Writing a child care mission statement is an important part of your business. It’s what lets prospective parents know what your child care center is all about. And it helps them decide if your daycare is the right fit for their children.
So, you want to make sure your mission statement reflects your business correctly. But, where do you start?
In this instructional guide, you’ll learn what this statement is, why you need it, what to include in your child care mission statement, and some helpful examples to see a statement in action.
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What is a child care mission statement?
A mission statement is a tool to express the purpose of your company. It tells the customer what your goals, vision, and mission are for your company. It’s one of many child care marketing tips that help your operation.
In this case, the mission statement will revolve around your child care business. Why you started it, what you want to do, and why a customer should choose your child care service instead of someone else’s.
Why do you need a mission statement?
A mission statement isn’t just “one of those things” you need to run a company. It’s a way to give your whole brand direction and keep you on track as you grow and expand.
Your daily operation should revolve around a single mission. With a mission statement, you have a clear way to achieve that.
It also helps you communicate with your clients. Your mission statement tells them exactly what they can expect from your company. It makes it easier to promote your daycare business.
Finally, a mission statement makes sure the whole team is on the same page. As you bring on new employees, a mission statement gives them a concrete and succinct goal. When everyone’s playing on the same team, the organization will be run better.
What to include in a mission statement
Strategists agree that there are three major things you need to include in your mission statement:
- Your target audience
- The product or service you provide
- What makes you special
By creating a mission statement around these three ideas, you’ll get the best results. Even if the answer seems obvious to you, you still need to include it.
For example, your target audience is clearly people with kids. But what kind of people? The service you provide is clearly child care, but what specific kind of child care? Answering these questions will help you with other child care marketing ideas as well.
As you break down these ideas, you start to understand why these parts are so critical. Want to see these ideas in action? Take a look at the next section.
What *not* to include in your mission statement
As you read different examples, you might not notice the things that they’re omitting. Remember, a mission statement is there to show your focus and your goals.
Pricing
A mission statement shouldn’t be used as a hard sales pitch. You should never include pricing or talk about special deals that will interest people. If you run a budget daycare, you can use general terms like “affordable”, but refrain from listing specific prices.
Your address
It’s great to give your address to someone you’ve already converted into a customer who is looking to close the deal. Adding your address into your mission statement, however, just doesn’t make sense.
You can mention your town, city, or county, but you should avoid including your specific location. Your goals shouldn’t revolve around where your center is located—if you picked up your operation and dropped it a thousand miles away, you should still be able to operate.
Staff members’ names
This is another example of being too specific in your mission statement. The names of people on your staff are better suited for your website, not your mission statement.
Child care mission statement examples
The best way to learn what to put in yours is to see what other companies are doing. Below are 4 child care mission statement examples from other companies. You’ll get a chance to read the statement then get a breakdown of why it does or doesn’t work.
Great Expectations Child Care Center mission statement
“our mission is to provide child care that meets the needs of each child and family in a safe, educational environment. We pride our center’s focus on the individual needs of each child, while providing quality, reliable and safe child care.”
Statement breakdown
This is a wonderful mission statement. You can go through and clearly see all three parts of their mission statement. Their audience is families who value safety and education. Their service is individualized child care. They’re special because they focus on the individual and provide high-quality, reliable, and safe child care.
If your mission statement resembled this one, you’d be off to a great start.
New Mexico Tech Children’s Center mission statement
“Our mission is to complement the service and education objectives of the university by: Providing education, care, and nurturing for the children of students, staff, faculty, and community members. Utilizing culturally and developmentally appropriate practices. Serving as a role model of child care excellence for the community at large.”
Statement breakdown
Though this statement is on the longer side, they do a good job of incorporating a lot of information. You can paint a nice picture of the type of service you will receive when you choose them.
They have a lot of language that talks about the community around them. People who value a sense of community will be drawn to this service.
Tutor Time Child Care/Learning Center mission statement
“We are dedicated to fostering educational development, building self-esteem, and sparking imagination in a safe and loving environment.
As a leader in early child education and family solutions, we are committed to developing innovative educational solutions. And we fulfill our mission with honesty, trust, a passion for excellence, and the same love of learning we instill in our students.”
Statement breakdown
Though this is another long mission statement, it gives you a more fully-rounded idea of the services they provide than a shorter, snappier mission statement could. It emphasizes the importance this daycare places in child education and development.
They use language that stresses the value placed in the child’s educational development: the “passion for excellence” and “love of learning.” A potential client reading this mission statement will learn both the nature of this daycare’s services and the philosophy that makes them unique.
Glendale Community College Children’s Center mission statement
“Our mission is to constantly strive for excellence as a teacher training facility and demonstration school that exhibits to our stakeholders our commitment to customer satisfaction. This aspiration will require that we value the relationships with all our stakeholders: the discipline and profession of Early Childhood Education; the greater Glendale community, Glendale Community College, the Child Development Department, students, staff, families, and children. These relationships, both personally and professionally, must be built on respect and honesty, characterized by patience, tolerance, and trust.”
Statement breakdown
This final example is the longest mission statement yet, but what it does really well is demonstrate the value this children’s center places on its community. After reading this statement, you have no doubt who this daycare is here to serve and how they aim to do it.
A bad mission statement example
“To be the best solution in the area and provide a superior service”
Statement breakdown
It’s worthwhile to see a fabricated poor example of a mission statement. Can you find any of the three components in this statement? No—you don’t even know what they do.
This was purposefully created to show what a bad mission statement looks like. It’s great to be the best solution and give superior service, but what industry are they in? What service are they providing?
This is proof that short statements with buzzwords don’t often hit the mark.
Next steps
Picking a child care mission statement is a big step for your company. As you continue to grow your business, don’t forget to follow the ideals described in your mission statement.
If you want to learn more, you can check out The Download, a free guide that walks you through online marketing for your child care company.
