How To Avoid Attrition NOW

Hello there!

We're here at the beginning of 2021 and we're seeing a lot of interesting things in independent schools. Some schools have an increase in interest, and others who took on new families are wondering if those families are going to stay. 

Regardless of where you're at, you want to avoid attrition, and the window of opportunity to work on that is NOW, before March when families are making their decisions. 

Here are 3 strategies that will help to avoid attrition: 

1. Outreach to families (calling, surveys, feedback) and involve them in the life of your school's community 

2. Create FOMO & a sense of urgency to current parents through social proof, communication (e.g. "we've saved your spot!"), and showing how you're welcoming new families 

3. Seed and incentivize for the next level by crafting experiences for students and parents to see what is offered for next year, whether that is talking to other students, planning trips, or hosting events 

I also want to remind you to through all of your retention efforts to always have a back-up plan while we're continuing to deal with COVID-19 and economic uncertainties. 

I hope these will be helpful to you in the next couple of months, please let me know—what are you doing to retain the families that you love? What are your expectations? 

We also have our first Small School Leaders Meet-up of the year coming up on January 21 at 12pm EST, where you'll have a chance to discuss all your retention efforts and challenges you are facing now! I'd love to meet you, and I'm cheering you on this week! 

Aubrey