Note: This is a self-paced course presented online. You will have at least a year to complete it, after which you will continue to access to the course as a resource. While there is no fixed time requirement, you will get the most value from it if you can maintain an ongoing focus and invest approximately 2-4 hours a week in reading the materials, watching the videos, and complete the suggested projects. Participation in the discussion forums is essential to truly take advantage of not only the prepared content, but to explore your prospective project, ask questions, and interact with other students. Additionally, the Montessori Foundation offers a series of optional weekly webinars on Wednesdays at 1 PM East Coast time in the United States. Many of these live sessions make be of interest and value to participants in the course. Questions are encouraged.

Course Description

A school is nothing but people. It lives in their hearts and minds. A great school is a group of people acting in accordance with a common set of beliefs and values, who feel a sense of commitment to each other and to the institution.

So often, schools agonize over the difficulty of attracting and retaining enough students to meet their budget, and every time a Montessori child leaves before graduation, our classes and school communities suffer.

The Montessori Foundation believes that this endless cycle can, and must, be broken. We can build our schools with children who will blossom in Montessori and with parents who will value and remain committed to Montessori. This highly practical and hands-on course will show students how to organize their admissions/recruitment program to identify and attract the perfect families for your school.

Does this sound familiar?

“We worry about our enrollment every year.”

“My teachers get tired and discouraged when we hold parent education nights, and only the same five really committed families show up.”

“I wish that our parents were really supportive! What does it take to get parents to understand that we sometimes feel as if we?ve all taken a vow of poverty just so their tuition will stay low”

“I am really tired of defending Montessori to parents who think that we?re involved with a cult.”

A Montessori child can never be replaced!

This course will help you to attract not only children who will blossom in your school, but parents whose values and commitments are in line with your school?s vision.

This course will help you to:

• consider how to make the most of the currently weak economy that many schools face.
• define your school?s unique identity
• build a stronger school community
• get the most out of your promotional dollars
• learn how to get positive PR on a shoestring
• understand the recruitment secrets of the most successful schools
• turn your school?s ?limitations? into assets
• develop highly effective school brochures
• make direct mail strategies work for your school
• develop and effectively use direct mail pieces
• get free publicity for your school
• use slide shows and videos
• make your school newsletter your single most effective PR tool
• organize effective open houses and special events
• motivate your present families to help
• find the perfect match between family, child, staff, and school
• keep your vision alive
• develop effective parent education programs
• organize monthly community and class meetings
• work with parent volunteers
• make new families feel at home
• give children ?bragging rights? through a strong extracurricular program
• organize a Financial Aid Program
• develop a more family-friendly school