After-school programs offer a supervised care option for the after-school hours. Programs are popular at the elementary level and prevent kids from going home to an empty house while they wait for their parents to get home. Increasing the attendance of the after-school program allows you to reach out to even more children who need a safe, stimulating environment after the school day ends. A balance of promoting the program and developing a high-quality program that kids want to attend helps increase your enrollment.
Step 1
Evaluate your after-school program to identify factors that might keep kids from attending, such as a lack of interesting activities or no transportation. Create a plan to address those issues to create a higher quality program.
Step 2
Create a safe, welcoming environment. Add colorful decorations and child-friendly materials to make the kids want to attend the program.
Step 3
Hire qualified staff members with experience in working with children. Choose staff members who can get involved with the kids and aren't afraid to get dirty.
Step 4
Provide transportation for the participants if possible. Families who aren't able to transport their children home from the after-school program are not likely to participate.
Step 5
Plan a balance of age-appropriate, engaging activities for the kids. Choose activities from a variety of areas including music, reading, science, drama, art and cooking. Use hands-on activities that allow the kids to learn while enjoying themselves.
Step 6
Ask the kids who attend the program for ideas on improving the activities and getting more kids to attend. Encourage the kids to suggest activities that they want to do to give them more ownership in the program.
Step 7
Encourage kids to recommend the after-school program to their friends. Word of mouth is often very effective, even among kids.
Step 8
Present information about the program to the teachers in the school district. Get the teachers excited about the program so they will share the information with parents and support your program.
Step 9
Write an informational letter addressed to kids and parents within the school district. Send home the letter to create more interest in the program.
Step 10
Post fliers around the school and community. Place them on the school doors, community bulletin boards, the school office and other highly visible areas that might generate interest in the program and get kids to attend.
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