Marketing in Early Childhood Programs

Overview

This Assessment constitutes a Performance Task in which you are asked to complete a variety of marketing-related tasks, including creating marketing materials and responding to public relations concerns.

Imagine you are the director of the Green Hills Early Childhood Center, which is in its 4th year of operation. Recently, the board of directors met to discuss a number of issues related to the future success of Green Hills.

You have been tasked with the responsibility of developing a marketing plan that addresses the concerns of the board of directors.

The board expects that your marketing plan will help increase enrollment and attract new families to Green Hills while forging strategic partnerships with outside organizations.

Each part of the Assessment guides you through various aspects of effective marketing strategies in order to increase enrollment and attract new families.

Your response to this Assessment should:

• Use the documents provided.

• Adhere to the required assignment length.

• Use the APA course paper template available here. All submissions must follow the conventions of scholarly writing. Properly formatted APA citations and references must be provided where appropriate.

Professional Skills: Oral Communication and Written Communication are assessed in this Competency. You are strongly encouraged to use the Writing Checklist and to review the Rubric prior to submitting.

This Assessment requires submission of two (2) files. Part I should include your oral presentation. The second file should be a Word document containing Part II-Part IV of the Assessment.

Instructions

Before submitting your Assessment, carefully review the rubric. This is the same rubric the assessor will use to evaluate your submission and it provides detailed criteria describing how to achieve or master the Competency.

Many students find that understanding the requirements of the Assessment and the rubric criteria help them direct their focus and use their time most productively.

Part I: Leveraging the Enthusiasm of Your Community

You are planning a training program for families and staff so that they can help promote Green Hills to people they meet. Develop a 2- to 3-minute oral presentation for families at your center that:

• Explains the role of families and staff in positively promoting the center, including a rationale

• Shares talking points that point out the highlights of the early childhood program and explains how to use these to promote the program in conversations with other families in the community

Part II: Developing Marketing Materials

In order to increase enrollment at Green Hills, you will need to develop an advertisement and explain your marketing strategy for attracting new families to your program.

Step 1

Create a new advertisement. This advertisement may be one of the following:

• Brochure advertising the center

• One-page magazine advertisement

• Thirty-second radio ad (audio-recording)

• Thirty-second television commercial (audio and video recording)

Step 2

Write a 2- to 3-page explanation of your advertisement from Step 1 that addresses the following:

• Explain why you anticipate the advertisement will be effective in attracting children and families to your center.

• Identify the medium you chose and provide a rationale for your choice.

• Describe at least two additional materials you would develop to supplement the advertisement as part of your overall marketing strategy.

Part III: Employing Public Relations Strategies

A local newspaper has published an article (Stoneriver Gazette Article) that is highly critical of the academic rigor of your curriculum.

Step 1

Respond by writing a 2- to 3-page press release that defends your center's approach to pedagogy while maintaining a positive tone.

Step 2

In a 1- to 2-page response, describe at least two proactive strategies you would use to promote a positive image of your center in the community, and explain why the strategies are effective.

Part IV: Enlarging Your Network

Imagine that Green Hills Early Childhood Center is located in your community. Consider how you might partner with local, state, and/or national agencies and/or organizations to help grow your network of early childhood resources and promote healthy child development and learning. Write a 2- to 3-page narrative that:

• Identifies at least two local, state, and national organizations and/or agencies you would like to partner with to serve the children and families at your center

(Note: Include at least one local organization and/or agency, and provide web links or other citations where appropriate.)

• Explains why the organizations and/or agencies are appropriate partners and how they will contribute to the healthy development and learning of children in your center