Parents are a big part of any school’s success. Families will always have questions, so you can stay ahead with a comprehensive parent outreach strategy. Proactive communication can answer questions before they occur, which increases trust and effectiveness.
When parents have a better idea of their student’s learning, successes and feedback, they can help their child and you. Student work and parental trust can both improve with regular messages sent home. At Schola, we know how important communication can be, so we can help you find ways to enhance your parent outreach services.
Try Parent-Approved Outreach Ideas
Parent outreach can take many forms depending on the systems you already have in place. Most communication will happen through a website or phone app since that is usually the best way to stay in touch.
Some parent outreach ideas that you can use this school year include:
Personalized reminders: Parents will appreciate a way for teachers to remind them about anything from picture day to a project deadline. Even for diligent note-takers, apps or websites that send reminders right to a parent’s phone can help everyone succeed.
Online grade books: Teachers receive questions all the time about a student’s grades, so why not keep the information in a live database? Parental and student access to an online grade book can decrease the number of emails a teacher receives and provide space for notes or feedback.
Digital portfolios: Online workspaces can store progress or completed work for teachers and parents to view. This creates a living portfolio of the child’s work, which can be helpful especially for young students doing visual learning.
Class blogs: Students and parents will appreciate a website for posting deadlines, permission slips or lesson information. The blog can be a great space for everyone to share classroom successes or pictures. This can also be perfect for school clubs to share updates, meeting times or field trip details.
Social media: Havinga designated school account on popular social media websites can be an excellent sharing space. These are easy ways to display pictures, promote school-wide events or ask for parents’ feedback. It can also be a great tool to recruit new students by showing your school’s personality.
Text or email newsletters: A newsletter is standard for many schools because it shares highlights with families. Teachers can create similar email or text blasts for increased engagement with the classroom. These can even use the same technology as your enrollment campaign automated messaging.
Each of these parent outreach strategies can be useful on its own or alongside each other. It’s important to keep communication consistent so parents are informed of activities and events. Establishing communication goals can be a great way to keep outreach short, simple and effective.
Nurture Your Parent Relationships With Schola
Choosing the right school for your child can feel like a balancing act. Schola is here to lend a hand. With the help of our ScholaMatch™ Quiz, you can get a list of the best private schools for your child in under five minutes. If you have questions about your child’s private school options, get in touch with one of our enrollment advisors today!