to add anything you'd like to that, to that bio.

Speaker 2: 1:23

Thank you so much for having me. I'm always so happy to be here. And Yes, that's exactly right. You know, I grew up in the industry. Uh, we have three schools right now in Charlottesville, Virginia. And I think, you know, I'm really passionate about helping preschool owners because as you know , uh, many preschools have closed since Covid . And I think owners are looking for that support from other owners and , uh, companies, consultants , uh, you know, just to collaborate and, you know, grow, grow, even if they're not, you know, growing to another school. Just growing as far as your quality. And so, you know, one thing that I love about our industry is we're an industry of impact. And so, especially with, you know, being owners, mostly onsite owners, you know, it's really exceptional that we all get to make decisions and see that impact sometimes the next day, sometimes the next week. And so it gives me a lot of energy to be able to share ideas that I have, you know , learn from other preschools, but also that we use at our preschool every day to, you know, help each other.

Speaker 1: 2:36

Yeah, I'd love to hear that. And you, so just to give our audience a little context on your journey, I know I referenced this a minute ago. I knew, I know you grow up. I, you know, I've worked with your mom a little bit, Kathy , and, and familiar with, you know, your organization and what she's doing now too. But I'm curious for you, like growing up in the business, were you the child that was always, I am definitely not following the path of my parents and I'm gonna go do my own thing and, and, you know , conquer the world. Or did you always have an inclination watching the business as a, a child of parents who were in childcare, that this is where you wanted to head to? What was your journey?

Speaker 2: 3:18

That's a fantastic question. So, you know, I have, it's always felt innate to me. This industry, it's always felt like home. What we offer. The, the sense of family at each of the schools has always felt like home to me. So I have always wanted to be a part of this industry. Now, I wasn't sure if I necessarily saw myself owning, you know, I've had other experiences as , uh, working on, on the broker side , uh, working actually on the social media side before that. Uh, and, you know, all, all those experiences led me to coming back to owning second generation owner and being able to implement on the, you know, business side, but also the , uh, teacher training side, a mentorship side, leadership side. But yes, it's always felt very, I've always had a , a , a , a lot of passion for a child's experience and becoming a parent myself. And I just had , uh, my second child in February , uh, four months ago. And, you know, it really just gives you a different perspective. Uh, and, you know, just again, that we're, we're an industry of impact and being able to be able to make an impact the next day as an owner or two weeks from now and really follow through is something that's pretty priceless.

Speaker 1: 4:34

Yeah. Yeah. The , um, and it seems like you've taken a route too , just in terms of like taking a leadership position in the industry, at least watching as a, you know, you know , congratulations on baby number two. Just adding like , uh, like a second. It goes from more than double. I remember I have two kids as well, and they're older now, but it feels like going from one to two, it's more than just doubling. It's like somehow exponential the work. So I'm sure early days , um, congratulations to you guys. That's exciting. Thank

Speaker 2: 5:08

You. Yes, definitely. From , from one to two, definitely double the work and also double the love

Speaker 1: 5:14

<laugh> . Yeah, there you go. Somehow it just works out that way. And you, because you, going back to like the business side of it, Molly, you obviously co-own the centers there in , in Virginia, but you haven't just stopped at, Hey, I'm gonna run the centers. I'm gonna operate. That certainly is a passion of yours, but you're also doing other things. Like I know you worked with Hinge mm-Hmm . I think you're doing stuff on your own now from a consulting standpoint. Um, I guess how do you balance your time before we get into some of the specifics? Because you are actively involved in running the centers , right ? And I am right that you're doing some of these other things. Is it, is it you just kind of balance your calendar and, and do a little bit of everything?

Speaker 2: 5:56

I think that's the best part about being an, an , uh, an ECE owner is that you can have that, you know, diversity in your skillset and being able to flex to what you love. And, you know, one day I could be working on QuickBooks and the next day I could be doing a podcast and then a webinar, and then a phone call with a center in California. And you know, and then the next day, you know, you're, you're handling helping a school handle someone who, you know, just quit. You know? I mean, you know , there's never a dull moment. And, you know, the passion that I have for that is exponential. And it's, it's, it's, the path has led me to really, it actually being sustainable, even though it's a little bit, it's really diverse. It's become sustainable because of the passion that I have for it. Uh, and I also think when you're boots on the ground, as we call it, I think that, you know, the energy you have and the also the energy that you wanna share is just, there's so much energy you wanna give to share your experiences with other owners, because it can be a very, very isolating industry on a local level. And when you can connect with others, it just makes the world a difference. And so when you go to conferences, when you go, or a part of a mastermind group when you're, you know, a part of the Facebook groups where you're sharing ideas and people know, Hey, I'm not alone in this. Well , someone else is also struggling with this. And, you know, staffing, the staffing shortage is, you know, a big pain point right now. Yeah . And I think really important for owners, directors, managers to know , you know, you're not alone. You know, it could be the best preschool in America. And they also are struggling with keeping teachers or, you know, hiring, getting teachers in or their training process. You know, everyone's in it together.

Speaker 1: 7:45

Yeah. The , um, it , and maybe other industries are like this, you know, most of my background, at least over the past 20 or so years has been in ECE, but that has been an observation of mine as well. Certainly I've experienced it. Owners like to share, owners like to connect. There is community, and there's, even though everybody's out trying to , uh, certainly build their business and be as successful as possible from a business standpoint, there is this spirit of like, let's partner. Because at the end of the day, we are all in this because we love kids and we wanna, you know, impact, to your point,

Speaker 2: 8:22

A hundred percent . I think we're, we are the nicest industry. I mean, I will, I will stand up on a soapbox and say that we are the nicest industry. I mean, the, you would be, I mean, I , I don't think you would be surprised, but I think a lot of other industries would be really surprised with the camaraderie and the willingness to help others because, you know, if we don't all succeed together, we're not gonna succeed as an industry. So, you know, and I always say, you know, there's a school that actually closed. Um, you know, schools are closing all the time, unfortunately. And there's a school that closed near one of our locations about a year ago. And one of the teachers came in for an interview and she said, oh, I bet you're, I bet you're really excited because you're getting all these teachers in, you know, looking for a job. And I stopped her and I said, no , let me stop you right there. You know, when another school is not succeeding, it actually will impact us. And that's not great for the industry. So while I'm happy to interview, you know, any teachers and, you know, welcome you all with open arms, I really, you know, it's actually really sad for the industry when someone does not succeed. So, you know, and I think that's, you know, the message that I always wanna get across is, you know, you know, reach out to me, reach out to the people around you that want to communicate, that wanna, you know, we wanna support each other because it's really is gonna help you with sustainability and, you know, problem solving and, you know, really, you know, getting through the hard times in our industry. And we just went through a very hard time, you know, during COVID as an industry, and we're still seeing the effects of that in a post covid world. And , uh, it's, the operational challenges are very different. Um, but you know what , together we can really support each other with, you know, ideas based on different models. And I think that's also really fun is, you know , sharing the ideas is great, but everyone has different models, different demographics, different areas of the country, different funding. And so, you know, it's a puzzle . It's puzzle pieces and it's fun to try things, but it's also fun to, you know, share things that work in your demographics. So, you know, I just think it's just so fun to, you know, kind of see where other people are coming from and the solutions they have for their market and, you know, the type of schools that they run.

Speaker 1: 10:31

Yeah. That, that term, you said a couple of minutes ago, sustainability, I want , I wanna come back to that because just even to like double click on your point about us having the nicest industry, I can tell you from experience when we hire people at ProCare, so we obviously get people coming to us from all different backgrounds and industries, and that is a very common piece of feedback when they actually start interacting with our customers, which are, you know, ECE providers is, they're the nicest people. However, what I will say is, one of the challenges that we sometimes see is because it's such a passion business, and, you know, the people that we work with that run centers obviously are doing it 'cause they love kids and they wanna make an impact and they wanna be a part of that community. But sometimes sustaining the business is a bigger challenge, you know, for our customers. They love kids and they're talented, but it's like, oh, if I don't run a successful business, I can't continue to do what I love to do. So it leads me to kind of like, I have a few questions for you, like just kind of picking your brain on what you're hearing and seeing, but one of 'em being around, you know, attracting families. We hear this a lot where it's like a center that will say like, look, we give a lot of tours, but we're not getting enrollments. And then we have other schools. And I think you guys, your schools fit this category where we have a waiting list and there's obviously a distinction between how providers approach those tours and attracting families. What are you seeing and hearing and any reaction to that in terms of how you guys have thought about attracting and, and marketing your schools?

Speaker 2: 12:10

Absolutely. It's such a great question. And you know, as far as enrollment, you know, I think, I think you , you hit the nail on the head when you talked about how we have a lot, there are a lot of people, owners, managers, directors in the industry that have such a passion for children and they don't have maybe the experience or the skillset or the tools yet, yet. 'cause we're there , hold them to, you know, combat the, you know, operational business side. And, you know, if you're fully enrolled or enrolled to X capacity where you're making profit, then you're gonna be able to give the increases to the teachers that you want to get the big playground equipment that you've been dreaming of to, you know, invest in the professional development, the conferences, sending your staff to the conferences, you know, but you have to have enrollment. And so I think there's definitely this, you know, this the side to a lot of people that you know, and families to, to , to be honest where it's, you know, oh, well, you know, maybe we shouldn't do well financially. Maybe we shouldn't, you know, be as savvy as, as, as as other companies. And it's actually that exact opposite. 'cause we're able to give that quality and give back and reinvest if we have that enrollment. And so, you know, that's why then enrollment is so, so important. And when you're attracting families, you know, knowing how you're going to attract the families and having that succinct messaging is really, really important. But also the genuine side is equally as important. So what you're offering, if you're, you have to be actually offering it. And so, you know, I call them unique selling points, unique selling propositions. And if you're attracting, trying to attract families, say you're not getting the tours in and , um, you want to have three to five unique selling points, unique selling propositions where, you know, everyone knows them the same ones, and you're consistent, concise with them in the person who's giving the tour and your teacher's talking about it. But then also all of your marketing initiatives. So your newsletter, your website, your socials, and that succinct messaging is so important on a, for, especially for , well, for any company, but especially on a local level , uh, of getting the word out. But the most important part is that you're actually doing those things and that they're updated from before, you know, from before covid , it may have been very different what you're offering, and now you could be doing something totally different. And so making sure they're updated is also very important. But having that messaging, because, you know, we're really in a cornerstone to any relationship is trust. So if we're actually doing the things we're saying we are, then it's, it's gonna, it's going to be amazing for your program, but also getting the message out. Uh, but as far as the understanding, the, getting the tours in, I think it's really what's really important is to look at your demographics. I think, you know, I've done a lot of mystery shopping in the past nationally. Yeah . Uh , and, and a lot of it was pre pre pre-kids because, you know, you're, you're away for, you know, five, six days at a time researching a market. But, you know, it's really important to know, you know, say it's the Orlando, Florida market, they have tons of walk-in tours. Same with Texas. But you know, if you look at a market like Charlottesville, we don't have as many walk-in tours. We're more rural. We're a college town in Charlottesville, Virginia. We're two and a half hours away from the biggest city, which is Washington DC of the area. So, you know, knowing your market is really important because, you know, in Orlando they can anticipate, you know, you're gonna have, you know, two to three walking tours a day. Um, and making sure you can be really consistent with your messaging, but also the being genuine is even more important and having the right person who that's showcasing your school. So, you know, you don't want to, you wanna make sure the person has the personality and the confidence to relay your message in the community. And if you're trying to have someone give, give tours that is maybe uncomfortable on the spot, uncomfortable, not as confident, you know, reaching out to people on their own or, you know, maybe isn't the first person to, to , um, shake someone's hand, that might be someone who you need to train up, or it might not be the personality, and that's totally fine. We can find the right seat for that person. But it's really important that comes off as someone who's really comfortable and you know, that, that makes all the difference with , um, with attracting, you know, families that feel comfortable and welcomed to your facility just from the second they step into your school. And , um, one thing that I think across the board nationally that we could improve on as an industry is, you know, anticipating those new families, those potential families coming into your building. And I can't tell you how many mystery shops I've done where I walk in and I don't feel like they don't coming , or even though I made an appointment. And so that's a really important, and we say, you know , have that little chalkboard out, welcome little James and mom, you know, Stacy , and you come in and you know, you , you shake their hand. We were expecting you, you get on the child's level. We're so excited to have you here. Here's a little activity for you to play with at the table, mom, here's the application. So, you know, having that welcoming , um, attribute at your schools , um, really it can be taught, but it has to be the right person who's doing it as far as their personality and them getting excited to do it.

Speaker 1: 17:48

Yeah. That makes all the sense in the world to me too, because if I'm hearing you right, it's like a , if you are going to be trying to fill seats in your classrooms, you better understand what you're unique, what we call value proposition, what you just referenced as value proposition or selling propositions, which is what are the key differentiators, or at least what are the key things that you want as a business owner to hang your hat on? This is what we're about, this is what we're focused on. And I think rather than trying to adapt to every parent that walks through and be something different to each parent, and and tell me if I'm saying this wrong, from your experience, what you've seen and what you've experienced is know who you are, actually deliver what you say you're gonna deliver, and be comfortable representing yourself with what you believe is important to you. And then the right families are gonna be attracted to that

Speaker 2: 18:44

A hundred percent. And choosing the things I think we could all think of, you know, 50 things we all do different than the center down the road, right? We all, and , and , and we, we are, we are doing a lot of things that are different, but choosing those things that might stand out. So examples could be, you know, oh, we offer Spanish in all of our classrooms. We have a cooking lab, we have a tinkering lab, we have an art studio, and you know, we, we offer yoga. We also, or one , one could be, you know, teachers' experience, you know, we, you know, all of our lead teachers have bachelor's degrees, all of our, you know, we, we offer technology or we don't offer technology. I mean, I think you can go both ways these days on that. Yeah . Like, we're actually a easy free school as far as, you know, we don't have, you know, smart boards in our schools and, you know, we, we we're , we're anti-technology. So I think choosing the things that set your yourselves apart , um, even even teacher wise , you know, oh, this one teacher has been here, you know, 20 plus years, that's a unique selling point for that school, you know? Yep . And , um, they're really at your fingertips. But choosing the three to five is really important because, you know, your messaging can get very common . You don't stick to those three to five. You can change those three to five and , you know, sit , you know , in a year, but stick to those three to five, say, you know, nine to 12 months and then you can reevaluate and and freshen them up.

Speaker 1: 20:06

Yeah. I, I like that too, because that's very tactical, I think, for people that are listening in terms of looking at your business and really try to pull out those three to five things and be clear on what your distinct value propositions are. And if you can be clear on that, then you, the other point that you made, which makes all the sense in the world to me, make sure that if it's not you as the owner giving the tour, that you're entrusting that initial experience that these new families have to somebody that can embody what your center is all about. Because I think for all of us who've walked into any type of business where maybe that initial experience wasn't great, it is true. Like, if, even if that is the most amazing business in the world, if your initial experience wasn't great, you're probably not gonna go back. And so you gotta make sure that the person giving tours fits the bill

Speaker 2: 20:57

A hundred percent. And you know, we have, we have a , we have, we have one person that gives all of our tours for us that makes the most sense because we know she's consistent. We know she has that personality. She's super bubbly. Her children went to our schools, and I call her sunshine. Even when I talk to her on a daily basis, I'm like, hi, sunshine. Because she exudes sunshine. And that's what you want for a preschool. You want the person that's gonna make you feel warm and fuzzy every single day. And that's how I feel, even on a colleague level with her. So how do you feel like on a colleague level with someone, because that's how they're gonna, you know, they're gonna be perceived with your, your community at hand

Speaker 1: 21:34

Yeah. And how they make you feel. What is, what is the follow up step maybe at your schools, or you could use an experience that you've seen at , uh, you know, other schools that you've worked with that you find to be effective. But in terms of like, okay, I've given a tour, we've represented, you know, our brand and our, our value propositions correctly. I had sunshine or my key, you know, employee give the tour. I'm just curious for you, any suggestions on what happens next? So the family leaves, they haven't enrolled. What does , what does a follow up look like or a next step look like?

Speaker 2: 22:09

Absolutely. So I think what's important is for your team to know what the initiatives are. So if you are trying to get families to enroll, you know, set , you know, we're about to go into summer right now, so mm-hmm , <affirmative> , it's a key time to get the summer spots full. 'cause all of our, you know, little pre-Ks are going to kindergarten soon. So a lot of people drop off in June. And so it's really important that we're having that in mind when we are enrolling. And so the follow up is so important. And I think that is something that is so easy that every single center can work on, is falling up. And I think a lot of centers, I'm not saying all, but I think a lot of centers would turn those tours into enrollments if they would just follow up. And the thing is, it's not a cold call, a cold experience. You know, they've already shown interest, they've already been to your school, you know them. So it's really following up, Hey, do you have any questions that I could answer for you? Hey, is there anything that I need to do to support you in making your decision? And, you know, it all is always I important too to see where, where are they looking, you know, what other schools are they looking at in the community? But, you know, having that initiative though, in the beginning of, you know, offering a deal during the tour, Hey, we have this, you know, we are doing, we're waiving our reg fee and we're doing one week free if you start by June 15th. And so that's really important to offer because then it's giving them a timeline. They can go back and think about it. We don't wanna rush them, you know, on the spot. I mean, I certainly don't wanna get someone to sign a contract there if they're not ready. Right . You know, it's a really big decision and it's a massive, you know, financial obligation as well. We want them to have all of the answers and make a decision, you know, in their own time. But I also want to incentivize them, you know, if, if they do make a decision at this time, you know, that will be helpful. Not only for them, but for us, for planning purposes, for that enrollment, for, you know, financial success for us. So we can give those raises. We , so we can give the, get the, you know, playground equipment, do all the, all the fun things if we have that stability financially.

Speaker 1: 24:19

Yeah. I think , um, uh, you know, so smart to talk about like the little things that make such a big difference. Like you said, anybody can take the two minutes to follow up , but oftentimes people don't. It's the same thing like in our world, like our account executives that work with owners like yourself, Molly, like, we talk all the time about the little things that make you different and set you apart. And sometimes that's honestly just caring enough to follow up . And the question isn't, Hey, have you made a decision to buy software in your case, enroll your child. Yet it's actually following up and saying, Hey, I know you guys were really concerned about, you know, safety in the classroom and I just wanted to make sure calls when you were here. And it's, it's more specific and personal than just, like you said, like checking a box and being impersonal.

Speaker 2: 25:08

A hundred percent. And you know, I think the key is, you know, and it's funny 'cause I think about my son when I say this, but you know, he, you know , turns his listening ears on right now, he's three. So, you know, he comes home and, you know, he's like , I'm putting my listening ears on <laugh> . And I, I love that. And, you know, I think we could learn from as always, you know, our preschoolers and, you know, turn your listening ears on when you're doing that tour, because oftentimes they're gonna tell you exactly what they need. Hey, at this center that we're currently at Bitings a really big issue. We're really concerned about that. How do you support on that? And you can follow up with what you do. And, you know, it could be, you know, hey, we actually think we wanna start part-time, then can we move full-time? And you could say, you know, we, we prioritize full-time enrollments. But absolutely, if you are thinking you're gonna, you know , just need a little time for that transition, we will absolutely accommodate that. So just taking notes with your listening years on is so important. And I think the devil's in the details and you know, again, we're it , this is a trust business. Yeah . And, you know, really we're, we're such pillars of our communities. And I think the one thing that, not the one, there's so many things that help us stand out, but, you know, being locally owned is so, makes us, makes us so different in such a positive way. And you know, it definitely helps us stand apart from the national providers. And so being able to make that distinction and give that personal experience of not an automated, not everything's automated, you know, oh, here's just this generic email. You know, you can actually do a , do a really thoughtful email to that family. You can text them , you can, you know, call them. And , um, and you know, also, it's okay if they don't choose you. I also think that's okay. You know, you're not the right fit for everybody. And you know, we want to wish them well, but also the door is open. So don't, don't feel bad if someone chooses another school. You know, leave that door open. Oh, you're choosing the , the school down the road. That's totally fine. We wish you well in your experience. If anything changes, here's my number. Reach out at any time . We'd love to have you back. You know, and you know, 'cause I think people feel very comfortable if, you know, maybe they aren't the first choice, maybe maybe that other school is closed to their house or their work. And so keeping that door open and realizing, you know, we are all in , you know, we're all the pillars of our community and, you know, be having that locally owned , managed operated touch is really important.

Speaker 1: 27:29

Yeah. And , and not burning a bridge, like you said, how you react sometimes to, I , maybe it's not disappointment, maybe that's the wrong word, but a family telling you, Hey, we've made a different decision. How you react to that as a professional and as a human being says a lot about character and who you are. And I think it probably speaks a lot to those families who, I mean, you know this way better than I do, Molly, but I don't think it's uncommon that families go through the process of trying to choose a school , make a decision based on what they have for information right now, and then find that that wasn't the right fit. And have to go back and revisit the decision. And if you're the provider or the school that treated them well, that probably is your best marketing effort for that second time around.

Speaker 2: 28:18

Couldn't have said it any better. That , that that's, that's exactly right. And, you know, the follow up , I think, I think sometimes people can feel very insecure following up with people who have chosen another school, but really you're just there to be their local resource and keep that door open. It's a small , all of our communities, even if you're in, you know, the biggest cities, you know, they're still, they're still small communities and people talk and people want to be a part of something. And so, you know, it's really important to, to follow up , even if someone has chosen another school, you know, follow up in that 90, 120 day mark and, you know, see if you could be a resource for them. And you know what, they might recommend you to a friend in three or four months or in a year, oh, well we chose this school, but gosh, that person from Bright Beginnings, they were so nice. And we love their experience too. So I'd probably look at both. I mean, that will pay off more often than not just to have , just to be a great community member and try to be helpful.

Speaker 1: 29:14

Yeah. And it also shows, like you said, a lot of confidence and belief in who you are, I think as human beings and when we're looking for partners in business, you know, just, there's something that, that , um, authenticity and genuineness comes through when people truly, truly believe who they are. And you wanna do business and interact with people like that.

Speaker 2: 29:36

A hundred percent .

Speaker 1: 29:37

Yeah. The , um, talk about, I know we're hearing a little echo, we'll edit this out. I don't know if you can hear it, but talk to me about Molly. Um, the other side of the formula, there's attracting families and you know, obviously filling seeds and building enrollment, you said it really well earlier, you have to be able to generate revenue, feel bad about being a successful business owner while you're still, you know, contributing to your community in this way. But the other side, and this is what we've, you know, heard a lot in recent years, is the challenge of recruiting staff. Because the other side of it is, Hey, I'm giving these great tours. I have parents that are interested. A really big piece of that puzzle is being able to demonstrate excellence in the classroom. Is that something that you're still hearing as you talk with providers that the challenge with staffing, and if so, anything you can share about what you're seeing schools do to be effective in, in that piece of recruiting staff, retaining staff?

Speaker 2: 30:44

Absolutely. That is the number one thing that is holding our owners managers back from giving the last, you know, say 15, 20 spots to the children. Our community, that's what's stopping people from being full is, you know, is, is the , is , uh, is teaching teachers hiring and teachers. And so it's so important to it . It is a puzzle and it's a balancing act. So as you are , you know, as you are giving the tours for potential families, we need to be putting equally as much effort into hiring great staff and our training procedures before they go into a classroom. And I think the most important thing right now is the thing that we're seeing is that our teachers are coming to us with less experience than they historically had . And , um, you know, say 10 years ago, you know, a teacher comes in and we give 'em a regular, you know, training and you can put 'em in a room and they would be flourishing. Now we're having to do a lot more handholding. And I think the more we get used to that, and the more the deeper we go with our trainings, the better we're gonna be as a , a school that's gonna retain our teachers. And so I think the teacher retention has been a big, big issue , uh, for our industry with every other industry probably in America right now. And, you know , really from, from the people I've spoken to, you know , we've gone from, you know, 35% turnover to, gosh, almost 70% turnover in a post covid world. And so that is absolutely going to affect, you know, first of all the children and, you know , the consistency and quality of care. If, you know, we're having that much turnover, it's really hard to work on quality. So I think the emphasis on the training before teachers go into a classroom has never been more imperative. But then also the level of training as they're in a classroom and that support for the first one, one week, two week , three months, six months, nine months. And I think, you know, 10 years ago we could, you know, put a teacher in a room and you know, after a one week we give 'em a water bottle and after a month we give 'em a sweatshirt and then we, then they get a handwritten note on month three. You know, that's very surface level now, now it is deeper on the training, the behavior challenges have never been more frequent. And you know, that's also something, you know, we're having teachers come in with less experience and also more behavior challenges than we've had before. So having that support in that classroom, considering having some, an extra extra admin at the front desk to be able to go support those teachers and, you know, do really actually support in the classroom and model, you know, how we want, you know, our, our teachers to support our children has never been , uh, more important. And so it is absolutely what's holding us back and know , attracting the, the quality teachers, you know, not just attracting them, but but keeping them , uh, is all about culture and you know, are your directors, you know, providing that leadership to have that great culture at the school where they are. And I talk about this a lot in our trainings, is we're a culture of feedback. And so from day one, I will tell you, if you don't have both ha hands on that child when you are changing a diaper, I'm gonna say something right away and I might startle you a little bit, right? Because it's a safety issue. And so, but that's also a teaching moment and you're probably gonna remember that if I'm a little abrupt about keeping both hands on a child when they're changing a diaper. And so it's so important that we have a culture of feedback, but also that the positive leadership and, you know, our directors are know how to manage , uh, staff. And, you know, the culture is so important, especially in a post, again , I talk about post covid world, but you know, the culture, you know, people really value their time more than they've ever valued their time. And so to go leave your house and go to a job that's really, you know, strenuous can be hard, can be taxing. It's also the most fulfilling job, I think, in the world. But it's also can be, you know, emotionally taxing. And so, you know, be to , to spend your time doing that. You know, you want to make sure that they're supported in a really positive culture where they feel like it's family when they come to work. And if you don't have that, you're gonna lose people.

Speaker 1: 35:12

Yeah. The , uh, the puzzle piece that you're mentioning, like the pre covid post covid, it's amazing that, you know, I know we we're two, two and a half, three years post covid , I think it was four years ago now that, you know, all of us were taken back by this, you know, pandemic and, and that certainly changed things and we continue to hear it. Are you still finding, like with candidates at your school and maybe others that you work with, you mentioned that it's changed in terms of the expectation that that staff have, like in terms of like, I need more training, I need support. Is it different the people that you're interviewing now and bringing into the school than it was a decade ago? Meaning was it back then more people were like, this was a career choice I was making and a path that was clear and I definitely wanna get into it, and now it's a little bit more, Hey, this is a job and I'm not sure this is a passion until I start doing it. I don't know if I'm saying that right, but I'm just wondering if the candidates are different that you're working with.

Speaker 2: 36:13

Yeah , and it's are totally different. And you know, a lot of the boomers left the industry. We've had a lot of our tenured seasoned staff teachers who, managers who left during Covid and didn't come back.

Speaker 1: 36:26

And because it just became too much. Like, is that why they're like, I've done this for a long time. And yeah,

Speaker 2: 36:32

I think people reevaluated how they wanted to spend their time. They also had health concerns that they were a little bit older. And so we had a lot of boomers leave. And I think a lot of it's the gener , multi-generational workplace and all working together and, you know, having those, those seasoned veteran teachers really are the key stakeholders of your each school. I mean, they will hold a school together based on their experience and their mentorship of the new ones. So if you've lost a lot of your seasoned staff or even a few, even one makes a big impact. Yeah. And so you absolutely. The, you know, the people coming in or teachers coming in, a lot of times it's, you know, a stop gap . It's, oh, well I, I thought about this, I might be interested in it. I like kids. And it's not, oh , well I have a degree in this, or Oh, I have my CDA and , uh, it's more, well, I think this sounds fun. And so the reality of, you know, oh, this sounds fun on , on paper versus going into a room and having, you know, 12 children running around and you know, three that need to, you know,

Speaker 1: 37:37

Have behavior issues like you said. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 37:40

Yeah. And we're dealing with, you know , potty training and, and biting . And so it's, it's a very different , um, world for them that would be on paper. And now of course you get all the fun stuff too, but you need to make sure that they're trained to be able to handle, you know, the bigger things so they can have the, the fun small, whimsical, magical moments that we're all there for. But, you know, you can't get very far if, you know , your whole whole class is taking, you know, 40 minutes to go to the bathroom. Right. Um, so it's definitely , um, it's leveling their expectations is really important. But also, again, providing that support has never been more important. And, you know, as, as a school, we are part of a na a few national, national , uh, mastermind groups, and I think that's so important to be able to talk to other centers and, you know, get some support. And I know there was a , I think a school with 10 plus locations and they were considering getting a behavior specialist to go from school to school to support these new teachers or even seasoned teachers in these behavior challenges. And that's one way that they were going to, you know, support their schools in quality. And that's very different than it was, you know, 10 years ago. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 38:50

That, that wasn't a resource that people needed a decade ago. It , with, with that in mind, I'm curious from a standpoint of like the, the age difference in your workforce. 'cause you, you mentioned this a little bit, like we've got these teachers that have been here 10, 15, 20, 25 years that are so critical to the operation. But obviously the business and its continued success is gonna be dependent on this newer generation, the younger workforce. Have you, have you found, is it challenging to have your older teachers be able to relate , relate to the younger teachers and vice versa? And, and I say this from firsthand experience, even myself as, you know, I interact with different, you know, maybe generations of, you know, workers in our company. It, there is a different approach and everybody has to learn from each other. Everybody has to mentor each other. Even the young mentoring the older workforce in some ways. Is that something you've observed as well and anything that stands out in terms of things that you've identified are helpful in helping that work better?

Speaker 2: 40:02

Absolutely. I think it is such an aha to see it on a daily basis. And, you know, our boomers do really well at the young ones. So, you know, the Gen Zs, the millennials and, but if you put a millennial with the Gen Z year , it could be a little different of an experience. And so yeah . Hearing , you know, your more seasoned teachers or the, the boomers with the, with the gen, with the , uh, with the Gen Zs and the millennials is really, really great because they kind of take the younger ones under their wing and they mentor in a way that is, you know, that it's, it's a really, in a really fun dynamic where, you know, the, the younger ones don't feel, you know, combative at all. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> , um, you put, you know, generations side by side like a, like a millennial and a Gen Z, it can be a little bit more competitive or, you know, maybe the leadership isn't quite there yet. And so, yeah , I think my biggest aha with our schools is pairing the seasoned with the younger ones, but the younger ones also really need a lot more support. And I think we need to get used to, you know, not expecting them to just go in a room and, and, and understand what we did 10 years ago. And I think, you know, the more we willing we are to train and provide that support, especially in the first 30 days of just literally physically going into a classroom and being that third teacher , uh, and supporting them and showing them , uh, is really, really important. So I think, you know, just kind of surrendering to the fact that, you know, we are gonna have to up our training and we have to be held accountable on a, on a managing level, on going deeper. And that's up to us, you know, there's something that happens at a school . Yeah . It's actually not on the teacher, it's, it's on the director, it's on the regional director, it's on the owner. At the end of the day, it comes down to the owner and if something happens, it really comes down to you. If there's a leadership issue, it comes down to you where was the gap? You know, how could you have done it differently? So I think, you know, when you take accountability , uh, for the pain points and you come up with some strategies, you know, that's, you're gonna have success in that. But I think also hearing from your staff is so important. And you know what I said earlier about the feedback, you know, they need to be open to feedback, but we need to be open to feedback. And the best idea don't come from the one person at at the top, the owner, the best ideas come from the people who are actually in the room every single day and actually could do, you know, I think a lot of owners, the more they are at a school, I'm not saying they should be at a school every day 'cause they need to be working on the business and making sure we're sustainable, but you know , it's not a bad idea to go into the, you know, a classroom, you know, once every few weeks and see what a teacher's, you know, dealing with on a daily basis. 'cause you know, they also probably could get some great ideas on how to improve.

Speaker 1: 42:59

Yeah. It's the classic, I mean, same thing in corporations of any kind, where the further you get from actually being with the customer, there's the idea that you're too disconnected, that you don't have a good, you know, understanding of what's happening. So policies, procedures, decisions, strategy you're putting in place, you know, your teachers might sometimes you , you know, kind of grimace 'cause they're like, you don't really understand what we're dealing with. So being there and being present. And is that part too of, I would imagine for even your brand and , and your schools Molly, part of like that retention of staff, like if they see ownership that's invested that way, it probably at least minimizes turnover and teachers jumping from school to school.

Speaker 2: 43:48

A hundred percent. Yeah. I think seeing an owner on site , even if it's once a month, and you know, I'm sure a lot of your listeners, you know, they might be in home , they might have one location, they might have 15 locations. And so having that presence, whether it's at a professional development day, if you're, you know, the 15 locations or if you're going in once a month, but being able to see that leadership, working with the directors and holding the directors accountable as well is really important. But I can tell you, every time I'm at a school, I go and I think of, I mean , I have about 10 things that I wanna do differently from being in that school, and I'm in a school frequently. And so, you know, I'm like, oh wow, we need to buy this. How do you guys do this this way? Oh my goodness, did you guys write this on your supply order? Did you write this on your sign out log? I mean, if you did, let me go check. And so I'm like going back and looking at sign out logs, and guess what? There wasn't a sign out , log done. And so how is the director supposed to follow up on something and how am I supposed to follow up on something if, you know, some, a system is broken? And so, you know, that's our job. And ultimately again, it comes down to the accountability of an owner, but that handholding of a new generation is not going anywhere. And I think the more we lean into it and lean into leadership and lean into the culture, the the sooner we're gonna alleviate those pain points. But I think, you know, the expectation if you're kind of just, you know, steadily kind of limping along and expecting it , it to get better just based on time, oh, we'll get better. You know, we just need to get a , another seasoned teacher in here. Those days were long gone, unfortunately. And, but fortunately we have an opportunity to really improve our training, our systems, and , you know, when something's broken any place in the company, you know, it goes down to systems and training. And so how can we improve? How can our quality improve? And so yeah. But that handholding is, is I need to lean into it versus it being like a, ugh , gosh, can you believe that generation, they need so much attention. It needs to be a wow, this is an opportunity for me to coach you. Let me coach my directors up so they can coach you all and we can be a culture of feedback.

Speaker 1: 45:53

Yeah, classic. Um, I mean, in a positive way, reframing, you know, maybe the adversity or a challenge into an opportunity, like you're saying. I think, you know , that does seem to be a theme when you talk with, you know, schools that have shown consistent success is just the mindset of there's an opportunity to keep getting better. And that just shows, I think, you know, real like dedication to the craft, but also, you know, concern and empathy towards the people who work for them and the kids who are coming into the school you mentioned. I see. You know, I know we're, we're running outta time here, but I see this final note on our , uh, agenda. Something about the Lululemon brand, and I don't know if I'm pulling this outta left field or if this was a case study that , um, or a culture study that somebody did, but somehow tying in some best practices from , uh, you know, Lululemon and how that applies. Am I making sense? Is this, is this a thing? Yeah , that's

Speaker 2: 46:48

My favorite words . Lululemon. Uh, yes . So absolutely. So Lululemon, and I'm gonna mention another company as well , uh, trader Joe's, you know, they really foster a culture of feedback with their employees and also just being incredibly welcoming to their employees. A lot of camaraderie and teamwork and collaboration. And so when you walk into a lemon, you ha you see the , uh, the , all the coworkers really supporting each other and, Hey, can I help you with that? Hey, do you need to do that? They're really, they take the initiative to go behind the register. If they see it's online , it's a well-oiled machine in the, the, the , the culture and the collaborating and the feedback and, you know, and it , it exudes into the customer experience. And so, you know, when you walk in, I can, I guarantee you , every time you walk into a little lemon , they will say, hi, welcome to Little Lemon. Can I help you find something? And almost to the point where you're like, can you stop following me around? I don't need help right now . And, but that's great because they really wanna help you, and they'll come back and they'll check on you, Hey, do you want me to put that in a room? Hey, do you want me to get that a different size? And so, but it's consistent and their culture shows. And you know, same with Trader Joe's. You know, you see their , their , their cowork , everyone's coworkers that , uh, uh, trader Joe's, you know, it's an incredible experience to see how happy they are. They are so happy, true to be working at Trader Joe's every single day. They're, Hey, can I help you with that? And they're laughing and they're chitchatting. They're enjoying their job. And that exudes into the customer experience where, you know, and I've talked about this before, you know, when you go up to the cash register at Trader Joe's, they always ask you, Hey, what are you making with that broccoli tonight? Hey, what are you making with that pasta? Oh, I see you got the, the red wine. Is it a special occasion? And they're always these like open-ended questions where you can't just say, I'm good, I'm fine. Yeah, it's a good day today . Like, it's always something that has to like go a little bit further. And that just shows in their culture. So, you know, on both ends, the customer and the employee. And so I think, you know, we can absolutely learn from, you know, from their culture of being welcoming towards the customer and the employee. And you know, that leadership and that culture, it goes deep and you can feel it, you can feel it when it's positive, but you know what, you can feel it even more when it's a little off or a little bit negative. You can feel it right away. You can feel it at a school. You can feel that energy. So you know that energy is so important and that leadership is so important to having the right people manning the ship. You know, mentoring, getting your message across about the quality and where you're going in your vision has never been more important. Especially like, you know, we spoke about, you know, multi-generational workplace, you know, it's more imperative now than ever. So going deeper. But, you know, learning from those companies where, you know, that culture is exuded from the moment you walk in.

Speaker 1: 49:46

Yeah, I think that's a great way to , um, I mean it puts in a nice little bow on this conversation because I think it does translate and it transfers. Like those are different industries and different environments, but the idea of how people feel when they come into your establishment goes a long way into building that business that you're trying to build. So that's perfect. It , Molly, if people wanted to connect with you, and maybe you can take a minute to talk , uh, real quickly about the types of things that you're doing, you know, through your , your agency. 'cause I think, you know, certainly you're still involved in Bright Beginnings, but I also think you're providing some services , um, outside of that as well. So I'd love for you to share that.

Speaker 2: 50:27

Thanks for mentioning that. Yeah , so of course I'm still involved on a local level at Bright Beginnings and, you know, I'm speaking at National International Conferences. I love to consult. I also just love to talk to owners. You know, I love to just hop on the phone and if you have a question, you know, I just like to talk to people. It's really, I feel, I really feel like we can learn from each other , uh, without it being, you know, a whole, you know, structured conversation. Like, Hey, are you dealing with this issue? Yes, I am. Or, Hey, this is a great idea. Uh , so I, but I also offer consulting services where I can help you grow your business , uh, look at your p and l , uh, help you with your professional development training systems. Uh, I just, I just love this industry truly. And I have a big passion for, you know, again, the impact that we have. And, but if you wanna find me , uh, I have a website. It's Molly Hitchens, H-I-C-H-E-N s.com, and you can email me at info@mollyhitchens.com. Always happy to chit chat and I'm really hoping to, you know, see a lot of you all at, you know, our ECE conferences and don't hesitate to reach out. I'm always happy to be a resource.

Speaker 1: 51:35

Awesome. And we will make sure and put all that information into the show notes as well. So for anybody listening that wants to get in touch with Molly or you know, look into a little bit more of the work she's doing, you can find her at those different places she mentioned. We'll have that in the show notes as well. And , uh, you know, Molly, again, congratulations on baby number two. I know with all the stuff that's going on in addition to growing your family, you're extremely busy. So we appreciate you carving out time to, to spend with us and , um, hopefully we'll do a round three at some point in the future.

Speaker 2: 52:03

You know, I would love it. The content is endless and I love working with you all and we're big fans of ProCare. We use them at our schools, so , um, I would ha be happy to contribute at any time .

Speaker 1: 52:14

All right . Thank you so much, Molly. Have a great day. Thank

Speaker 2: 52:16

You .

Speaker 1: 52:17

Yeah, we'll cut right there.