The date you pick for a Parent Ed Seminar will impact the success of that seminar. The following will help you pick a more successful date.
1. Determine your seminar audience. Keep this in mind as you go down the list.
· Is your seminar for all parents in the school district?
· Are you targeting a specific audience within the school district?
For ex: 5th grade parents, HS Parents, Elementary Parents, special needs topics…
· Is your seminar only for the parents at your school or certain schools?
For ex: part of a special school event or meeting, addressing a specific school issue
· Are you targeting a specific audience within your school(s)?
For ex: Parents of grade…, fathers, younger grades or older grades…
· Does your target audience have any unique issues, conflicts or timing that impact plans?
· When you work with the following keep in mind
2. Determine the length of time required for your seminar. Be sure Q&A time is included.
Most seminars will be 2 hours. If your seminar is 1 to 1.5 hours check to see if it can be held before or after a PTSA General Membership meeting. This will help increase the attendance at that meeting.
3. Does the seminar topic impact or connect with other events? Cluster timing.
For ex: Drugs and Substance near Prom, Teacher conference topics before conference dates, Homework issues earlier in the year, etc.
4. Best Months for larger turnouts are January, February, October and November
Sept and Dec are not great months for seminars. Sept. is too busy and too short to get the word out. December has too much going on although a really hot topic will still draw a crowd.
5. Avoid any PTSA, School and or District wide programs that impact your audience.
You check this information by going to the School District website and check under Facilities/scheduling. Check each school if you must to ensure no conflicts. Ask the District Schedulers to help you.
6. Check with the office of the host school to ensure there are no conflicts that they know of.
Sometimes something is in the works but not on the schedule yet.
7. Avoid scheduling any event the same time as events such as the following:
PTSA Golden Acorn, PTSA Reflections, Curriculum nights, school concerts, games
8. Avoid holding any Parent Ed seminars after March
Spring sports get in the way of parents attending. Exception are seminars for incoming Kindergarten parents.
9. Depending on your target audience any day or evening time is possible.
Check with your school history to see what has or not worked. Do most parents work? Are your families predominately dual working and or single parent? Stay at home moms?
10. Different areas have days of the week that work better.
When are the tradition times for sports, family time, religious events…? For example many faiths have a mid week activity on Wed evenings. Typically M, Tue, or TH is the safest days.
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Last Updated October 1, 2006.