Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/turning-bad-press-into-prestige/5010169/
You thought it could never happen to you. At least you hoped it wouldn't. One of the children in your center has a confirmed case of food poisoning. The child's parents are upset and spreading the word. Your staff is nervous. A local newspaper reporter grilled you and then printed a story that makes you look like the bad guy. How do you address the immediate problem, overcome the bad publicity, and restore your good image for the long term?The nature of the child care business makes it ripe for a crisis situation to occur. Chicken pox can race through a center like a stampede of wildebeests. A toddler can escape through an open door or gate in an instant. A baby can die of SIDS in the very best of infant programs. A teacher can be dismissed for reasons you cannot disclose despite angry parents or other staff. And the media can pick up a "hot tip" about your center and print or broadcast a message that can be very damaging to your image and your enrollment.
Good crisis management isn't merely what you do when something bad happens at ...