IKS Academy

With everything else going on at your center, posting one job listing and waiting for the applications to roll in can feel like the easy move. But more and more, that approach just isn't enough. You have to cast a wider net. Qualified early childhood teachers are harder to find than ever, the strongest candidates are interviewing at three other centers the same week you reach them, and background checks and clearances can stretch the timeline for weeks. Meanwhile you're cover

As the back-to-school rush settles into a routine, families are starting to form an impression of how your program communicates. And because enrollment never really stops, that impression gets made year-round, whether a family starts in September or February. Communication, of course, runs both ways. Not only will you be reaching out with the hard conversations, the late pickup, the incident report, the tuition change, but families will also have concerns of their own to rais

Featuring Tameenah Adams, SHRM-CP, Founder and CHRO of ChildcareHR Watch the full webinar replay here. AI is changing the way childcare businesses operate, helping leaders move faster on hiring, communication, and daily decision-making. But as Tameenah Adams, SHRM-CP, showed us in this session, that same speed can introduce serious risk without the right HR practices in place: privacy exposures, inconsistent hiring decisions, poor documentation, and choices that leave a cente

Nowadays, parents touring your center have likely done their homework, arriving with a mental checklist of red flags pulled not just from instinct or word of mouth, but from the countless online articles telling them exactly what to avoid. That means more formulated, direct questions, and an expectation of concrete answers in return. As a parent who's recently had the experience of touring childcare centers and summer camps myself, I've found that all of those concerns tend t

For childcare centers, August brings the most inquiries of any month. September converts more of them than any other month. Most of what separates a strong fall from a slow one happens between those two facts. IntelliKid Systems analyzed 51,825 childcare inquiries received in a single month, February 2026, and tracked them over the following five months, alongside 355,000 recorded family calls from January through June 2026. The goal was to find which parts of the enrollment

The destination the whole S.P.A.C.E. journey has been building toward. Welcome back, astronaut. We have traveled through Staff Management, Physical Environment, Administration, and Curriculum, and now we have reached our final destination on the S.P.A.C.E. journey: the Planet of Enrollment. This is the planet that started the conversation, and fittingly, it is the one we land on last. Because here is the truth: enrollment is not one planet among five. It is the destination th

When's the last time you sat down and actually read through the emails and texts going out to your prospective families? Not to check that they sent, but to really read them the way a parent would for the first time? Do they sound like your center? Or do they sound like they could have come from anyone? As Tiffany Torres pointed out in her recent IKS Academy webinar, The Psychology of Parent Decision-Making: "Every family who finds your center is moving through a series of de

How employer partnerships and community visibility work together to drive enrollment and amplify your ambassador network. Every June, as school lets out and routines shift, child care enrollment naturally dips as some families pull their kids for the summer. But summer doesn't have to be a slow season. In fact, it can be one of your most strategic ones. Working parents are figuring out summer care on the fly, and families are already starting to think about fall. That makes i

What role does it play in achieving a high level of enrollment? Welcome back, astronaut! Today we are making one of the most fascinating landings of our entire journey as we touch down on the Planet of Curriculum. Why This Planet Matters Ask most people what they remember about preschool, and you'll hear about a favorite teacher or a song they still hum today. Very few can tell you what they actually learned. And that is not a coincidence. When parents think about curriculum,

What role does it play in achieving a high level of enrollment? Welcome back, astronaut! You've landed on the Planet of Administration! This is where the tone is set, the culture is built, and all the moving parts of your program come together and find their direction. Why This Planet Matters Administration is truly the backbone of a quality program, and in a child care setting that responsibility rests primarily with two people: the Director and the Assistant Director. The D

Teacher Appreciation Week 2026 runs May 4–8. But the best directors know that appreciation isn’t a once-a-year event. It’s a culture you build every single day. This year, let’s celebrate intentionally and use the tools at your fingertips to make it stick year-round. Timeless ways to show appreciation Bring their favorite treat A small snack goes a long way. Find out what they love (more on how to do that below). Give them a real break Read aloud to a class, cover outdoor re

What role does it play in achieving a high level of enrollment? Coordinates locked, astronaut. Our next destination on the S.P.A.C.E. journey: the Planet of Physical Environment. This planet does not wait for introductions. Before a parent hears your philosophy, meets your teachers, or sees a single lesson plan, they are already forming an impression of your program. And that impression shapes every decision that follows. Why This Planet Matters Of all your enrollment tools

What role does it play in achieving a high level of enrollment? Welcome back, astronaut. You've boarded the ship, you've discovered the S.P.A.C.E. framework, and now it's time to make your first planetary landing. Today, we're touching down on one of the most powerful and most often underestimated planets in the childcare universe: Staff Management. Why This Planet Matters In our S.P.A.C.E. framework, every planet plays a role, and removing even one breaks the circle. Staff

A great first impression doesn't happen by accident. For most childcare centers, that impression starts the moment a family tries to learn more about your program or sign up for a tour. A clunky, outdated, or hard-to-find form can cost you enrollments before you ever get the chance to connect. In this webinar, we showcased IntelliKid Systems' brand-new Web Forms release and showed exactly how a well-built form can become one of your most powerful enrollment tools. Here's What

Every child care provider’s dream is to run a full, thriving, and sustainable school. One where classrooms are bustling, teachers feel supported, and families proudly recommend you to everyone they know. During the busy enrollment season, however, it is easy to focus solely on filling seats and lose sight of the systems that must be in place to make that enrollment sustainable. You can enroll 20 new children, but if they all leave within six months, the impact is short-lived

At IKS Academy, we believe strong leadership is the foundation of every successful child care program, and it starts with leading yourself first. That’s why we were excited to welcome Sara Schreiner, CEO of ChildMYnder, for our recent webinar. With her signature boldness and honesty, Sara shared inspirational strategies to help child care directors, owners, and educators lead with greater clarity, purpose, and confidence. If you missed the session or want a quick recap, here

Enrollment rarely comes down to just “not enough leads.” More often, it’s also inconsistent follow-up, unclear handoffs, and bottlenecks that keep families from moving forward. In this interactive webinar, our IKS experts Kaia Gallop, Director of Client Strategy, and Karen Blatter, Director of Training and Enterprise Strategy, shared practical ways to start 2026 with a clear plan and a system that supports it. Here’s What We Covered: Using reporting to identify where leads st

The childcare industry has evolved significantly over the years, and parent expectations have evolved right along with it. Today’s modern parents, many of whom are Gen Z or younger millennials, have grown up in a digital-first world. They expect speed, convenience, transparency, and open communication from every service they interact with, including childcare centers. For centers still relying heavily on traditional processes, this shift can feel overwhelming. However, for th

Running a preschool means wearing many hats, and when growth takes center stage it’s easy to lose sight of the financial fundamentals that truly drive success. With the right systems, data, and financial clarity in place, childcare leaders can confidently build centers that are both mission-driven and financially strong. In the following IKS Academy webinar, Back to Basics: How to Make More Money and Pay Less Tax , we learned from Michael A. Blanco, CPA, preschool owner, and

Q: How does Call Ai integrate with our current enrollment system or CRM? A: If you’re using IntelliKid Systems (IKS) with our Call Ai add-on, everything works together seamlessly. Call Ai ensures that call activity, insights, and lead information flows directly into your business. Importantly, Call Ai doesn’t just support new leads, it engages with anyone who calls your IKS number. That includes prospective families, returning callers, and even currently enrolled families.