Proposed Communication Plan 2013-2015 The Educational Development Center Broad Objectives • •
Increase overall school enrollment Generate awareness of new program for children on the autism spectrum
Audiences • • • •
Public school counselors Parents of prospective students with psychological or behavioral challenges Parents of prospective students on the autism spectrum Parents of enrolled children
Measurable Goals • • • •
Increase overall enrollment by 20 students by Fall 2014 Receive 100 inquiries about autism spectrum program by Spring 2014 Enroll 5 new children on the autism spectrum for Fall 2014 Double enrollment in autism spectrum program by Fall 2015
Communications Recommendations Summary Overall Communication Strategy The primary method that parents of prospective students discover specialized schools like Educational Development Center (EDC) is by word of mouth, whether through school counselors or fellow parents. This is particularly so among parents with children on the autism spectrum. It is common practice to join online and in-person support groups and communities and share resources for their children. Accordingly, the most effective ways to increase awareness of and enrollment in EDC is by doing the following: 1) Building on existing and establishing new positive relationships with school counseling professionals. 2) Becoming known as a resource of useful information and positive experiences for current and prospective parents This plan takes into account a small budget and limited staff support for communication initiatives.
Detailed Communications Recommendations The Brand • Recommendation 1: use Educational Development Center (EDC) as the primary name when communicating with parents of current or prospective students and with counselors. The GEARA acronym is important to include in official communications with the State of Virginia, but it does not hold meaning for prospective or current students or their families. These audiences identify with the name of the school.