several popular courses that hundreds of schools have found useful. Here are
a few simple suggestions summarized from our 12-week online class, Finding
the Perfect Match: How to Recruit and Retain Your Ideal Enrollment
In today’s economy, many schools still need to recruit as many new students
for next fall as possible. Here are some strategies that we’ve used to both
respond to both temporary shortfalls and to build enrollment up to capacity
in the long-run. The key is to do several things at once to create resonance
(where the audience hears about your school from many different sources) and
to continue your efforts on some level year-round.
In other industries, it is common for companies to share the cost of
marketing in return for equal billing.
a. A School Brochure or a Brochure About Montessori: Many Montessori schools
do not have a real brochure. The Montessori Foundation is working on a
series of generic brochures and pamphlets that could be used by schools
individually or jointly.
b. Direct Mail: Many Montessori schools do not currently use direct mail
marketing. We have designed many pieces for ourselves and other schools over
the years, and had excellent response rates. We believe that direct mail,
used in conjunction with other marketing strategies, can be very effective
in recruiting both last minute families who are still open, or families who
have left or are enrolled in other schools and decide that the new school is
not working so well when school reopens in the fall.
c. Targeted advertising: Many Montessori schools only run bland print ads a
few times a year. The ones we usually see say little about the benefits and
outcomes of a Montessori education. Highly focused messages with appealing
photography can be very effective when placed in the right publications such
as a local family magazine or city magazine. Newspapers, on the other hand,
are often not a good investment because of their low shelf-life. In many
cases, a one day ad may not be effective enough to warrant the cost.
d. Cable TV: Cable TV ads can be mounted quickly and have been almost
always proven to be effective. A focused campaign of 10 weeks or so may be
enough if timed correctly.
e. Radio: In some areas, radio stations broadcast to such a wide audience
over a large region that the cost to reach families in your area may not as
cost effective as Cable TV. A year round sponsorship of National Public
Radio’s Morning Edition or All Things Considered may be worth considering
too.
f. Public talks and free workshops: One of the strategies that worked very
well for us over the years was a series of free talks and workshops open to
the general public. Radio stations and newspapers normally list upcoming
events like these as a public service.
g. Call prospective applicants who have not yet applied:
h. Contact past parents who were satisfied but transferred their children to
public or other private schools. See how they are doing, and gather
information about how well the children are adjusting. Done correctly, you
communicate your continuing interest and concern in their children.
i. Call local real estate agencies and personally stop in to leave
information about your school for their agents. Do the same with the local
pediatricians.
j. Make a special offer people can't refuse: Virtually any season or event
can serve as an opportunity to offer a special promotion. You can offer a
discount or a free trial week in the summer program.
k. Offer a pricing incentive through financial aid: Some money beats no
money. Offer a special scholarship award that's so tempting that the former
or prospective family simply can't say no.
l. School Flyers: Put up one-page flyers about the school on bulletin board
around town in grocery stores and libraries. Make sure they are placed in
spots that prospective families tend to frequent: pediatricians'
offices/family medical practices and clinics, health food stores and organic
grocers, gardening supply shops, and better toy stores.
Recruitment and Admissions - Long Term
3. The need to build enrollment over the long run
In addition to using the marketing strategies listed above year-round, we
suggest the follow steps:
a. Invite the local radio station that parents are most likely to tune in to
broadcast live from the school one morning -- especially good when something
special is going on at the school.
b. Church and Temple Bulletins: Ask local congregations to put a blurb
about the school in their newsletter, weekly e-updates, or bulletins. Don't
forget synagogues, mosques, Friends Meetings, and Unitarian churches.
c. Local Service Groups: Contact any "mothers" groups to see if they will
run a blurb in their newsletters or join and post something on their Yahoo
group ourselves.
d. Local OnLine Discussion Groups: Look for general Yahoo groups and other
electronic bulletin boards for our area and post messages about the school.
Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/
Group."
e. Call the education reporter at the local newspapers and television
stations and ask to meet with them. Go to these meetings prepared with
interesting, appealing "press kits" describing New Gate and the exciting
things children are doing at the school. Invite the press to visit the
school for photos/footage.
p. Start a blog on the Montessori experience at your school from a parent's
perspective.
q. Website: Improve the content on the website for the school and keep it up
to date. Link to school videos and other useful files for prospective
families. Post your weekly newsletter, brochures, annual reports, and other
resources on the website where they can be easily found. Add a password
protected area for school families and staff.
r. Tomorrow's Child: Put a label w/the school contact info and website on
past copies of TOMORROW'S CHILD. Then leave them in the waiting rooms of
local pediatrician/family medicine practices and clinics. Encourage all
school parents to do this.
s. Create or rejuvenate your Parent Ambassador Program for assisting with
the admissions program and mentoring new families into the school community.
4. The need to build the strongest school community possible:
In great schools, new administrators and members of the faculty are chosen
according to the fit between their values and the schools, as well as their
other skills. The most qualified person who is neither an expert in
Montessori education, nor truly committed to Montessori in his or her heart,
will fail to succeed for long as the leader or an instructor at a Montessori
school. To us, this should be self-evident.
a. Full Staff retreat before school - Everyone who works at your school
should be considered part of the faculty from the classroom teachers to the
bus driver to the head of school. Each touches children and families in some
way as they go about their daily tasks. Many of the staff who are not
directly teaching children during the regular school day have talents and
skills which can be shared either in an afternoon studio program or as part
of children’s individual research and classroom projects. For example: the
maintenance person may be able to give older students practical life lessons
about the campus, or the receptionist may be a talented basket weaver who
can lead a studio after school on basket weaving.
b. Weekly faculty meetings - Open discussions about philosophy, curriculum
and celebrations, run according to the basis of Montessori Meetings, where
faculty can get back to being excited about all that a Montessori school can
offer and be.
c. Coffee Chats - Meetings with small groups of parents to answer questions,
to discuss Montessori and to exchange ideas for the school now and in the
future.
d. Class and Community Meetings - Evening and Saturday meetings for staff
and parents to meet about common questions and ideas about school life as
well as curriculum.
e. One-on-One or small group meetings with parents - informal small group
lunches with parents.
Tim Seldin
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