Reflecting on 2020, there is a lot to be very proud of. This year has been jam-packed with high highs, and low lows and through it all, we are successfully navigating our way through a pandemic, traversing often changing government entitlements and transforming our offerings to meet changing Family, health and safety requirements.

So, with the Holiday period almost upon us, it’s time to try to let your hair down and have some fun – and what better way to celebrate than with some playful Holiday inspired activities that pack a serious educational punch?

Here our team have compiled a range of educational activities to help inspire you over the next few weeks and finish the year with a bang!

STEM activities

• And Next Comes L combines Jingle Bells and Magna-Tiles to offer a fun Holiday science activity for young children.
• Little Bins for Little Hands introduces some holiday science with these simple mini-Christmas eruptions.
• Modern Preschool explores simple science concepts with this ‘dancing jingle bells’ experiment.
• The Kavanaugh Report creates a sensory Christmas matching game that Babies and Toddlers will love exploring.

For the nature lovers

• Mother Natured shows us how to make eco-friendly confetti from natural items – perfect for all that Christmas craft.
• Danya Banya turns gumnuts and seed pods into unique Christmas decorations.
• The Pinterested Parent uses nature mixed with salt dough to create unique wreaths and winter wonderlands.
• What Can We Do with Paper & Glue embraces all that nature has to offer with this simple sensory tray for children of all ages to explore and investigate. Only natural materials and no drying needed.

Fine motor fun

• Crafty Morning shows us how to use canvas and buttons to create unique kid made wreaths.
• You Clever Monkey shares this fabulous free printable to invite fine motor play. Children will never even know they are working on strengthening their muscles and control.
• Left Brain Craft Brain turns tinkering into trees with this simple nuts, bolts and washers activity perfectly suited to little hands.
• Fantastic Fun and Learning turns egg cartons from the recycle bin into festive fine motor trees instead!

Sensory experiences

• Lemon Lime Adventures makes sure Babies experience the wonder of Christmas time with this sensory light jar – and it’s so easy to make!
• Meri Cherry turns plain cloud dough into something a little more festive to explore.
• Red Ted Art turns items from nature and a little ice into beautiful hanging ornaments. 
• Mama, Papa, Bubba engages the senses with smells of the festive season as they paint with spices.

The Holiday period is also a great opportunity to start thinking about 2021 as things begin to quieten down.

Developing a clear plan – even just a rough one – will help to prepare you and your Centre for success in the New Year.

But where do you start? Here our team summarise a few areas you can use as a jumping off board.

How to start planning for 2021

First up, just rest

It’s been a big year, so give yourself time to rest and recuperate. Take some time away from the Centre, engage in activities that bring you joy and fill up your inspiration cup!

“When it comes to creative productivity, part of being optimally productive is giving yourself a chance to recharge.’ Said David Kadavy Bestselling author of Mind Management, Not Time Management. ‘When you Recharge, you give your ideas incubation time, solidifying and improving them”.

So put your feet up, pop on some Netflix and just chill.

Set goals for 2021

Start with setting new goals for yourself, and your Centre to achieve in 2021.

Articulate what you would like to achieve in 2021, develop plans for upgrades to your Centre, what you would like to do differently and what you need to achieve these goals.

Here the Peak Performance Centre spells out 10 easy steps to help you set out your Centre goals for the New Year. This is also a great activity for your team to be a part of as well. Encourage them to help with this process and also set their own goals and intentions for 2021 – it will help to get them excited about 2021.

Develop your knockout marketing strategy

By now you have a pretty good understanding of your rolls for 2021 and what the remaining Families on your waitlist are looking for. So now it’s time to turn your attention to how you are going to fill those vacant positions and replenish your waitlist for 2021.

A clear, thoughtful and considered marketing plan is one of the most important business tools you can utilise. It is your ticket to being known and noticed in this highly competitive market.

Your marketing plan has to be one that will take you a notch above other competitors and should clearly outline who, when and how it is to be implemented.

Not sure where to start? Our Marketing Team can help you here.

Work smarter, not harder

Feel like there’s not enough hours in the week to get everything done? We know the feeling! Often people believe that learning to multitask is the answer to the issue, but it’s not.

“Switching from task to task, you think you’re actually paying attention to everything around you at the same time. But you’re not,’ says Neuroscientist Earl Miller. ‘You’re not paying attention to one or two things simultaneously but switching between them very rapidly and researchers have found – and can see – the brain struggling when multitasking”.

The key to overcoming this feeling of workload fatigue is to take a look at your day-to-day capacity, processes and work requirement to understand how you can create efficiencies.

One of the easiest ways to create more time in your day is to delegate and outsource those tasks that can be completed better or more efficiently by someone else – this is the key to working smarter, not harder.

Let us make your life easier

We know that managing long day care, OSHC and Vacation Care enrolments can be a lot for a Centre Manager to juggle on top of their already busy workload.

So why not touch base with our team and see how we can help to lighten your load and create efficiencies in your day-to-day tasks to help you focus on what you do best.

As your personal Enrolments and Administration Team, we will be your right-hand support system helping with such tasks as:

• Answering every Family enquiry, providing a warm first impression to Families every time
• Confirming all new enrolments, entering all required data into your CCMS to ensure you remain compliant
• Making any changes you need to your Family bookings
• Auditing and submitting attendance ensuring all times and child attendances/absences are marked correctly
• Sending Family statements and answering any questions Families may have in relation to their CCS entitlements
• Provide ongoing admin support giving you more time to focus on your Service and children
• Deep dive in to your software system to ensure you are set up for success

The list goes on and on – we are your comprehensive childcare management partner.

Enrolment Hub – Your Partner

Enrolment Hub offers a comprehensive range of services, including childcare administration, childcare management systems, childcare centre enrolment, childcare marketing management, childcare debt management, new child care centre support, childcare software management,childcare centre marketing resources, vacation care management, childcare enquiry, and childcare consultants

Director Scott Monaghan is always happy to chat about how our team can support you. Just give him a call on 02 8123 2300 or send him an email at scottm@enrolmenthub.com and let’s kick 2021 off with a bang together!

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