Childcare Open Day Ideas: How to Use Open Days and Virtual Tours Together
An open day is one of the few times a whole group of local families walks through your gate on purpose. Done well, it turns "we're just looking" into "can we go on the waitlist?" Done badly, it's a busy Saturday with a sausage sizzle and no enquiries on Monday.
This guide gives you practical childcare open day ideas, plus how a virtual tour fits in before and after the day. It's written for owners and directors who want the event to lead to real enrolments. If you'd like help with the promotion side, that's part of our childcare marketing work.
Open days and virtual tours do different jobs
It's not really "virtual tour vs open day". They suit different families at different stages.
A virtual tour works any time, on a phone, for families who are busy, nervous or just starting to compare centres. It answers "what does this place look like?" before they've spoken to anyone.
An open day is about people. Families meet your educators, watch their child play in the room and get a feel for the place that photos can't give them.
The best approach is to use the virtual tour to get families interested and the open day to win their trust. Our guide to childcare virtual tours covers how to plan and publish a tour. The rest of this post is about the open day.
Pick a time that suits working parents
KindiCare's guide for parents describes open days as free events organised outside normal working hours, so that's what families expect. A weekend morning is the usual choice because it avoids work and most afternoon naps. Give yourself at least three to four weeks to promote it, and run it when you actually have places to fill, so you can talk about real start dates.
Childcare open day ideas that show what you do
The aim is to show your everyday program, not to put on a show that looks nothing like a normal Tuesday.
Stay and play in each room
Open every room and let children play with the room's own resources while their parents chat to the room leader. Parents learn more from watching their child settle into your space than from any brochure.
A short group time
Run a 10-minute music, story or movement session every half hour. It shows how your educators interact with children and gives families a natural moment to join in.
Show off your outdoor area
If you have a garden, sandpit or nature play area, put an educator out there with a simple activity so families see how children use it every day.
Let the menu do the talking
If you have a cook, put your weekly menu on display and offer small tastings of what children actually eat. Check allergies before offering anything, and label what's in each dish.
A school-readiness corner
For your preschool or kindy room, show how you prepare children for school: a short display of their work and an educator who can explain your approach in plain words.
Ideas that make the day easy for parents
Book time slots
Ask families to RSVP for a time slot. It spreads people out, gives you their details before they arrive and means a director is free to talk to each family.
A welcome table with one-page answers
ACECQA's guidance on building partnerships with families puts it simply: first impressions count, so think about how families and children are welcomed. Greet every family by name at the door and hand over a single page with your fees, days available, rooms, hours and how to enrol.
A fees and subsidy helper
Parents will ask about fees and the Child Care Subsidy. Have one staff member ready with a tablet and the government's Child Care Subsidy calculator so families can estimate their own cost on the spot.
A quiet session
Offer the first or last half hour as a calmer time for families who find crowds hard, including children with additional needs. Mention it on the invite.
Keep giveaways within the rules
Showbags and prizes might seem harmless, but the Child Care Subsidy rules ban certain inducements to enrol. As The Sector explains, the Department of Education lists cash, gift cards or vouchers, electronic devices and other gifts or rewards meant to influence enrolment as off limits. Free tours and orientation visits, advertising your vacancies and correctly reported fee discounts are fine. Make the day about the experience, not the freebies, and check with the Department before running anything you're unsure about.
How to promote your open day
Google Business Profile. Add an Event post with a title, start and end times, a photo and a button to your RSVP page. Our Google Business Profile guide covers the rest of your profile.
Your website. Add a banner on the homepage and a simple RSVP page. Our guide to childcare website design shows what else parents look for once they land there.
Facebook and Instagram. Create an event, share short videos of your rooms and post a reminder the day before.
Your waitlist and enquiries. Invite families who enquired recently but haven't toured yet. They're the warmest people on your list.
Your virtual tour. Link it in every invite so families can look around first and arrive with better questions.
For more low-cost ideas to run alongside the event, see our list of childcare marketing ideas.
Where the virtual tour fits before and after
Before the day, the virtual tour builds interest. After the day, it reminds families of what they saw and helps them show a partner or grandparent who couldn't come. Put it in your follow-up email too. If you don't have one yet, our virtual tours page explains how we capture and set them up for centres.
Follow up within a day or two
The open day is the start of the conversation, not the end. Collect each family's name, phone, email, child's age and preferred start date, and tell them how you'll use those details. The Australian Privacy Principles are a good place to check what applies to your centre.
Then follow up while the day is still fresh: a thank-you message, the one-page fee sheet, your virtual tour link and a clear next step, such as a time to finish their enrolment form. Our guide to turning childcare enquiries into enrolments has a follow-up routine you can copy.
Photos on the day
Open days make great content, but other people's children aren't yours to post. The OAIC recommends getting clear consent before posting photos and taking particular care with images of children. Ask visiting families at the welcome table, and stick to photos of spaces, activities and your team if you're not sure.
Your open day checklist
Set a date and time outside working hours, when you have places to fill.
Plan one simple activity per room plus your outdoor area.
Set up an RSVP page with time slots.
Post a Google Business Profile event and a social media event.
Invite recent enquiries and waitlist families, with your virtual tour link.
Print a one-page fee and enrolment sheet.
Brief every educator on the three questions parents ask most.
Check giveaways against the inducement rules.
Collect details and photo consent at the welcome table.
Follow up every family within a day or two.
FAQs
How often should a childcare centre hold an open day?
Run one when you have places coming up, for example before a new year intake or when a room has vacancies. One or two well-promoted open days a year are easier to do well than lots of small ones nobody hears about.
Is a virtual tour enough without an open day?
A virtual tour helps families shortlist you, but most parents still want to visit before they enrol. Government guides such as the ones in our post on how parents choose childcare tell parents to visit. Use the tour to get them through the door.
Can we give families a showbag at our open day?
Be careful. Gifts and giveaways meant to encourage enrolment are among the inducements the Child Care Subsidy rules ban. A free visit, a stay and play session or correctly reported fee discount are safer options.
Want more families at your next open day?
We help childcare centres fill places with websites, local SEO, Google and Meta ads and virtual tours. See how our childcare marketing services work, or book a free chat and we'll help you plan the promotion for your next open day.
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