Reach *all* parents in your community
Written by niki juhasz
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These days, we assume everyone has internet access at home. But here’s the thing. That’s still not the case. 2024 Pew Research Center data tells us about a fifth of homes in America still don’t have broadband access.
We’re including tips to reach these families – while celebrating your district – below.
when should we create inclusive campaigns?
Okay, that one was kiiiiiiiiiiiiiind of a trick question.
When you need to get important information to ALL the families in your district, you must ALWAYS incorporate tactics that reach families without internet access.
For example, let’s talk about your school nutrition program.
Data tells us that parent perception of school meals directly impacts student participation in these programs. In many cases, these parent opinions are negative. On the flip side, parents and caregivers also say school meals can help save money, time and stress.
This means how you share about your school meal options impact how many students sign up. For busy parents who prioritize saving the aforementioned money, time and stress – it could even be a perk they look for when making school decisions for their kids.
That’s why sharing about your school nutrition program is so important! For example, you could celebrate:
What you offer. Do you offer breakfast, lunch and dinner for students whose parents work long hours? Promote it! Not all district nutrition programs are created equal – and families may have moved from a district with a very different offering than yours. Be specific when you share what you have to offer. Do you do dinner? Snack? Can parents join? Be precise.
How you can save parents money. For example, if you have a Universal Meal Program, that’s a major selling point for your district. You can use comparisons to make your point, too. For example, your message could say something like: At the Magic School Bus School District, your child can eat a tasty, nutritious lunch for less than the cost of a cup of coffee a day.
What makes your school nutrition program special. For example, do you have vegetarian options? Meals for your gluten sensitive students? Shout it far and wide! And fun fact: according to one National Library of Medicine study, parents are about 3.8 times more likely to sign their kids up for school lunches if they think they are healthy.
From school nutrition to CTE to your SPED programs, your district has a lot of advantages – it’s time to make sure your whole community knows about them!
What tactics should we use?
Here’s the good news. Reaching families without internet access doesn’t have to be hard. Here are some of our favorite tactics.
Texting. According to Pew Research Center, 97 percent of people in America own a cell phone. This makes texting – which reaches audiences both with and without internet access – a great tactic to reach a majority of your audience. Texts also have a 98 percent open rate, which is better than…pretty much any other tactic out there? Here’s an example of a strategic text message, with best practices:
Direct Mail. Did you know up to 90 percent (NINETY!) of direct mail is opened? Compare that with just 20-30 percent of emails. This is a great strategy to reach families who don’t have access to cell phones AND to reinforce your message with ones who do. Millennials, the biggest generation, love mail as well.
Billboards, flyers and posters. Families in your community drive. They go to the grocery store. They drop their kids off at the local YMCA. Think through all the places the parents and caregivers you most want to reach go – and then meet them there! Put up that eye-catching billboard, work with community partners to put posters and flyers in their buildings. Think through unlikely allies during this brainstorm, too.
When you create inclusive campaigns, you reach all families in your community – while building your district’s brand awareness, too. As parents consider their 2025 school choices, this is the perfect time to design these campaigns.
We’re rooting for you!
P.S. Find more tips for reaching families without internet access here!
