A collaborative post from Astute Early Years Specialists and ChildcareNow
If you’re a parent of a little one, you already know how a morning can go. Lunchboxes, a missing shoe, a hat that was right there a minute ago, and somewhere in the middle of it all you remember that your child has a doctor’s appointment on Thursday and won’t be at care. Or you’ve just found out you need an extra day next week and you’re hoping there’s a spot.
Usually that means a phone call at drop-off, an email that sits in your drafts, or a note in your head that slips away by lunchtime. We wanted to make that moment a little lighter. So Astute and ChildcareNow put our heads together and created something small, friendly and genuinely useful: a fridge magnet.
Meet the magnetIt’s about the size of a business card and designed to look like a familiar Instagram post, with a smiling face, a sweet little heart and a simple message: a little reminder for busy mums. Need an extra day, or is your little one going to be away? Pop into your Parent Account and update their days. Right on the magnet are two QR codes, one for the App Store and one for Google Play. Scan, log in, and you’re done. From your Parent Account you can:
No hold music. No back and forth emails. Just a quick scan while the kettle boils. |
Why the fridge?
The fridge is the family noticeboard. It’s where the school newsletter lives, where the artwork goes, and where everyone in the house looks at least a few times a day. Putting a booking reminder there means it’s always within reach, right at the moment you think of it.
And that’s really the point. Busy parents don’t need another thing to remember. They need the thing they already have to be easy to find. A magnet quietly does that job every single day, without a notification or a login reminder in sight.
Supporting mums (and every busy parent)
We called it a reminder for busy mums because so often it’s mum carrying the mental load of who’s going where and when. But it’s for every parent, carer and grandparent who helps keep the week on track.
Supporting families doesn’t always need to be a big gesture. Sometimes it’s simply taking one small task off their plate. When a booking change takes thirty seconds instead of a phone call during the busiest part of the day, that’s time and headspace given back.
A few reasons we think it’s pretty cool
- It’s always there. Flyers get recycled and emails get buried. A magnet stays on the fridge for months, even years.
- It looks familiar. The Instagram-style design feels friendly and easy to read at a glance, which is exactly what you want at 7am.
- Two codes, zero guesswork. Whether you’re on iPhone or Android, there’s a code for you.
- It helps centres too. When families can update days themselves, educators spend less time on the phone during drop-off and more time with the children.
- Early notice helps other families. Letting your centre know about an absence ahead of time helps them plan their day and can open up a casual spot for another family who needs it.
- It keeps absence records tidy. Families eligible for the Child Care Subsidy have a set number of allowable absence days each financial year, so logging absences as they happen makes it easier for everyone to keep track. Your centre can explain how this works for your family.
How the collaboration came together
The Astute marketing team spends a lot of time thinking about how centres can connect with families in ways that feel warm and personal. ChildcareNow spends its days making childcare bookings simpler for parents and centres. It didn’t take long to see that we were working towards the same thing.
From our very first conversation, the connection with ChildcareNow just clicked. When we came to them with the idea of a little something for busy mums, Lea and Geri were quick to jump on a call and genuinely excited to create something together. They supported us with the design, shared ideas on what would work best for families, and helped bring the whole concept to life in no time.
That’s what good partnerships look like to us: people who care about the same families, say yes to a good idea, and enjoy making it happen.
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“In the early childhood sector, everything we do comes back to supporting children and families first. That’s why it means so much to have a partner like ChildcareNow. Whenever we bring a new idea to the table, we know they’ll be right there with us, ready to collaborate and share the journey.” Oksana Kozlova, Digital Marketing Specialist, Astute Early Years Specialists |
Want magnets for your centre’s families?
If you run an early learning centre and love the idea of giving your families a little reminder of their own, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to the team at Astute Early Years Specialists or ChildcareNow, and we’ll chat about how it could work for your centre.
And to all the busy mums, dads and carers out there: next time you’re standing at the fridge wondering whether you booked that extra day, you’ll know exactly where to look.
Want magnets for your families? Get in touch with the Astute team or book a demo with ChildcareNow and we’ll chat about how it could work for your centre.
Astute Early Years Specialists
Phone: 1300 928 228 | Email: hello@weareastute.com.au
Unit 23/200 Moggill Rd, Taringa QLD 4068
ChildcareNow
Website: childcarenow.com.au | Book a demo
Families: download the free ChildcareNow app from the App Store or Google Play
| ASTUTE EARLY YEARS SPECIALISTS x CHILDCARENOW |
We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all solutions. Every centre, every team, every challenge is different — and we take the time to understand yours.
