> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://netpartners.marketing/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Daycares and Childcare Centers: Manage the Waitlist and Keep Parents in the Loop - URL: https://netpartners.marketing/daycare-childcare-waitlist-enrollment-highlevel/ - Published: 2026-10-29T12:23:14.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-29T12:23:14.000Z - Description: Many centers have more families waiting than spots. How to run tours, the waitlist, enrollment offers, tuition autopay and parent updates from one place with HighLevel. - Author: Zoltan Juhasz - Tags: Industry Playbooks A childcare center gets a spot opening in the toddler room. The director opens the waitlist spreadsheet, calls the first family and gets voicemail. The second family already found care elsewhere. The third number is out of date. Two weeks later the spot is still empty, and the center is losing tuition every day it stays that way. Many centers have more families waiting than spots, and the waitlist, the tour and the enrollment paperwork are where things slip. This guide shows how a daycare or childcare center, or the agency that runs its marketing, can use HighLevel to run tours, the waitlist, enrollment and parent updates from one place. *Disclosure: I'm a HighLevel affiliate. Links to HighLevel in this post are affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you sign up through them, at no extra cost to you. Licensing and ratio rules vary by state and province, so this post leaves them to your regulator.* ## TLDR - Demand is real: in Canada, half of parents using child care said it was hard to find in 2025, and 31% of parents of young children not in care had a child on a waitlist. - Let parents book tours online, with reminders and a follow-up after the visit. - Run the waitlist as a pipeline, not a spreadsheet, and send spot offers by text with a deadline to accept. - Collect enrollment forms online and set up tuition on autopay. - Send closure alerts and reminders to the right groups, and keep children's details out of group messages. - Start re-enrollment early so you know which spots will open next year. 🧸 **Try HighLevel Free for 30 Days** Build the tour booking, waitlist and enrollment flow during the trial. [Start your free trial](https://www.gohighlevel.com/details-ai-agency-white-label?fp%5Fref=details) ## How Tight Is the Childcare Market? Tight enough that a waitlist is normal. [Statistics Canada](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/251021/dq251021c-eng.htm) found that the share of parents using child care who had difficulty finding it rose from 46% in 2023 to 50% in 2025\. Among parents of children aged 0 to 5 who weren't using child care, 31% said their child was on a waitlist in 2025, up from 26% in 2023. That's good news for enrollment, but it creates its own problems. Families sign up for several waitlists at once, contact details go stale and the center that reaches a family first when a spot opens is usually the one that fills it. ## Tour Booking and Follow-Up The tour is where a parent decides whether they trust you with their child. Make it easy to book and easy to remember. - **Online booking:** a calendar link on your website and in your first reply, with tour slots that work around nap time and pickup. - **Intake questions:** the child's age or due date, the start date they need, full or part time and how they heard about you. - **Reminders:** a confirmation right away, a reminder the day before and a short note the morning of with parking or entry details. - **After the tour:** a thank-you the same day with your enrollment or waitlist link, then a check-in a few days later. Every reply lands in one inbox. Our guide to [HighLevel Conversations](https://netpartners.marketing/highlevel-conversations-explained-how-to-manage-sms-email-and-calls-in-one-inbox/) shows how text, email and calls come together. ## Running the Waitlist and Sending Enrollment Offers A spreadsheet waitlist is hard to keep current and slow to act on. A pipeline works better: 1. **Waitlist form:** parents join online with the child's date of birth, the room or age group, the start date they want and full or part time. Tag each entry by age group. 2. **Confirmation:** an instant text and email confirming they're on the list, with your policy on how spots are offered. 3. **Stay current:** every few months, a short text asking families to confirm they're still interested. No reply after a reminder moves them to inactive, so your list reflects real demand. 4. **Spot offer:** when a spot opens, text the next family in that age group with a clear deadline: "A spot opens in the toddler room on March 3\. Reply YES by Friday at 5 PM to accept." 5. **Next in line:** if the deadline passes, the offer goes to the next family automatically or with one click. Stages like waitlisted, offered, accepted, enrolled and declined show you at a glance where every family stands. Tutoring centers use a similar flow, as our [tutoring enrolment guide](https://netpartners.marketing/tutoring-centre-enrolment-follow-up-highlevel-for-tutoring-centres/) shows. ## Enrollment Forms and Tuition Autopay Once a family accepts, the paperwork shouldn't hold up the start date. - **Online forms:** parent contacts, emergency contacts, authorized pickup people and the documents your regulator requires. Send the link right after they accept, with reminders until it's complete. - **Deposit or registration fee:** a payment link to hold the spot. - **Tuition autopay:** HighLevel's [recurring invoices with auto payments](https://help.gohighlevel.com/support/solutions/articles/48001219625?fp%5Fref=details) charge a card on file on the schedule you set. If a payment fails, the family and your staff are notified and HighLevel retries twice, 24 hours apart. Dance studios run a very similar enrollment and recurring tuition setup, which our [dance studio guide](https://netpartners.marketing/gohighlevel-for-dance-studios-automate-enrollments-manage-schedules-and-build-a-thriving-studio-brand/) covers. 📞 **See HighLevel's AI Employee** There's no daycare playbook, so this is the closest official page: AI that answers parent calls 24/7\. [See the AI Employee](https://www.gohighlevel.com/ai?fp%5Fref=details) ## Parent Updates and Keeping Children's Details Private Parents want to hear from you, but not about everything, and not about other people's children. - **Closure alerts:** a text to every family when weather or an emergency closes the center. Tag families by room and site so the message goes to the right people. - **Reminders:** picture day, holidays, tuition due dates and the forms that need updating each year. - **Room updates:** a short weekly note per room, sent to that room's families only. Privacy matters more here than in most businesses: - Keep children's names, health details and incidents out of group messages. Handle those one to one with the family. - Only share photos of children with the consent your policy and local rules require. - Give staff only the access they need. A teacher doesn't need to see every family's billing. ## Re-Enrollment for Next Year Every fall or spring, find out who's staying before you make offers to the waitlist. 1. **Early notice:** a message to current families with the re-enrollment form and a deadline. 2. **Reminders:** one a week until the deadline for families who haven't answered. 3. **Aging up:** tag children moving to the next room, so you know which spots open where. 4. **Offers:** once you know your open spots, start offers to the waitlist by age group. Ask happy families for a review once re-enrollment is done. A family who just chose to stay another year is your best advocate. ✅ **Fill Every Spot Faster** 30 days free to build tours, the waitlist and tuition autopay. [Get 30 days free](https://www.gohighlevel.com/details-ai-agency-white-label?fp%5Fref=details) ## More From NetPartners - [The HighLevel affiliate program, explained honestly](https://netpartners.marketing/gohighlevel-affiliate-program-40-recurring-explained-honestly/): for agencies thinking of promoting the platform. - [HighLevel for home care agencies](https://netpartners.marketing/home-care-agencies-family-inquiries-caregivers-highlevel/): another business where families choose under pressure. - [The first agency to call back gets trusted with Dad](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:share:7521249892921651201/): yesterday's post on LinkedIn. - [r/highlevelaffiliates](https://www.reddit.com/r/highlevelaffiliates/): our small community for HighLevel users and affiliates. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How should a daycare manage its waitlist? Use an online waitlist form, tag families by age group, check every few months that they're still interested and send spot offers by text with a clear deadline. If the deadline passes, move to the next family. ### How hard is it for parents to find child care? In Canada, Statistics Canada found that 50% of parents using child care had difficulty finding it in 2025, up from 46% in 2023. ### Can HighLevel collect daycare tuition automatically? Yes. Recurring invoices with auto payments charge a card on file on your schedule. If a payment fails, HighLevel notifies the family and your staff and retries twice, 24 hours apart. ### How should a daycare follow up after a tour? Send a thank-you the same day with the enrollment or waitlist link, then check in a few days later. Most families are comparing several centers. ### How do daycares keep children's information private in messages? Send group messages only for general updates like closures and reminders. Keep children's names, health details and incidents to one-to-one conversations with the family. ### Is there a HighLevel playbook for daycares? No. HighLevel's AI Employee page is the closest official resource, since answering parent calls and inquiries quickly is where most enrollments start.