The Childcare Director's Third Job

By Keith Donoghue | Vancouver City News | October 9, 2026
Editor: Karalee Greer
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Administration Becomes A Third Role

The first thing I look at when I sit down with a Vancouver childcare director is how parent communications go out. Not the curriculum. The communication process.

Newsletters are written when there is time. Permission forms go home in bags and are chased when they do not return. Fee reminders are sent manually. Enrollment renewals sit in a spreadsheet that someone has to remember to update.

The director is often doing the work of three roles at once, and the communication layer is one of the easiest to systematize.

Routine Communication Can Run On A Schedule

A connected workflow can draft the weekly update from a template and schedule it. A digital permission form can be tracked automatically and followed up after 48 hours. Fee reminders can go out on a fixed schedule without someone checking the payment log each time.

Enrollment renewal can start 60 days before the contract end date rather than the week before.

Give The Director Time Back

These processes still need oversight, but they do not need a person to initiate every step. The director reviews the exceptions and handles the conversations that genuinely need a human response.

The trade-off is clear: 45 minutes recovered from daily communication overhead can be spent on the floor, with the children and the programme, rather than composing another reminder for a form that should already have been returned.

Why It Matters

This is not just about parent messages. It reflects a broader shift.

Childcare is a people business, but much of the surrounding administration does not need to compete with time spent supporting children and families.

Consistent communication systems can protect both staff attention and the parent experience.

Keith Donoghue | Vancouver City News Keith Donoghue is the founder of Highridge AI Consulting, helping Vancouver small businesses reduce manual work and run more efficient operations.

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