By Holly Dayton, ’13, Contributor
CCDS jump-started a new enrollment initiative last Wednesday at the Enrollment and Engagement Parents’ Association meeting, which was open to the whole community. Parents, alumni, and teachers gathered to discuss the importance of healthy enrollment and how to keep enrollment numbers up during this economic downturn, and Head of School Robert Macrae announced a new merit scholarship program to help attract students.
“Enrollment is declining at all private schools in the area. The baby boomer age is ending, so the [number] of children everywhere is decreasing and thereby decreasing the number of potential students,” Service Learning Coordinator Bonnie Nesbitt said.
The meeting, which was attended by over 170 teachers and parents, focused on strengthening the CCDS community. Most people who visit the school come because of its academic reputation and word of mouth. “We want to engage the strength of our community to help spread the word of the important work that takes place on our campus each and every day,” said Dr. Macrae.
Jon Hall, president of the Parents’ Association, added that “what makes our school special is our academic excellence, committed faculty, and the class of students themselves. It’s the goal of the Parents’ Association to support this amazing school by encouraging enrollment.”
Beyond the larger group of the Parents’ Association, there were also breakout groups at the meeting on the topics of affordability, alumni, business and networking, demographic analysis, external communications, and relatability.
The affordability panel focused on getting the word out about scholarship programs and financial aid while providing a seamless integration of students receiving financial aid into the community. A new program, soon to be launched, is a merit scholarship award to attract talented students who show promise and who have the ability to succeed.
The business and networking panel had a lively discussion of strategies to increase enrollment. One idea was to hold an open house for realtors and real estate agents to inform them about the benefits of a CCDS education.
The demographic analysis group looked at where current students come from geographically and what objections and assets might arise from a particular area. The meeting specifically debated ways families and students could engage community outreach and public relations.
The external communications section examined possibilities for marketing strategies that are being executed by the Admission Office. Members broached ideas about marketing strategies, ways to capitalize on the over 12,000 visitors to CCDS each year, and means of focusing on CCDS’s top benefits.
The group that focused on relatablility exchanged opinions on methods to make the admission process more personal. The importance of making families feel wanted and peer-to-peer outreach was considered.
The enrollment initiative has been highly praised by parents and students alike. Cindy Barton, a CCDS alumna and mother of Michael Barton, ’13, and Katie Barton, ’14, called it “a great idea to get the CCDS community involved at the parental level, as the parents are our best advocates for the excellent teachers and teaching experience at Country Day.”
Caroline Gentile, Class of 2013, said, “I think that the enrollment initiative is a great way to expand the school, but we must be sure to keep up our cultural diversity and maintain our high standards of admittance.”
Though ambitious goals and plans were formed on Wednesday, Mr. Hall said it was “only the start of what we hope to achieve.”
Another Parents’ Association meeting will be held in January 2010 to further the initiative.
Photo courtesy of CCDS.