{"id":464,"date":"2018-09-28T18:11:48","date_gmt":"2018-09-28T23:11:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/childwatch.com\/blog\/?p=464"},"modified":"2018-10-02T18:12:06","modified_gmt":"2018-10-02T23:12:06","slug":"understanding-millennials-is-key-to-capturing-more-of-the-child-care-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/childwatch.com\/blog\/2018\/09\/28\/understanding-millennials-is-key-to-capturing-more-of-the-child-care-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Millennials is Key to Capturing More of the Child Care Market"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4><strong>So who <u>are<\/u> the Millennials?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p class=\"intro-content\">They have been defined as Generation Y, Generation Me, and Digital Natives. How do Millennials compare to previous generations?<\/p>\n<p>Millennials are individuals born between 1981-1996. They are the largest generation on the planet and are 80 million strong in the U.S. alone. By 2025, they will make up 75% of the workforce.<\/p>\n<p>Among the things we know about Millennials is that they\u2019re the most educated group in history \u2013 61% of them have attended college versus 46% of Boomers. They also want to continue to learn, with well over half saying they\u2019d choose a job for its personal growth potential and educational opportunities over salary.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Millennials and technology <\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Millennials are the first generation in history who have grown up constantly connected to the world of digital technology, what the Pew Research Center has labeled \u201cDigital natives in a land of digital immigrants.\u201d Without a doubt, Millennials have embraced technology like no other generation.<\/p>\n<p>Millennials clearly adapt faster to computer and internet services because they have always had them. They are the most likely to say that technology makes life easy rather than harder, that it brings people closer together than drives them further apart, and that technology allows people to use their time more efficiently. Technology and the internet have fundamentally shaped how they think, communicate, work, problem solve, buy, and parent.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Millennials want to stay in touch.<\/strong> Consider this:<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-466\" src=\"https:\/\/childwatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Digital-family-300x202.jpg\" alt=\"Understanding Millennials is Key to Capturing More of the Child Care Market\" width=\"491\" height=\"323\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>92% have smart phones<\/li>\n<li>54% own a tablet<\/li>\n<li>85% use social media<\/li>\n<li>94% use a laptop or PC to access the internet<\/li>\n<li>28% use <em>only<\/em> a smartphone to access the internet<\/li>\n<li>9% use a tablet to access the internet<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Millennials have a relationship with their phone.<\/strong> Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>91% always keep their phone within reach<\/li>\n<li>83% sleep with their phone<\/li>\n<li>95% of text messages are read <em>within 3 minutes<\/em> of being received<\/li>\n<li>25% look at their phone more than 100 times a day<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Some have \u201cnomophobia\u201d \u2013 a fear of being away from their smartphone. Millennials use their phone for research. There\u2019s an acronym they use: \u00a0KBYG (Know Before You Go). They read an average of five reviews before visiting a store or center.<\/p>\n<p>They live their lives on Facebook. Eighty-one percent of <a href=\"http:\/\/time.com\/4070021\/millennial-parents-raising-kids-poll\/\">Millennial parents<\/a> have shared pictures of their children on social media. Most of them are not shy or conflicted about sharing their children\u2019s lives online.<\/p>\n<p><u>They love their phones\u2014they just don\u2019t want to talk on them!<\/u><\/p>\n<p><strong>Millennials as parents<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In 2017 Millennials made up 90% of all new parents. They are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.barkleyus.com\/millennialparents\/\">more likely<\/a> to say that parenthood is a major part of their identity than previous generations. While they may have waited longer to get married or have children, Millennial moms and dads don\u2019t just <em>want<\/em> to be parents; they are <em>ready<\/em> to be parents. Family is a priority for them.<\/p>\n<p>They are raising their children to be independent, creative and adventurous, educated, compassionate, purposeful, and to value experiences over possessions.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>What they expect from childcare centers<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>They have a need for non-traditional hours of care.<\/strong> Millennial parents may rely on providers offering non-traditional hours of care (i.e. outside the typical 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. timeframe). Approximately 40 percent of student parents take on full-time work and approximately half are unmarried. This highlights a population with a high demand schedule and a lack of additional support for child care within the household.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Child care is more than just a service.<\/strong> For Millennial parents \u2013 and in fact all parents in our increasingly education-focused society \u2013 child care isn\u2019t just a service to get parents to work, but one that helps get children to school.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Millennial parents aren\u2019t just thinking about care; they\u2019re thinking about learning. Without a curriculum program that supports important milestones and follows children through key ages, child care is just a temporary solution that must be rethought every time a child reaches a new developmental stage \u2013 such as when a toddler becomes a preschooler.<\/p>\n<p><strong>They want a variety of payment options.<\/strong> Here\u2019s why:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>21% of Millennials have never written a check<\/li>\n<li>63% don\u2019t have a credit card<\/li>\n<li>43% use online banking<\/li>\n<li>23% make mobile payments<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Online bill pay is very important to attracting and keeping Millennial families. The convenience of different payment options will help centers stay competitive. Parents want the following relating to payment options:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Receive automatic payment reminders via email or text alert<\/li>\n<li>Mobile pay capabilities<\/li>\n<li>Auto-pay \u2013 funds automatically drafted every month on a certain schedule<\/li>\n<li>Some parents want pre-authorization to make an automatic payment<\/li>\n<li>Access bill and update payment information as needed through the online parent portal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Communicate the way they communicate.<\/strong> A Millennial mom\u2019s primary objective in using technology is for scheduling and to stay in touch with their families. Their smartphone is their lifeline and that\u2019s the way they\u2019d like to communicate with you; they prefer texting rather than talking. Parents want information electronically rather than on paper. Offering paperless options like e-newsletters, daily highlights and accomplishments, photos, alerts and reminders ensure that parents receive real-time information about their child\u2019s day.<\/p>\n<p>Every center, at a minimum, should have a Facebook or Instagram account as a means of promoting their center, providing notifications, and engaging with parents and the community.<\/p>\n<p>Roughly 90% of Millennial moms share information about purchases on social media and 74% ask for recommendations before making purchases. These online reviews are critical for nearly every purchasing decision made today. Reviews and testimonials should be a key focus for your childcare center as Millennial parents take these reviews very seriously.<\/p>\n<p>Millennial parents are aware, informed and engaged. While technology and immediate information are important, you\u2019ll always want a balance between electronic and other comparable methods of communication. Parents rely on you to care for their children while they\u2019re away, and you\u2019re well-equipped to provide the human connection they need.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>So who are the Millennials? They have been defined as Generation Y, Generation Me, and Digital Natives. How do Millennials compare to previous generations? Millennials are individuals born between 1981-1996. They are the largest generation on the planet and are 80 million strong in the U.S. alone. By 2025, they will make up 75% of the workforce. Among the things we know about Millennials is that they\u2019re the most educated group in history \u2013 61% of them have attended college versus 46% of Boomers. They also want to continue to learn, with well over half saying they\u2019d choose a job [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/childwatch.com\/blog\/2018\/09\/28\/understanding-millennials-is-key-to-capturing-more-of-the-child-care-market\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\r\n<title>Understanding Millennials is Key to Capturing More of the Child Care Market<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"They have been defined as Generation Y, Generation Me, and Digital Natives. 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