A new childcare centre nearby can change your enquiry numbers within weeks. The building is fresh, the signs are big and the opening offers are everywhere. Even families who’ve been happy with you start to ask questions.
It’s something we hear from owners we work with. They’ve run a good centre for years without ever needing to market it, until a large centre opens down the road.
You can’t stop a competitor from opening, but you can give your current families every reason to stay. You can also make sure new families see what you offer before they book a tour somewhere else.
Why a new childcare centre nearby hurts more than it used to
There are more places in the market than there were a few years ago. National occupancy in centre-based day care fell from an estimated 81.8% in December 2023 to 76.1% in December 2025, and in Queensland it went from 83.0% to 79.4%, according to analysis published by The Sector (26 May 2026).
That new supply isn’t landing evenly, which matters when you’re looking at what’s happening around your own centre. Embark Early Education reported that in its most affected catchments, centres built in the past three years have added up to 44% more local capacity, compared with 14% nationally (The Sector, 31 August 2026). If a big centre has opened near you, you may be in one of those pockets.
Being big doesn’t protect a centre either. G8 Education averaged 57% occupancy in the first half of 2026 and listed new supply and local competition among the reasons (The Sector, 25 August 2026).
A large brand opening nearby is a real threat, but it doesn’t decide the outcome on its own. Families still choose the centre they trust.
Start with the families you already have
Keeping an enrolled family is usually much easier than winning a new one. The families most likely to look around are the ones who feel least connected to you, so start by looking at those relationships.
Before you spend anything on advertising, look after the people who already walk through your door every day.
- Talk to every family over the next fortnight. A two-minute chat at pick-up about how their child is going does more than any newsletter.
- Make sure each family knows their child’s educators by name, and that educators share small, specific moments from the day.
- Ask your room leaders which families have gone quiet or mentioned the new centre. Follow up with those families personally.
- Check whether your app updates or newsletter actually get read. If they don’t, make them shorter and add photos of real activities, with permission.
- Fix the small annoyances families have raised more than once, like parking, the sign-in process or slow replies to messages.
When families feel known, the shiny new building down the road is a lot less tempting.
Show families what a new centre can’t
A new centre has a beautiful fit-out and no track record. You have a track record, and families need to be able to see it when they’re weighing up their options.
Safety sits close to the top of every family’s list. A University of the Sunshine Coast study reported by The Sector (19 August 2026) asked more than 300 parents and carers what mattered when choosing care. Location was the most common priority, safety and safeguarding came second, and more than 85% wanted more information about how safety is ensured.
That tells you what families want to hear about. There’s plenty you can show them about your centre and the care you provide:
- Tell families how long your director and educators have been with you, if that’s a strength. Check the facts before you publish them.
- Explain how you keep children safe day to day, from sign-in to sleep checks to the way you keep families informed.
- Use real photos of your rooms, yard and educators, with permission, in place of stock images.
- Share what current parents say in their own words, through Google reviews and comments they’ve agreed to let you share.
Reviews, real photos and parents’ own words carry far more weight than claims. Think about a family comparing two centres. “Quality care” gives them very little to go on, but a parent describing how your educators settled their anxious toddler means a lot.
Make sure families can find you first
New centres usually put a lot of effort into being seen. If a family searches for childcare in your suburb and finds the new centre’s ad, map listing and website before they find yours, you’ve lost the tour before you knew it was on offer.
Run a quick check this week to see what families find when they search:
- Search “childcare [your suburb]” and “daycare near me” on your phone, and note where you appear in the map results and the ads.
- Open your Google Business Profile and check that your hours, photos, phone number and tour booking link are current. Check that you’re replying to reviews too. Our childcare local SEO guide walks through this step by step.
- Look at the new centre’s profile and website as well, so you know what families are seeing and what’s missing.
- Time how long it takes you to reply to an enquiry. A family who contacts three centres will often tour the first one that gets back to them.
If you’re not appearing in the paid results at all, a well-targeted Google Ads campaign for your centre can put you in front of families who are searching in your area right now.
Respond to the new centre without mentioning it
It’s tempting to compare yourself directly or point out what the newcomer lacks. That usually backfires because it looks defensive and draws more attention to them.
Keep the conversation focused on what your families value about your centre. Parents can then make the comparison themselves.
You also don’t have to match every opening offer. Free weeks and discounted fees can attract families who leave when the deal ends, so it’s worth keeping that in mind before you respond with an offer of your own.
Any offer you advertise needs to be genuine and honoured exactly as written. If you’re unsure how to word a fee or an offer, check with your adviser before it goes live.
Win the families who are still deciding
Plenty of families in your area haven’t committed to the new centre yet. Give them a reason to visit you, and make it easy for them to take that step.
- Run an open morning or a Saturday tour and promote it locally. Our guide to hosting an open day at your centre has a checklist you can follow.
- Make booking a tour easy from your website, your Google profile and your social pages.
- Follow up every tour within a day, and again about a week later.
- Ask happy families to tell their friends about you, and thank them when they do.
Your next steps this week
- Speak with the families whose enrolment you’d least like to lose.
- Search for childcare in your suburb on your phone and screenshot what you see.
- Update your Google Business Profile with current photos and hours, and reply to every review.
- Write down what your centre offers that a brand-new centre can’t claim yet, and check that each point is accurate.
- Send an enquiry to your own centre and time how long the reply takes.
Talk to us
If a new centre has opened near you and enquiries have slowed, we’re happy to look at where families are finding you and where you might be losing them. Get in touch with our team for a no-obligation chat.
