Steven Khuong
|
October 4, 2019

Why Does Early Education Fall Behind in Small Business Technology?

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Why Does Early Education Fall Behind in Small Business Technology?

While the adoption of classroom technology has begun to keep pace with the times, early education and child care businesses often continue to lag behind when it comes to business technology. Working in the educational business technology sector, one of the most common objects we hear from administrators is, “Our owner is really old school. They wouldn’t be interested.” What we tend to find is that the hesitation to adopt business technology comes from a deeper and more complex place than an “old school” attitude. So what really gives childcare providers pause?

 

Fear of Technology

Even in our increasingly high-tech world, there are still countless people who are afraid of technology on some level. Whether they actually panic when faced with a keyboard, stress over learning a new database, or harbor concerns about privacy protocols, fear of technology comes in many forms. Most of the time, a person who claims to be afraid of technology is simply not interested in it, or has little positive experience with it. When presented with a friendly user interface and kind, competent training, technology is far less daunting.

Mistaking Compliance for Preference

Many “old school” owners claim that the parents at their school like things the way they are. We often hear that parents prefer to receive paper invoices, and they prefer to pay with cash and checks. As younger members of the Millennial generation and the older members of Generation Z require child care services, this is simply untrue. This demographic was born digital. For many, their first book was a LeapPad and their allowance was loaded onto a debit card. It is important to understand that just because someone is willing to do something a certain way without complaint, it does not mean they prefer to do things that way. Given the opportunity to handle billing and payments online, most young parents will jump at the chance.

Perceived High Cost

Some who claim they dislike technology actually dislike what they consider the high cost of technology. While it is true that an initial investment in hardware, software, and services can seem prohibitive to a school on a tight budget, the business owner is often not looking at the bigger picture. The hidden cost of things like extra man hours, late payments, and even lost customers cannot be denied. As we approach 2020, reliable computers are inexpensive, and software, apps, and services are available for practically every school budget

At Curacubby, we don’t believe that limited experience or cost should be a barrier to top-tier administrative technology, and we don’t believe that “the way we’ve always done it” is the way it always has to be done. We believe in building a strong partnership with our schools so that we can help even the most reluctant owner overcome the obstacles to a modern operation.

If you’re ready to explore your options, visit us at www.curacubby.com.