The under-an-hour tour follow-up checklist for January enrollment

By Steven Von · 2026-10-28 · 4 min read

Parents touring now are deciding on a January start. A checklist you can finish in under an hour so every tour gets a follow-up before they pick someone else.

A parent toured your center last week, said it was lovely, and you never heard from them again. Most of the time they did not decide against you. They toured two other places, got busy, and enrolled with whoever followed up first.

January is the second biggest enrollment window of the year, and the families starting in January are touring in November and December. This checklist sets up a tour follow-up you can run all season. Each step has a time estimate. The whole thing takes under an hour.

Before you start (5 minutes)

Pull the list of every family who toured or inquired in the last 60 days and did not enroll. A notebook, a spreadsheet or your software's inquiry list all work. You need the parent's first name, the child's first name and age, the start date they mentioned, and their phone number.

If you do not keep that list, start today. Put a clipboard at the front desk and write every tour down.

Step 1: Write the same-day thank-you text (10 minutes)

Send this within a few hours of every tour. Write it once, save it, and fill in the blanks each time.

"Hi [parent name], it's [your name] from [center]. Thank you for visiting today. It was so nice to meet [child name]. I'm holding a spot in our [classroom name] room for a [month] start until [date]. If you have any questions, just text me back here."

Three things make it work. You use the child's name. You name the room. You give a real hold date, which is a gentle deadline. Only hold the spot if you actually can.

Step 2: Write the three-day check-in (5 minutes)

"Hi [parent name], it's [your name] at [center]. I wanted to check in and see if you had any other questions after your tour. A lot of parents ask about [the thing families ask most, like meals, nap schedule, or the daily app]. Happy to send more about any of it."

This one invites a reply. Questions are good news. A parent who asks about the meal menu is picturing their child there.

Step 3: Write the one-week nudge (5 minutes)

"Hi [parent name], [your name] again from [center]. I'm finalizing our January class list for the [classroom name] room. Would you like me to send the enrollment paperwork so you can look it over?"

Sending paperwork is a small step that feels like progress. Many families say yes.

Step 4: Write the final, no-pressure text (5 minutes)

Send at two weeks if there is still no answer.

"Hi [parent name], this is my last check-in, I promise. If you found a better fit, I completely understand and I hope [child name] loves it. If you're still deciding, I'm here, and our [classroom name] room still has room for January."

Step 5: Send to everyone on your list today (15 minutes)

Use the final text, adjusted, for every family on the list you pulled. Even families from two months ago. Some of them are still deciding, and some of them enrolled somewhere that did not work out.

Step 6: Put the follow-up on the calendar (5 minutes)

Pick one person who owns it. Set a reminder at the same time every weekday to check the tour list and send whichever texts are due. Ten minutes a day is enough.

If your software can send these on a schedule, set it up, but replies should still go to a person who answers the same day. Parents who text a question and wait two days move on. Our missed calls and speed to lead guide explains why speed matters so much here, and the calculator shows what one lost enrollment costs over a year.

Step 7: Fix the two things parents check after the tour (10 minutes)

After a tour, parents go home and look you up again. Check two things.

Your Google reviews. The median daycare in our data has just 6 reviews, and 58.6% have fewer than 10. A parent comparing three centers will notice. Ask your happiest current families for a review this week. The review guide has the wording.

Your website. 33.2% of child care centers have no website at all. If you have one, make sure it shows tuition or a range, hours, ages, and a way to text you. The tuition and tours guide covers what to show and how.

The checklist, short

• Pull every tour from the last 60 days
• Write four texts: same day, three days, one week, two weeks
• Send the final text to the whole list today
• Assign one person, ten minutes a day
• Ask for three reviews this week
• Check that your website answers tuition, hours and ages

If you want the tour follow-up texts set up and running for you, the free 14-day trial covers any one service, no card: text or call (385) 213-2802.

Steven Von, Editor
Steven has spent the last several years running growth campaigns for local service businesses, child care centers and daycares among them, and builds the benchmark datasets on this site from public Google listings. About the editor