Assessing Needs of “COVID Families”
Why Are They Here?
Every independent school hopes to attract brand-aligned and mission-appropriate families. Although for many schools the financial realities of recent years have perhaps stretched the definition of what constitutes “mission appropriate,” the reasons a family chooses to enroll in an independent school remain, on balance, consistent. They register for the challenging curriculum, dedicated teachers, small classes and individualized attention, secondary school and college placement, life preparation, to instill a love of learning, etc.
In our partnerships with schools, we seek to understand why families actually choose to enroll at a school—not just why they say they do. We use a number of different methods to gather these insights, but I can assure you that we have previously never listed in a survey, nor heard in a discussion group, “I can’t handle homeschooling my kids anymore.”
Numerous articles have noted that the enrollment bump many independent schools have experienced this fall is a result of the global pandemic. While we would like to believe these families chose to enroll in our schools because of our mission and welcoming communities, the reality is probably more practical: your school is open for in-person learning, and parents are concerned about “brain drain” and their children falling behind.
“If We Could Just Get Them on Campus”
We hear from almost every independent school, “If we could just get them on campus …” Well, here they are. Their reasons for enrolling may not be the ones you hoped for, but now that they are here, what are you going to do to keep them? It is always important to understand the reasons why families choose your school, to gauge their satisfaction and measure why they continue to re-enroll, in order to better craft messaging that resonates with your prospective and current families (not to mention help school leadership make informed decisions about programming!). Today it is absolutely crucial.
Now that you have these new “COVID Families,” why did they enroll? What do they value? Do they understand your mission? Do they “get” and buy in to your brand? Are the answers from this cohort different from those of past years’ new and returning families? How can these families specifically, and your entire parent and student body more broadly, be better engaged to help grow and support your school’s brand?
Old Trail School, Fall 2020
Collect, Evaluate, and Act
It is important to collect and evaluate information through the use of quantitative methods (surveys) and qualitative methods (interviews) in order to better understand the motivations and perceptions of your families, especially those who intend to enroll temporarily. For example, you could survey prospective families already in the pipeline, new parents/students recently enrolled in your school, returning families, even faculty and staff. Even though many current and prospective audiences have survey fatigue, a thorough analysis and understanding of how members of your community are assessing your school, your program, and the overall experience is invaluable. This assists with developing internal and external messaging strategies and tactics that can strengthen your brand and retain all families.
All of this is ultimately designed to reinforce your brand, and by extension, help everyone better understand what current, and hopefully future, members of your community value about your school.
This understanding can affirm that your school community understands your mission and is aligned with your brand. Or it can act as a warning that many in your community may just be making a pit stop on their way back to the free option down the road. Regardless, using data to make informed decisions and working swiftly to assess your specific situation are critical in ensuring that the 2020-2021 school year does not become just a one hit enrollment wonder.
Feel free to contact me, or any member of the Creosote team, to learn how we can help you address both short- and long-term branding challenges and needs.
Written by Peter Mason, Ph.D., Lead Researcher at Creosote Affects
Creosote Affects helps school, colleges and universities nationwide find their brand voice in highly competitive markets. We are a comprehensive branding firm—executing research, strategy and creative.