Compass Child CareRamsey · 8035 Riverdale Dr NW

Twenty-two things you could do. Pick one.

This is a menu, not a to-do list. Some weeks you have ten minutes; take something Easy. When enrollment gets tight, come back for something bigger. You already have the best rating in the company — most of this is about making more people see it.

The Compass page, the website, the listings and anything printed or designed are Marketing’s job. Yours is what happens in person — the conversations, drop-offs and phone calls — plus sharing in your own local community groups. Need a graphic or wording? Just ask.

Everything below, by distance from your front door

If you only do three things this fall

Everything else on this page can wait until you want it.

Call this week

Happy Days at The COR

Idea 14. Ramsey’s hometown festival is in early September, in your own neighborhood, and most of it runs on sponsors.

Ten minutes a week

24 reviews to 50

Idea 01. A perfect 5.0 is the best rating in the company — and 24 reviews is a thin base to sit it on.

One afternoon

Residence at the COR

Idea 07. A 228-review apartment community four-tenths of a mile from your door.

The lay of the land

Three things that shape everything below

Finding 01

You have the best rating in the company, and a director families name by name

Compass Ramsey holds a perfect 5.0 across 24 reviews — higher than Blaine, Coon Rapids or Isanti. Read them and the pattern is striking: an early childhood educator who expected to struggle to trust anyone and chose you anyway; a family who left another center and says they are so happy they did; Katie named by name in review after review. This center does not have a reputation problem. It has a reach problem — not enough people in Ramsey know you exist. Almost everything below is about that gap.

Finding 02

You are inside The COR, and the city’s festival happens here

Compass Ramsey sits in The COR, Ramsey’s planned town center. Coborn’s, ALDI, a Caribou that opens at 5:00 AM, restaurants, the Municipal Center and a 228-review apartment community are all within half a mile. The Happy Days Festival — the city’s annual hometown celebration with a parade, business expo, car show, inflatables and fireworks — takes place in early September at The COR, essentially in your backyard. No other Compass center has its city’s biggest day of the year happening this close.

Finding 03

This is the most crowded child care market of the six centers

Within four miles you have Kids Grow Ramsey (0.18 mi), New Horizon Academy (0.32 mi, 4.5 on 42), Lil’ Explorers (1.1 mi), Lightbridge Academy (3.6 mi — a national chain that opened recently with a grand-opening event and already holds a 5.0), and Learning Explorers (3.8 mi, 4.9 on 127). Two more things to know: New Horizon and Lightbridge both stay open until 6:00 or 6:30 against your 5:30, and the Northstar commuter rail station at The COR closed in January 2026, so COR residents who used to take the train are now driving. Neither fact is a crisis, but both belong in how you talk about this center.

Full distance list — 27 places, straight-line from your front door

Caribou Coffee (opens 5:00 AM), 7988 Sunwood Dr NW	~0.13 mi
Coborn’s Grocery Store, 7900 Sunwood Dr NW	~0.15 mi
Kids Grow Ramsey (competitor), 8019 146th Ave NW	~0.18 mi
King Baguette, 7912 Sunwood Dr NW	~0.19 mi
ALDI, 7992 Sunwood Dr NW	~0.23 mi
New Horizon Academy (competitor), 7800 Sunwood Dr NW	~0.32 mi
Residence at the COR, 7700 Sunwood Dr NW	~0.42 mi
Jumpn Gymnastics, 8310 147th Ln NW	~0.44 mi
Anoka County License Center, 7550 Sunwood Dr NW	~0.58 mi
SUR by Vita Bella & Back Into Life Chiropractic, 7533 Sunwood Dr NW	~0.66 mi
Northgate Church, 7295 Sunwood Dr NW	~0.94 mi
U-Haul Moving & Storage, 8725 Riverdale Dr NW	~0.97 mi
Lil’ Explorers Childcare (competitor), 14725 Ramsey Blvd NW	~1.13 mi
Jam Hops, 14200 Limonite St NW	~1.18 mi
Ramsey Food Market, 14911 Ramsey Blvd NW	~1.21 mi
Heartland Tire & Auto, 7151 Riverdale Dr NW	~1.27 mi
Freedom Church, 6937 US-10	~1.60 mi
Super Bowl bowling & arcade, 6720 Riverdale Dr NW	~1.86 mi
St. Katharine Drexel Catholic Church, 7633 161st Ave NW	~2.08 mi
New Creations Child Care (The Lodge), 6139 157th Ln NW	~2.79 mi
Ramsey Elementary School, 15000 County Hwy 5	~2.88 mi
Ramsey Dental Center, 15243 Nowthen Blvd NW	~2.91 mi
Lord of Life Church & Preschool, 14501 Nowthen Blvd NW	~3.32 mi
Rum River Chiropractic & Rivers Bend Dental, St Francis Blvd NW	~3.59 mi
Lightbridge Academy (competitor), 14275 St Francis Blvd NW	~3.60 mi
Learning Explorers Childcare (competitor), 6015 167th Ave NW	~3.75 mi
Compass Child Care Coon Rapids (nearest sister center)	~7.3 mi

All 22 Easy Medium Hard Hardest Open all

Easy

Quick wins

6 ideas · 5–15 minutes each

Almost no planning. Half of these are about making a rating you already earned do more work.

01 Take a perfect 5.0 from 24 reviews to 50 The best rating in the company, sitting on the thinnest base. 10 minutes a week +

From the booklet

#411 “Reviews, Reviews, Reviews.” #42 — any family that does an online review gets to pick the month’s charity. #493 — how are you using parent reviews? Are they just boring testimonies that never change?

Here in Ramsey

A 5.0 is the strongest asset any Compass center has, and it is also the most fragile — at 24 reviews, two disappointed families would drop you to 4.6 overnight. Meanwhile Learning Explorers sits at 4.9 on 127 reviews, which is a far more durable number. Growing volume protects what you have built and makes you more visible in search at the same time.

What you actually do

Pick ten families you know are happy — the long-tenured ones, the ones whose child just moved rooms. Hand them the QR card at pickup and say: “We’re trying to get to 50 reviews this year — would you mind leaving one? Takes about ninety seconds.” Ten a month, different families each time. Ask the ones who already mention you by name in conversation; those are the ones who will write something specific.

Marketing will make

QR review cards sized for a diaper bag, a lobby table tent, a copy-and-paste text template, a progress thermometer for the entry, and a monthly charity-jar sign so reviewers pick where the money goes.

Why it could work

A 5.0 on 50 reviews is close to unbeatable in this market, and it is the single thing that makes a searching parent call you first.

02 Send Marketing photos so the rating has something behind it People who have never driven past you meet you here first. 20 minutes, once +

From the booklet

#418 “Make sure you claim all your online listings and consider name, address, phone number.” #396 — make sure your online listings are complete and consistent. #438 — do a Google 360-shoot for a full online tour of your facility.

Here in Ramsey

You sit on Riverdale Drive rather than on Highway 10, so accidental drive-by is limited. Families here find you online first and visit second — and a parent comparing you against a brand-new Lightbridge Academy with professional grand-opening photography will notice the difference in a listing within about four seconds.

What you actually do

One task, and it is the only part we cannot do from here. On a bright morning, tidy first, then take fifteen phone photos: the entrance, every classroom, the playground, the sign-in area, a bulletin board, the building from the parking lot. Send them to Marketing with a note about which age groups have openings. We handle the description, the upload and every listing after that.

Marketing will make

Photo cleanup and cropping, upload across Google, Bing, Yelp and Care.com, a written business description, and a quarterly reminder so it never goes stale.

Why it could work

The listing is the only thing you own that sells for you at 9pm on a Sunday, which is when parents actually search.

03 Put the 5.0 on everything you already hand out You earned the number. Now make it visible in the building. 15 minutes +

From the booklet

#493 “How are you using parent reviews on your website?” #524 — take video testimonies of your families and have them on a kiosk to display during a tour. #190 — does your window signage say what makes you different? #258 — consider a guarantee you can give and create a stamp for it.

Here in Ramsey

Right now the 5.0 lives on Google and almost nowhere else. It should be on the window, on the first page of the tour folder, in your email signature, and quoted on a lobby wall. A parent standing in your entryway reading three sentences another parent wrote is worth more than any brochure copy Marketing could invent.

What you actually do

Pick your four favorite review quotes — the educator who chose you, the family who switched centers, whichever ones name a teacher. Send them to Marketing. That is the whole task; we will build the rest.

Marketing will make

A window cling and A-frame leading with the rating, a “what families say” lobby panel, tour folder inserts with real quotes, an email signature badge, and social graphics that rotate the quotes monthly.

Why it could work

Free, already true, and third-party proof beats anything you or I could write about the center.

04 Coborn’s, ALDI and the Caribou that opens at 5:00 Three community boards, all within a quarter mile. 25 minutes0.13–0.23 mi +

From the booklet

#306 “Hang up flyers at local stores your target market would visit.” #362 — when you go grocery shopping, wear your company t-shirt. #294 — work with a local coffee shop and see if they will use your branded coffee sleeves.

Here in Ramsey

Three high-traffic stops sit in one loop from your parking lot: Coborn’s (7900 Sunwood Dr NW · ~0.15 mi, 1,270 reviews and recently renovated), ALDI (7992 Sunwood Dr NW · ~0.23 mi), and a Caribou (7988 Sunwood Dr NW · ~0.13 mi) that opens at 5:00 AM and holds 228 reviews. That Caribou drive-through line at 6:15 in the morning is made of the same parents who need a 6:30 open.

What you actually do

One loop, twenty-five minutes. At each, ask customer service: “Do you have a community board where I could post a flyer?” Wear a Compass shirt while you do it. Put a reminder in your phone to refresh in two months; boards in busy stores fill quickly.

Marketing will make

Board flyers with tear-off tabs sized to their posting rules, and co-branded coffee sleeves if Caribou’s regional office will take them — we will handle that ask.

Why it could work

One loop covers the grocery, the discount grocery and the morning coffee stop for most of your neighborhood.

05 Look at the building from the road Four photos from your car. That is the whole task. 10 minutes +

From the booklet

#177 “Look at the outside of your building — are you missing areas to put logos or signage in view of the drive-by?” #190 — does your window signage say what ages you serve? #609 — analyze your parking lot; does it give a poor impression?

Here in Ramsey

The COR is a planned development, which means clean, uniform buildings and signage rules — and it also means a first-time visitor can drive past a suite address without registering what it is. New Horizon Academy sits three-tenths of a mile away on the more visible Sunwood Drive frontage.

What you actually do

On your way in, drive your own approach as if you had never been here: from Highway 10, through The COR, into the lot. Take four photos — the turn-in, the building from the drive, the entrance, and your front door from the parking stalls. Text them to Marketing, and note anything you had to look twice at.

Marketing will make

Window clings and an entrance graphic leading with “Now Enrolling” and the 5.0, a compliant A-frame if The COR allows one, and wayfinding signage if the approach photo shows a problem.

Why it could work

Every tour and every delivery starts with someone finding the door, and you only get one first impression of the outside.

06 One voicemail, one rule In the most competitive market of the six, a slow callback is a lost family. 15 minutes once, then habit +

From the booklet

#224 “Include something special in the mundane — your outgoing voicemail, your email signature.” #326 — let the phone ring only once. #142 — respond to online inquiries within an hour during business hours. #241 — create habits so your team is consistent following up on leads.

Here in Ramsey

A parent shopping child care in Ramsey has five real options inside four miles. If they leave a message here on Tuesday and hear back Thursday, they have already toured two other centers. This is the cheapest competitive advantage available and it costs nothing but a habit.

What you actually do

Re-record the voicemail this week: your name, “we open at 6:30,” the age groups with openings, and “leave your name and I’ll call you back today.” Marketing will send you a branded email signature to paste in — that one is on us. Then hold one rule — every inquiry gets a same-day response, even if it is only “Got it, calling you this afternoon.”

Marketing will make

A voicemail script you can read word for word, a branded email signature with a tour link and the rating, and a one-page phone script with the three questions that turn a call into a booked tour.

Why it could work

Leads you already paid to generate are the cheapest enrollments there are, and here they are also the most contested.

Medium

Meet the neighbors

7 ideas · 20–45 minutes each

You sit inside The COR, which means grocery, coffee, apartments and a gymnastics gym are all a short walk or a two-minute drive.

07 Residence at the COR and the housing around you 228 reviews, four-tenths of a mile, and residents who commute. 20 minutes per property0.42 mi +

From the booklet

#363 “Partner with a local welcome wagon group and have your brochures sent to new families that move into the area.” #314 — get included in a new-family welcome basket. #345 — introduce yourself to nearby businesses with a goody bag.

Here in Ramsey

Residence at the COR at 7700 Sunwood Dr NW · ~0.42 mi is a large, well-reviewed apartment community — 4.7 on 228 reviews — with a staffed weekday leasing office and a saltwater pool. Reviewers describe it as close to perfect for commuting to the cities. Those are renters, which means turnover, which means a steady flow of households arriving in Ramsey who need to solve child care in their first month. The COR continues to add housing, so this is a relationship worth having permanently rather than once.

What you actually do

Walk into the leasing office on a weekday and ask for the manager: “Do you give new residents a welcome packet? I’d love to leave a few cards for families with young kids — we’re the child care center a few hundred yards up Riverdale.” Leave a stack either way. Set a reminder to restock every eight weeks, and write the manager’s name in your phone.

Marketing will make

A “Your Neighbors at Compass” card built for renters with the 5.0 on the front, a branded acrylic counter holder, an intro script, and a follow-up email template for the property manager.

Why it could work

Nobody in child care is closer to those residents, and proximity plus a perfect rating is a hard combination to argue with.

08 Jumpn Gymnastics and Jam Hops Two gyms full of preschoolers, one of them a nine-minute walk. 45 minutes0.44–1.18 mi +

From the booklet

#372 “Share flyers with a karate place to give to their families. Offer a special.” #361 — provide free snacks to gymnastics or dance groups during their tournaments. #405 — partner with a local business and share their content and ask them to do the same of yours.

Here in Ramsey

Jumpn Gymnastics at 8310 147th Ln NW · ~0.44 mi runs preschool gymnastics on Tuesday and Friday mornings, open gym, and birthday parties — and reviewers specifically praise the waiting-room activities for younger siblings and the big window for watching class. That is a lobby full of parents of two-to-five-year-olds, sitting still, twice a week. Jam Hops at 14200 Limonite St NW · ~1.18 mi is the larger operation with 4.8 on 56 and its own theater program.

What you actually do

Start with Jumpn because it is closer and owner-run, which means you will talk to a decision-maker on the first visit. Offer a straight trade and lead with what you are giving: “Would you like your flyer in our lobby? We have families through the door every day. I’d ask the same in return.” Then ask specifically about their Friday preschool session — a Compass table there once a season would be welcome.

Marketing will make

A lobby flyer that reads at a glance, a partner-swap one-pager, a co-branded social graphic, and a small giveaway if they let you table at a preschool session.

Why it could work

Their morning classes are the exact demographic of your preschool rooms, and the parents are captive for forty-five minutes.

09 Northgate Church and the congregations around Ramsey 4.7 on 84 reviews, under a mile, on the same street. 20 minutes per church0.94–3.3 mi +

From the booklet

#293 “Advertise in a church bulletin!” #189 — consider how you are partnering with churches; they are often hosting family events you can participate in. #87 — work with church youth groups.

Here in Ramsey

• Northgate Church — 7295 Sunwood Dr NW · ~0.94 mi. 4.7 on 84 reviews, contemporary and family-oriented, and reviewers describe an actively welcoming congregation. Closest and best fit.
• St. Katharine Drexel Catholic Church — 7633 161st Ave NW · ~2.08 mi. Well-reviewed parish with many volunteer programs.
• Lord of Life Church — 14501 Nowthen Blvd NW · ~3.32 mi. Note this one carefully: it runs Lord of Life Preschool, a part-day program with a perfect 5.0 on 26 reviews. That is a referral partner, not a rival — part-day preschool families frequently need full-day care and vice versa.
• Hope Fellowship Church — 17261 St Francis Blvd NW. Strong youth and family programming.

What you actually do

Pick two, starting with Northgate. Call the office midweek and ask: “Do you sell bulletin advertising, and do you ever let local family businesses leave information at children’s check-in?” Separately, call Lord of Life Preschool and propose a two-way referral: they send you families who need care outside their 8:00–1:30 window, you send them families who want part-day preschool.

Marketing will make

Bulletin ads sized to each spec, a children’s check-in counter card, a two-way referral agreement for Lord of Life, and a family-night sponsorship one-pager.

Why it could work

A bulletin reaches the same families weekly for a year, and a preschool referral partnership costs nothing and works in both directions.

10 The dental waiting rooms, which in Ramsey are enormous 260, 340 and 249 reviews at three practices — this town goes to the dentist. 30 minutes per office2.9–3.6 mi +

From the booklet

#292 “Have a roll of stickers printed and donate to a doctor or dentist office to give away to kids.” #346 — create a coloring book and give it to local doctors and dentists with crayons for their waiting rooms. #171 — partner with pediatricians at hospitals and clinics.

Here in Ramsey

• Ramsey Dental Center — 15243 Nowthen Blvd NW · ~2.91 mi. 4.9 on 340 reviews.
• Anoka Ramsey Dental — 5400 140th Ave NW · ~3.6 mi. A perfect 5.0 on 260, with a pediatric airway focus and reviews full of parents bringing four- and six-year-olds.
• Rivers Bend Family Dental — 14061 St Francis Blvd NW · ~3.59 mi. 4.9 on 249.
• Riverdale Kidds Pediatric Dentistry — 3585 124th Ave NW, Coon Rapids. 650 reviews; further out but the region’s dedicated pediatric practice.

What you actually do

These are a drive, so batch them — do two in one afternoon. Call ahead for the office manager, not the front desk during the rush: “We’re a child care center in Ramsey — would you have any use for free stickers or coloring pages for your waiting room? No cost, no strings.” Deliver in person so you meet a human being. Anoka Ramsey Dental is the highest-value stop given its pediatric focus.

Marketing will make

Sticker rolls, a Compass coloring sheet with a maze on the back, crayon packs, and a small counter display.

Why it could work

Three practices with 850 reviews between them means most young families in Ramsey pass through one of those waiting rooms every six months.

11 The chiropractors who see families before the baby arrives A 5.0 on 187 reviews, two-thirds of a mile away. 30 minutes0.66–3.6 mi +

From the booklet

#45 “Partner with local OB/GYN and mid-wives to cross-market each other.” #172 — partner with a lactation specialist. #594 — offer gift certificates that can be given as a gift to expectant mothers.

Here in Ramsey

Back Into Life Chiropractic at 7533 Sunwood Dr NW · ~0.66 mi holds a perfect 5.0 on 187 reviews and treats whole families — one reviewer brings a fourteen-year-old, another moved to the area and found them first. Rum River Chiropractic at 14245 St Francis Blvd NW · ~3.59 mi is the larger practice at 4.9 on 325. There is no OB practice in Ramsey itself, so these local family practices are the practical prenatal referral path here.

What you actually do

Back Into Life first — same street, same development. Frame the offer around their patients: “We put together a card explaining when families should start looking for infant care and what waitlists actually look like around here. Would that be useful for your expecting patients? It’s free and we’ll restock it.” A patient-service resource gets past a front desk; a brochure about your center does not.

Marketing will make

An “Expecting? Here’s when to start looking for infant care” card that reads as a genuine resource, a waitlist-reservation gift certificate designed to work as a baby shower gift, and a short intro letter for the office manager.

Why it could work

You reach the family six months before they start searching, and infant enrollments are the longest-tenure families you will ever sign.

12 Ramsey Elementary and the Anoka-Hennepin calendar Farther than at our other centers, so make the trip count. 30 minutes, twice a year2.88 mi +

From the booklet

#3 “Partner with your local school district. Get to know their needs — even if it is just to bring them survival treats.” #221 — market school days off and ask local schools to help you promote. #955 — give teachers in your local school district survival kits at the beginning of the school year.

Here in Ramsey

Ramsey Elementary at 15000 County Hwy 5 · ~2.88 mi is the nearest Anoka-Hennepin elementary. Unlike Isanti or Coon Rapids, there is no school within walking distance here, so this is a deliberate errand rather than something you pass. The payoff is the same though: their office fields before-and-after-care questions, and every Anoka-Hennepin non-school day is a school-age enrollment day for you.

What you actually do

One August visit. Drop a treat basket at the front office with a card that only says thank you — no pitch. Two weeks later, call and ask: “Do you keep a list of nearby child care options for families who ask? We’d love to be on it.” Then pull the Anoka-Hennepin calendar, mark every non-school day, and post your school-age openings two weeks ahead of each one.

Marketing will make

Staff treat-basket cards, a one-page “Compass Ramsey at a glance” sheet for the office, school-release-day flyers pre-dated to the actual Anoka-Hennepin calendar, and a social graphic for each no-school day.

Why it could work

School-release days fill spots without signing a single new family, and the flyers write themselves once the calendar is marked.

13 The COR restaurants, and a bowling alley with an arcade Non-chain owners who can say yes without asking a region manager. 30 minutes per business0.19–1.9 mi +

From the booklet

#384 “Do you have a restaurant near you that is not a chain? Partner together with them on everything!” #269 — supply local restaurants with coloring pages and crayons with your logo. #215 — cross-market with the fun places families already go.

Here in Ramsey

• King Baguette — 7912 Sunwood Dr NW · ~0.19 mi. Family-owned Vietnamese, 4.5 on 154, and reviews mention families bringing kids.
• SUR by Vita Bella — 7533 Sunwood Dr NW · ~0.66 mi. Owner Lisa is described by name in reviews as personally welcoming guests.
• Super Bowl — 6720 Riverdale Dr NW · ~1.86 mi. Bowling with a large arcade, 4.4 on 342, and reviewers repeatedly call out how family-friendly and well-kept it is. Birthday party central for Ramsey.

What you actually do

King Baguette is the easiest first ask because it is closest and family-run. Go mid-afternoon between rushes: “Would you use free coloring pages and crayons for your kid tables? No cost to you.” Restaurants almost always say yes because it keeps children occupied. At Super Bowl, ask instead about a flyer in the party-booking area — parents booking a five-year-old’s birthday are exactly your audience.

Marketing will make

Compass coloring pages with a maze on the back, crayon packs, a counter card, and a birthday-party insert for Super Bowl.

Why it could work

It puts your name at the table in the places Ramsey families already choose on a Friday night.

Hard

Go find new families

5 ideas · 1–4 hours each

Bigger swings. The first one has a September deadline and happens in your own backyard.

14 Happy Days Festival — your city’s biggest day, in your own neighborhood Early September, at The COR. Parade, business expo, fireworks. 2 hours to register, one day to work~0.5 mi +

From the booklet

#18 “Get involved in the local 4th of July parade — have families dress up and walk in the parade and hand out goodie bags.” #38 — enter a float in the parade and give away fun candy, toys and swag. #4 — participate in and attend local festivals and kids’ events. #308 — host a booth at park and recreation events with games that appeal to the kids you are targeting.

Here in Ramsey

The Happy Days Festival is the City of Ramsey’s annual hometown celebration, held in early September at The COR, north of Highway 10 near the Ramsey Municipal Center — a few hundred yards from your building. The day includes a parade at 11:00, a 5K and youth fun run, a business expo, a car show, a dog show, live music, food trucks, inflatables and an obstacle course, a bean bag tournament, and fireworks after dark. Most of it is free specifically because sponsors pay for it, which means the city is actively looking for businesses like you.

What you actually do

Call the City of Ramsey and ask one question: “What are the sponsorship levels and vendor options for Happy Days, and what is still open?” Three pieces are worth asking about by name — the business expo booth, a parade entry (staff and families walking with a banner and candy is the cheapest high-visibility option there is), and sponsoring the inflatables or the youth fun run, both of which put a child care center exactly where it belongs. Bring what they say back to Marketing; do not commit on the call.

Marketing will make

Parade banner and walking signs, branded giveaway candy and swag, a business expo booth kit with a kids activity, a lead-capture drawing entry form, all registration paperwork handled, and a social push before and after.

Why it could work

One Saturday puts you in front of a bigger share of Ramsey than everything else on this page combined — and it happens on your doorstep, which makes the logistics trivial.

15 The civic block: License Center, Municipal Center, and who runs Ramsey 297 reviews at a DMV six-tenths of a mile away. Everyone in the county goes there. 2 hours0.58 mi +

From the booklet

#20 “Join your local Chamber of Commerce.” #284 — does your community chamber publish a business directory or map you can be part of? #317 — host a ribbon cutting to rededicate your center. #663 — stay on top of new businesses coming into your community by asking who got new permits and approvals.

Here in Ramsey

The Anoka County License Center at 7550 Sunwood Dr NW · ~0.58 mi draws residents from across the county and its reviews describe real wait times — a lobby of seated adults is not nothing. More importantly, the Ramsey Municipal Center is in the same cluster, which is where Happy Days is organized, where new business permits are approved, and where the people who decide things in this city work.

What you actually do

Two moves. Ask the License Center whether they permit a community flyer or brochure holder — worth one visit to find out. Then, more valuably, ask the city’s economic development or communications staff whether Ramsey publishes a business newsletter or new-business list you can subscribe to, and whether they do ribbon cuttings for established businesses marking a milestone. Both answers cost one phone call.

Marketing will make

A brochure holder and flyer if the License Center allows it, a ribbon-cutting kit with invitations and a photographer, city directory listing copy, and a monthly scan of any new-business feed the city offers.

Why it could work

Being known by the people who organize the city is how a center goes from “a daycare in The COR” to “the one everybody recommends.”

16 The employers, and what changed when the train stopped The COR was built around a commuter rail station that closed in January. 10 min to map, 1–2 hours per employer +

From the booklet

#993 “Find out where families work and ask if you can post flyers at their companies for enrollment and recruiting purposes.” #282 — find out the professions your families work in. #180 — define how you can be flexible in the child care schedules you offer.

Here in Ramsey

The Northstar commuter rail station at The COR closed on January 4, 2026. Ramsey residents who used to take the train into Minneapolis are now driving, which lengthens their morning and makes drop-off timing tighter than it was a year ago. Worth knowing, and worth asking about on tours. Local employers to reach: Coborn’s and ALDI in your own development, the Anoka County offices at the License Center, Heartland Tire and the Riverdale Drive business park, and the retail and service employers along Highway 10.

What you actually do

Do the ten-minute version first because it is the part that works. Pull your roster and write down where each parent works — booklet #282. Wherever two or more families share an employer, you have a warm introduction: ask one of those parents whether their HR or office manager would allow a break-room flyer. That converts far better than a cold call and requires no invention from you. Separately, add one question to tours: “What does your commute look like?” The answers will tell you whether a later close would win you families.

Marketing will make

Break-room flyers, an employer one-pager on child care access as a retention benefit, an HR intro email template, and a summary for leadership if the commute answers point toward extending hours.

Why it could work

A longer drive makes child care logistics harder, and the center that understands a parent’s commute is the one they trust.

17 Realtors and the families still moving into The COR A planned town center is a permanent supply of new arrivals. 1 hour to set up, 15 min a quarter +

From the booklet

#387 “Partner with local real estate agent(s) to give your brochures to families touring homes in the area.” #186 — partner with mortgage lenders; give them enrollment care packages for new family home buyers. #363 — partner with a welcome wagon group.

Here in Ramsey

The COR continues to add housing, and Ramsey overall grows on families moving out from the metro for more space. A household closing on a home here has a hard 30-to-60-day window in which they must solve child care, in a city where they know almost nobody. That is the single most reachable moment in a family’s year, and almost nobody in child care works it.

What you actually do

Do not try to “build realtor relationships.” Pick two agents who list in Ramsey and Anoka and whose reviews mention first-time buyers, and send one email each: “I run Compass Child Care in The COR. When you close with a family that has young kids, would a small ‘New to Ramsey’ packet from us be useful in your closing gift? We supply them free.” Deliver a box of 25 to whoever says yes and check back at 90 days.

Marketing will make

A “New to Ramsey — Family Resources” card that is genuinely useful (Happy Days, the parks, Super Bowl, Jumpn, Anoka-Hennepin schools, and Compass), a closing-gift insert, and the agent email ready to send.

Why it could work

It reaches families at the exact moment they are making a list of everything they need to sort out, before they have asked a single neighbor for a recommendation.

18 Work Coon Rapids as a partner, not a separate branch Seven miles east, same company, 53 reviews and a different waitlist. 2 hours to set up7.3 mi +

From the booklet

#155 “Ever think of becoming advocates with your competitors? Share wait lists and refer each other when you are full.” #847 — do group trainings with nearby centers to cut costs. #212 — find a group of child care professionals willing to be in a mastermind type group with you.

Here in Ramsey

Compass Coon Rapids sits about 7.3 miles east and is the nearest sister center. It carries 53 reviews to your 24 and sits in a much denser neighborhood; you carry a perfect rating and a director families name by name. Those are complementary strengths, and right now nothing systematic connects them.

What you actually do

Three things, agreed in one call. One: a standing overflow arrangement — when either center is full in an age group, the other gets the referral with a warm handoff rather than a phone number. Two: share hiring leads, since your candidate pools overlap along Highway 10. Three: compare notes on tours — you are converting at a rate that produced a 5.0, and that is worth writing down and sharing with the other five centers.

Marketing will make

A shared referral form so handoffs do not get lost, a joint card listing both centers, and coordination with company leadership so the ask comes from Compass rather than from you personally.

Why it could work

Overflow referrals are free enrollments that arrive pre-warmed, and whatever this center is doing on tours deserves to be documented for everyone else.

Hardest

Fill the classrooms

4 ideas · for when enrollment is the priority

More direct. This is the most crowded child care market of the six centers, so these matter more here than anywhere.

19 A referral program built on the rating you already have Your families already recommend you. Nobody has made it easy. 2 hours to launch, then ongoing asks +

From the booklet

#307 “Referral program to enroll new families.” #604 — host a snack party and have families invite a friend; offer the referred family a special and the referring family a tuition credit. #603 — send out mass texts offering pop-up referral specials. #515 — hold a contest for the most family referrals for the year.

Here in Ramsey

Your reviews are not lukewarm — one family switched centers to get here, another says they cannot say enough good things. That is referral energy sitting unused. And rewards do not have to be tuition credits: Caribou is a quarter mile away, Coborn’s gift cards spend at the store everyone uses, and Super Bowl birthday party credits would be genuinely exciting to a five-year-old’s parent.

What you actually do

Launch one clear offer — referring family gets X, referred family gets Y — and then do the part most centers skip: ask out loud. At pickup, to a specific parent: “Do you know anyone looking for care right now?” Referral programs almost never fail on the incentive; they fail because nobody says the sentence. Run a “bring a friend” snack afternoon once in the fall and once in the spring.

Marketing will make

Referral cards families can hand out with the 5.0 on them, the rules and reward structure written for you, a mass-text template for pop-up referral weekends, event invitations and signage, and we will arrange the local gift cards.

Why it could work

In a five-competitor market, a personal recommendation from a trusted friend is the only thing that ends the comparison shopping.

20 Build a tour and follow-up system, and then write it down for everyone Whatever you are doing on tours is producing a 5.0. Capture it. 3 hours to build, 15 min per tour +

From the booklet

#571 “Learn how to ask for the enrollment.” #241 — create habits so your team is consistent following up on leads. #322 — don’t forget the importance of following up with prospective families. #288 and #289 — tour packets and branded folders. #234 — have your directors design their own pitch as to why a family should enroll, and present it in a leadership meeting.

Here in Ramsey

This one runs in both directions at this center. A family here has four other centers to visit the same afternoon, so a tour that ends with “let us know” loses more often than it should. But you are also the center other Compass directors should be learning from — booklet #234 suggests directors present their enrollment pitch to each other, and yours is demonstrably working.

What you actually do

Three changes. Ask before they leave the building — not “let us know,” but “Based on what you’ve told me, I’d put her in ___’s room starting the 15th. Should I hold that spot?” Follow up within 24 hours, every time, referencing one specific thing from the tour. Keep a “didn’t enroll” list and call again at 30 and 90 days. Then do the fourth thing: write down what you actually say on a tour and send it to Marketing, so the other five centers can use it.

Marketing will make

Branded tour folders with your review quotes on page one, a tour script with the closing question written word for word, 24-hour follow-up templates, a 30/90-day re-engagement sequence, and we will turn your tour approach into a shared playbook.

Why it could work

It costs nothing, it multiplies every other idea here, and this center is the natural place for the company’s tour standard to come from.

21 Five competitors inside four miles — map all of them Including a national chain that opened recently with a 5.0. 3–4 hours a year +

From the booklet

#323 “Have you toured your competition lately? We recommend doing this at least once a year.” #155 — share wait lists and refer each other when you are full. #145 — determine your unique selling proposition. #175 — evaluate your tuition prices every year; are you competitive?

Here in Ramsey

This is the tightest competitive set of the six Compass centers:

• Kids Grow Ramsey — 8019 146th Ave NW · ~0.18 mi. Nearest of all, open 6:00–6:00, and very few reviews, which suggests it is new.
• New Horizon Academy — 7800 Sunwood Dr NW · ~0.32 mi. 4.5 on 42, open 6:30–6:00, and reviews name the director and specific teachers warmly.
• Lil’ Explorers Childcare — 14725 Ramsey Blvd NW · ~1.13 mi. 4.6 on 9, open 6:30–6:00.
• Lightbridge Academy — 14275 St Francis Blvd NW · ~3.60 mi. A national chain, recently opened with a grand-opening event, a perfect 5.0 on 11, open 6:30–6:30, and marketing video check-ins as a feature.
• Learning Explorers Childcare — 6015 167th Ave NW · ~3.75 mi. 4.9 on 127 — the most reviewed center in this market.

Two patterns worth taking to leadership. Every one of these closes at 6:00 or later, against your 5:30 — the one place the whole field beats you. And Lightbridge is a well-funded chain investing in exactly the online presence described in Ideas 01 through 03, which is why those three are marked Easy rather than optional.

What you actually do

Once a year, have a friend call New Horizon and Lightbridge as a parent and write down rates, hours, and waitlist by age. Then add one question to every tour — “What other places are you looking at?” — and log the answers. Within three months you will know your real competitive set better than any research could tell you. Then call the directors at Lil’ Explorers and Learning Explorers and propose an overflow referral relationship; they are far enough away to be partners rather than threats.

Marketing will make

A comparison worksheet with all five pre-filled, a one-sentence written USP for Compass Ramsey you can deliver on a tour, a tour-question card for the log, and a director-to-director intro email.

Why it could work

You are competing on quality and winning on rating — but only against centers you have actually identified.

22 Staffing is capacity, and your reputation is a recruiting tool A 5.0 and a named director are worth more to a job seeker than to a parent. 2 hours to set up, then per semester +

From the booklet

#733 “Partner with nearby Colleges and Universities with Education programs.” #736 — host practicum students at your center and hire on after graduation. #927 — when you work on SEO, don’t forget recruitment words: best place to work, teaching jobs in your city. #962 — pay attention to employees at other businesses; hire based on personality and customer service.

Here in Ramsey

Every other idea here generates interest, and none of it converts without staff. But this center has an advantage the others do not: a public 5.0 rating and reviews from an early childhood educator who chose you for her own child. That is exactly what a teacher evaluating employers looks for. Pipelines in reach: Anoka-Ramsey Community College and Anoka Technical College both run early childhood coursework and place practicum students, and Anoka-Hennepin high schools run child development classes needing placement sites.

What you actually do

Two calls, ten minutes each. Ask the early childhood coordinators at Anoka-Ramsey and Anoka Tech: “How do we get on your practicum placement list?” Then tell Marketing to put your review quotes on the careers page and in every job posting — a candidate reading “I’m an early childhood educator and I chose this center for my own daughter” is a candidate who applies. A practicum student who has spent a semester here is the easiest hire you will ever make.

Marketing will make

A careers one-pager built around your actual reviews, a “Why Compass Ramsey” recruiting flyer, campus tabling materials, job-post copy quoting families, and a practicum-host information sheet for the coordinator.

Why it could work

Every classroom you can staff is a classroom you can sell, and you have proof of a good workplace that the other centers cannot yet show.

No ideas in that group.

Local research conducted August 2026 via business listings, the City of Ramsey and the Happy Days Festival, Metro Transit, and Anoka-Hennepin Schools. Verify event dates and sponsorship deadlines before committing — city calendars shift. Booklet numbers refer to 1,001 Child Care Recruitment & Enrollment Strategies, Child Care Biz Help, 2019.