It's a weeknight in November. A mother in Randburg has finally got her two-year-old to sleep, and she has a decision to make before January: where will he go when she goes back to work full-time? She searches "creche near me", opens four websites, and within ten minutes has a shortlist of two she'll visit on Saturday.
Nobody enrols a child from a website. Parents enrol after they've walked through your gate, met the teachers and seen the classrooms. But the website decides who gets that visit. The two centres that made her shortlist weren't necessarily the best. They were the ones that answered her questions without her having to phone.
This applies whether you run a creche, a preschool or Grade R class, an aftercare centre or a small independent school. Registration for next year is happening now. Here's what your website needs to do to get your share of the visits.
Answer the three "is this even possible?" questions first
Before a parent thinks about your philosophy or your facilities, they check whether you could work for their family at all. Put these where nobody has to look for them:
- Ages or grades. "Babies from 3 months to Grade R" or "Grade 000 to Grade 7". Parents of a 14-month-old won't read further if they can't tell whether you take toddlers.
- Hours. Your opening and closing times, early drop-off, aftercare and holiday care. A working parent who needs a 6:30 drop-off is checking this before anything else.
- Space for 2027. If you have places, say so, and for which ages: "2027 registrations open: places available in our toddler and Grade 00 classes." If a class is full, say that too, and explain your waiting list. A parent who phones to find out you've been full since August is a parent who's annoyed with you.
Answer the questions parents feel awkward asking
Some questions parents will happily ask on a tour. Others they'd rather find out quietly, in advance, because asking feels like an accusation. Those are exactly the ones that decide the shortlist. Answer them plainly on the website:
- Who looks after the children. How many children to each teacher or carer in each age group, your teachers' training, and how long your team has been with you. A low staff turnover is something to be proud of. Say it.
- Safety and security. Access control at the gate, who may collect a child and how you check, first aid training, and what happens if a child is hurt or falls ill during the day.
- A normal day. A simple daily routine, from arrival to home time: free play, learning time, outdoor play, meals, nap time. It answers more questions than any description of your "approach".
- Food. Whether meals are included, a sample weekly menu, and how you handle allergies and special diets.
- The practical things. Nappies and potty training, what to pack, what happens when a child is sick, and whether you have backup power when the electricity goes off.
- How you keep in touch. A parent WhatsApp group, daily updates, photos, parent meetings. Parents of young children want to know how they'll hear about their child's day.
If your centre is registered, or you belong to an association, say so on the website, as it appears on your documents. Parents look for it.
Explain your fees, even if you don't publish every amount
Fees are often the question parents most want answered and least want to phone about. You don't have to publish a full fee schedule, but explain how your fees work:
- what the monthly fee covers, such as meals, nappies, stationery or extra-murals
- whether there's a registration fee or deposit, and whether it secures the place
- how fees are paid, by debit order or EFT, and over how many months
- when fees usually increase, and whether there's a sibling discount
Parents who understand your fees before they visit arrive ready to talk about their child, not about money. If you do publish your fees, keep them up to date. Last year's fees on the website make for a difficult conversation in the office.
Show the real place, with care
Parents want to picture their child at your centre. Show them the classrooms, the outdoor play area, the sandpit and jungle gym, the nap room, the kitchen and the entrance. Bright, real photos taken on an ordinary day work far better than stock pictures of children who've never been near your centre.
When you photograph the children themselves, have their parents' permission, and think about whether faces need to be shown at all. Many centres use photos of hands at work, backs of heads at the easel, or the room set up for the day. Parents notice the care you take with other people's children, and they'll expect the same for theirs.
Make the visit the easiest thing to do
Everything on the website leads to one step: the visit. Make it obvious, on every page:
- A "Book a visit" button that lets parents choose a time for a tour, or an open day date, without phoning during work hours.
- Your WhatsApp number, for parents who'd rather send a quick question.
- Your address with a map, and where to park at drop-off time.
Then explain what happens after the visit, step by step: complete the application form, the documents you'll ask for (such as a birth certificate and immunisation record), how the place is secured, and the start date. A parent who can see the whole process is far more likely to begin it.
Keep the website useful once they've enrolled
Your website doesn't stop working once a family has joined. Keep term dates, the year calendar, the weekly menu, upcoming events and news from the classroom on it. Current parents use it every week, and prospective parents see a centre that's active and organised. Your next year's registrations start with this year's families telling their friends about you, and those friends will look you up.
How SiteHub can help
SiteHub builds websites for creches, preschools, aftercare centres and independent schools, around what parents look for first: ages, hours and space for next year, the questions about safety, routine and food, how your fees work, and a clear way to book a visit. A gallery for your classrooms and a news page for term dates and events are included, as are your .co.za domain, business email and hosting, and you see a live preview of the finished website before you pay anything. Every SiteHub website is built with SEO foundations as standard: page titles and descriptions, a sitemap, structured business information that tells Google who you are and where, image descriptions and a mobile-friendly design. You can add Online Bookings so parents book a tour or an open-day slot on your website; the calculator shows what your setup would cost.