Admission Season Is Just Around The Corner: Tips For Sharing LCS
As we gear up for our 2013-14 Welcome Wednesday Open House events, I know there are many of you who are excited about families you have met in the past year who might be interested in LCS for their children. You want to invite them to an open house, but you don’t want to seem pushy. You enjoy sharing your LCS stories with them, but you don’t want them to feel pressured by your enthusiasm. You know that Christian schooling is a big financial investment and you don’t want them to feel bad if their finances are tight and they may not be able to afford tuition.
How do we navigate these potential roadblocks in light of our desire to share LCS with our friends and encourage mission appropriate families to come check us out? Here are a few suggestions of how to “break the ice,” so to speak, and open the door to conversations about our school:
1. Ask questions
Every family with school age children is having some sort of school experience whether it is good or bad, public or private, homeschool or charter school. Ask them what their children are enjoying about school. What is challenging? How is the school serving their entire family? What is their favorite thing about the school?
2. Listen
As they share about their current school situation, listen for cues as to what is important to them in their child’s educational experience.
3. Share
Share your stories. In light of what they find important about school, share how LCS has been important to your family. Talk about personal experiences your children have had with their teachers and how the LCS community has been valuable to you as a parent.
4. Invite
Many people never visit another school campus simply because they have never been invited. A personal invitation goes a long way in encouraging parents to at least consider other school options and especially one that is recommended by someone who has personal experiences to share about the positive influence the school has been on their family.
5. Join
If you have guests that are hesitant to visit our campus, offer to come along with them. You are the best tour guides we can offer!
Our first Welcome Wednesday Open House is October 23, 8:30 – 10:30 am. Be thinking of a family that you can invite to come visit our campus and see our teachers and students in action. If you need extra card invitations, we have plenty in the Main Office.
jrice@lcsonline.org