Successful recruitment and family/student engagement can lead to better attendance and better outcomes for participants. The primary goal of your efforts is to not only “register” students for a program, but to also strategically engage parents and build student excitement for the summer.
This section describes research-based best practices for student recruitment and family engagement.
Many of these research-based practices were developed in collaboration with the Wallace Foundation, RAND Corporation, and Crosby Marketing as part of a national randomized controlled trial implemented in Boston and four other cities. In this work, practitioners found recruitment & engagement related directly to student daily attendance. This work spans from the time a student is identified for a program (winter) through the final day of site programming (August).
Consider visiting the Attendance section for strategies to complement your recruitment and family engagement efforts. One best practice of note in the Attendance section is a field guide developed by the Boston Nature Center and New Sector Alliance. This focuses on strategies to engage families and promote student daily attendance. Lessons learned from this field guide were also featured in a journal article about family engagement, student attendance, and positive student outcomes. Find the journal article here.
Best Practices for Increasing Student Recruitment and Family Engagement:
Recruitment & Engagement Master Document – this includes all the material presented on this website and resources referenced.
Updated: Jun 28, 2016
