Host a New Kind of Open House: Christian School Cafe
Create a Press Kit
Start a Parent Ambassador Program

Host a New Kind of Open House: Christian School Cafe

Instead of holding the same type of open house every year, consider adding this one to your annual information night. Host information evenings in more informal and intimate settings that are more familiar and comfortable to new people. While it is true that new families eventually want to view the school and meet the staff, their initial inquiries may be more successful when they are hosted by a friend in their home or in their local church. Here’s you can organize it:

These events are done in cooperation with a school’s Promotion Committee, the administrative staff and certain families from your school. They can be done as an introduction to ‘life at a Christian school’ and are not meant to replace all other open houses/information evenings regularly held. These events would precede registration events and will increase the likelihood of inquiring people actually making application:

1. Choose some parents from your school who could “host” in their homes or local churches. You are looking for parents who are enthusiastic, hospitable and informed about the school.
2. Have your “host” families pick a date to hold their ‘café evening’ in their home or church (try to cover a variety of local churches in this iniative).
3. Have each “host” family invite 1-5 families that they know from their local church or somewhere else that might be interested to hear about your school.
4. Have a member of your school PR Committee liaison with each “host” family to make sure that refreshments and hospitality all happen at the event whether it be in a home or in a local church (this includes dessert, beverages, cutlery/paper products, and all school promotional material needed)
5. The PR liaison will also ensure that one teacher, one member of the administrative staff, and/or one Board member will be available to give a brief testimonial about their experience with the school.
6. The actual ‘café evening’ should be scheduled as follows:
- set up of room (people around tables in small groups or seated comfortably in a living room) Be sure to include music (perhaps a recording of a school musical event) and scented candles
- PR liaison registers people as they come in (see template for an easy registration form) and offer a give-a-way to make it less threatening (a good give-a-way is free kid’s fingerprinting kits available from your local police department)
- offer refreshments (fancy desserts & gourmet coffee are always a big hit ?)
- welcome by school official
- testimonials by teacher, parent (host), student (if possible) and Board member
- Q&A and information packets distributed
7. The PR liaison will help with set-up and clean-up so that the “host” family can mingle with their invited guests.
8. When a PR liaison helps with a ‘café evening’, give them the night of the next scheduled PR meeting OFF ?. Also, if points are distributed at your school for participation, consider giving “hosts” big points for these events!
9. The PR liaison makes sure that all guests of each ‘café evening’ are added to the school database for future mailings and information from the school (remember it takes an average of 2 years for parents to choose a school for their children).
10. Be sure that someone from the office or the PR Committee is assigned to follow-up with ‘café’ guests within a week of the event.

Create a Press Kit

Anytime a school alerts the media to a school event in the local community, a Press Kit should be handed to the media with the notice of event. Besides giving the notice, the school has the opportunity to give the media background information on the school, which can be kept on file and used for other situations. When the media has stories to do on other educational issues, your Press Kit will be in their files and alert them to your on-going presence in the community.

What is in a Press Kit?

A Press Kit can be a regular double-pocket folder in your school colours (probably the same thing you would use for your application & information packets) with a school sticker on the front. On the inside should be the following:

1. a school business card (with people and numbers to contact)
2. a school “Backgrounder” (see our template section for how to make one!)
3. some school statistics on staff, students, enrollment, costs etc.
4. an annual calendar of events (like the one handed out to parents the first week of school)
5. a copy of your latest press release or a copy of your event notice

The Ontario Alliance of Christian Schools is developing a Media Workbook with more information about how to use Press Kits and how to design them depending on what your school event is and to which type of media you are distributing your materials, but a basic Press Kit contains these 5 pieces and is very effective.

Start a Parent Ambassador Program at Your School

Parents, especially new parents, can really enhance the regular promotion activities undertaken at your school. To be sure that everybody is “singing the same song” about Christian education, it is a good idea to teach parents how to speak effectively to their friends, neighbours, co-workers about the reasons for their educational choice.

Choose 4 or 5 main messages about choosing a Christian School (OACS has a helpful sample list on page 17 of Christian School Development, Book 1: FOUNDATIONS) that are distinct messages for your school.

Choose 4 or 5 main frequently asked questions and answers prospective parents ask when choosing a Christian School .

Put these messages on a business card or another size card (one side with Statements, the other with Q&A’s). Reproduce enough cards for each member to have one.

Advertise the upcoming “Ambassador Program” for your next membership Meeting or large parent/supporter gathering.

Just as ambassadors to other countries take oaths or pledges, have your school ambassadors take a pledge to invest in their local school by passing on the positive messages of Christian education to their friends, neighbours and co-workers, remembering that everyone either needs Christian school or knows someone who does.

Sample Oath:

“As parents at ________________ Christian School we have a treasure to be shared throughout this region. It is a biblical principle that we share our blessings and treasures, including our school. We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power and the wonders He has done (Psalm 78:4). We pledge to share the treasure of Christian education as servants of God and stakeholders at _________________ Christian School .”

Pass out the cards as a reminder of the pledge and as an aid to help parents keep their promise to help sell their local Christian School .

Repeat annually, since you have new families joining you annually.

Other optional ideas:

Record on your school inquiry sheet where inquiring people heard about your school. Keep track of how many inquiries come by way of current parents and report to the membership regularly to keep them inspired.

Offer a small reduction in tuition to families who refer new parents to your school who end up inquiring and making an application to the school.