How to Turn Tour Traffic into Full Classrooms This Fall
- IKS Academy Team
- Aug 7
- 6 min read
Fall is one of the most crucial enrollment seasons for early childhood centers. Families are back from summer vacations, routines are re-establishing, and decisions about preschool and childcare are top of mind. But having full tour calendars doesn't automatically mean full classrooms. The secret? It’s not only what you do before or during the tour, a lot of it is what you do after the tour.
In this post, we’ll explore the essential steps to take before, during, and after a tour to ensure your fall tour traffic translates into long-term enrollment success.
Before the Tour: Set the Stage for Connection
1. You only have one chance at a first impression
Ensure your greeting area is clean, organized, and welcoming. This sets the tone for the entire visit and is the first impression families have when they walk through your doors. But don’t stop there: do a full walk-through before each tour. Step outside to check your entrance, peek at the playground, and make sure every classroom is clean, sparkling, and ready to shine. Families notice everything, and every space is part of the story you’re telling.
2. Make It Personal
Take time to review the child’s name, age, and any information shared in prior conversations. Mentioning the child by name, referencing their interests, or having age-appropriate materials ready demonstrates care and attention to detail.
Example: “We set up a sensory bin today because we heard Emma loves exploring with her hands!”
This simple gesture shows that your center is not only professional but also deeply relational, a quality parents are looking for.
IntelliTip: Before the tour, check the Comments tab in the lead’s IKS profile/timeline. This is the perfect place to store and review personal details, such as the child’s interests, or anything shared in past conversations, so you can show up prepared and create a meaningful connection with the family.
3. Coordinate Internally
First impressions are shaped just as much by people as by the physical environment. Let teachers and front desk staff know in advance, prepare the space to be clean and inviting, not chaotic, and share key details about the visiting family, so that greetings feel warm and personal. A calm, confident atmosphere goes a long way in building trust. Even small things, like a casual chat in the hallway or a personal call at the front desk, can send the wrong signal. Set clear expectations for staff behavior in shared spaces to ensure every interaction reflects the professionalism and care your center stands for.
During the Tour: Tell Your Story With Purpose
Once the family arrives, it’s time to turn your center from a building into a story, and a solution.
1. Lead With Your Mission
Start by sharing your school’s mission statement or core values. It helps ground the conversation and communicates why you do what you do. This isn't just a tour: it's an invitation to join a community.
Example: “Our mission is to nurture every child’s unique growth through purposeful play and compassionate care. That shows up in every room you’re about to see.”
Don’t just recite your center’s mission, though, be sure to bring it to life. Share what it truly means to you and how it shapes your daily work. Use real examples that highlight how your team, families, and children embody those values in action. Whether it’s a story about a staff member going the extra mile or a parent partnership that made a difference, these moments create a lasting impression and show families that your mission isn’t just words, it’s a lived experience.
2. Use a Tour Checklist
Use this sample tour checklist to guide staff, create consistency and elevate your center’s first impression. Whether multiple team members are conducting tours or just one, using a standardized checklist ensures every family gets a complete and cohesive experience.
But don’t stop there. Transform your internal checklist into a comparison-friendly tool for prospective families. By adapting the format to include multiple columns across the top, you empower visitors to compare your center side-by-side with others they tour. This proactive step positions your school as organized, transparent, and confident in the quality of your offering.
To truly stand out, make sure your checklist highlights the unique features that define your program, such as low teacher turnover, robust enrichment programs, strong family engagement, or accreditation status. These distinctions help your school shine not just during the tour, but long after families leave your building.
And don’t forget branding. Adding your logo reinforces your center’s identity and keeps your school top of mind as families reflect on their options.
Include talking points like:
Health and safety procedures
Curriculum overview
Teacher qualifications and ratios
Sample daily schedules
Enrichment opportunities
Family communication tools
Enrollment process and tuition structure
Having a checklist on hand helps keep the tour focused and ensures no key detail is missed, while still allowing room for personalization and conversation.
3. Engage Emotionally
Throughout the tour, highlight real-life stories, such as children making milestones, teachers going above and beyond, or family testimonials. Show, not just tell, how your center nurtures, supports, and celebrates each child. And when you enter the classroom, let the teacher take the lead. Introduce the teacher and step back, to supervise the children, allowing them to speak directly to the parents. A quick, genuine hello, a few words about the class schedule, or a snapshot of the curriculum gives families a feel for the classroom culture and the teacher’s personality. This not only builds trust but also shows parents that your teachers are the experts in the room (and that you, as a director, trust them).
AFTER THE TOUR
1. Follow-Up is Your Superpower
After every tour, the clock starts ticking. Families are comparing multiple centers, and whoever makes them feel the most valued, informed, and remembered wins.
Action: Don’t wait more than 24 hours to follow up. Send a personalized email that recaps the visit, highlights the child’s interactions, and thanks the family for their time. Even better, include a photo of something meaningful from the tour (if permission was given), like the child exploring the art area.
IntelliTip: Directing prospective parents to your Google or Facebook reviews gives them a chance to hear real experiences from your current families. Peer validation goes a long way in building trust and confidence. Just make sure the reviews you're highlighting are recent and reflect the experience you want new families to have. If you’re using IntelliKid Systems, you can even automate review outreach as part of your post-enrollment flow to keep your testimonials fresh and relevant!
2. Use Storytelling to Spark Emotion
Parents make decisions with their hearts first. The more vividly they can picture their child thriving at your center, the more likely they are to enroll.
Action: In follow-up communications, share a story, maybe about a child who started out shy and blossomed with your teachers' support, or a favorite classroom tradition. Show what it feels like to be part of your school community.
IntelliTip: Use IntelliKid Systems to set automated follow-up reminders and schedule touchpoints for every family. Don’t let the conversation end with the tour: input any comments and observations into their lead profile to personalize your follow-up. Mentioning something they cared about, like outdoor play or classroom routines, shows you were listening and helps build trust. Thoughtful follow-up that reflects their interests keeps the connection strong and shows families that their needs truly matter to you.
Make storytelling part of your tour script, too. Narrate what a typical “first week” looks like, or share what families say about your warm transitions and loving staff.
3. Create a Sense of Urgency
A little urgency, when done right, can motivate fence-sitters without feeling pushy.
Action: Use phrases like “We’re down to just 2 openings in our toddler classroom” or “Fall rosters will close by August 15th.” Highlight what the family might miss by waiting too long: community events, classroom friendships, and early learning milestones.
Or offer an incentive that expires in 24 hours or 48 hours from the tour time. No one wants to miss out on a deal!
IntelliTip: Build custom email campaigns in IntelliKid Systems to deliver timely nudges like “Still Thinking About Us?” or “Don’t Miss Your Child’s First Fall Festival!”
Convert With Confidence
Great tours get families in the door, but thoughtful follow-up, compelling storytelling, and clear urgency turn curiosity into commitment.
Let IntelliKid Systems help you seal the deal with tools that track every interaction and deliver just-in-time messaging. Your classrooms deserve to be full, and we’re here to make sure they are.
Experience the benefits of IntelliKid Systems at your own pace. See for yourself—click below to start your self-guided demo.
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