Don’t Just Track Enrollment, Optimize Occupancy
This article is an Exchange Owner’s Circle column by Kathy Ligon, Founder & CEO of HINGE Early Education Advisors, providing expert insight on timely childcare business challenges and opportunities. Drawing on trends, research, and decades of industry experience, this monthly column offers practical strategies that empower owners to lead profitable, purpose-driven organizations.
As an early education leader, you know that the number of children enrolled in your program shapes your school’s financial health. When classrooms are full, resources grow, your team is supported, and the quality of care rises. When they aren’t, it becomes difficult to sustain the kind of program you set out to create.
Whether you make the strategic decision to maximize your enrollment to licensed capacity or intentionally operate at lower ratios, reaching your enrollment “sweet spot” requires not just tracking simple enrollment numbers but actively managing your school’s occupancy.
Owners and directors should regularly update their enrollment numbers and always know how many spots remain open so they can strategize to fill them. While this basic measure of calculating occupancy provides a starting baseline, more sophisticated approaches can reveal significant opportunities for optimization and growth.