Testimonial

"When I transferred to St. Charles School for my eighth grade year, it was in the hopes that I would get more out of my school experience. This has happened and more. Right away, from my first day at St. Charles...."

Daniel Grigg

St. Charles Elementary School

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Open House Checklist 

An essential component of every school’s marketing plan is the Open House.  Basic goals of Open Houses are

      1. To identify prospective families
      2. To showcase school personnel and signature programs and facilities
      3. To inspire further communication with individual families in order to form a relationship.

Here is a basic set of components to be included in a successful open house.

1. Advertise and invite-repeatedly and systematically.  Electronic invitations are becoming an increasingly popular method of communication.

2. Involve current families and students in planning.

3. Have you thoroughly briefed your parents and other volunteer tour guides?  Invite the most articulate and personable students to represent your school.

4. Do you have a sign-in sheet in order to secure contact information?.  On the write-in sheet ask how visitors learned about the open house; newspaper, school or parish bulletin, postcard, friend, or relative, poster in grocery store, church announcement and so on.  For ease, have several options to circle and a write-in space for “other.”

5. Do you have nametags with preferred names?

6. Strive to give one-on-one tours, not by group.

7. Do you have a Parent Room where prospective parents can talk to other parents about issues of transportation, socialization and parent involvement.

8. Don’t let families leave alone; walk them to the door.

9. Mail a personalized letter signed by the principal to each family the very next morning.  The family’s tour guide should also send a personalized note to the prospective student.

10.  Enter contact information immediately into the database and send a weekly communication to the family; newsletter, play tickets, basketball invitation, principal’s letter. Not all of the communications should be passive.  Occasionally one of these weekly contacts should by phone.  Perhaps a current parent could call and ask whether the prospective parent has any additional questions.

11.  Remember that your Open House is the beginning of a relationship, not an isolated event.

Click here to access a printable electronic copy of the Open House Checklist.