Jenny's Update

E haunui ana I raro, e hari ana I runga

It’s blustery below but the sky above is clear...

Finding new ways to connect

In these Covid times we’ve had to adapt the way we do so many things, both at head office and in our kindergartens. It’s a great testament to our ability to understand the situation and change our kaupapa to reach our goals.

We know that our eight-page enrolment form is unwieldy and can be quite overwhelming, especially for those who have English as a second language. Unfortunately, every bit of information contained in the form is required by the Ministry of Education, so shortening it is not an option.

We’ve heard lots of stories about sending the forms home with prospective families – never to see them or the family again. And lately, some kindergartens have told us about families worried about coming in to enrol or look around because they are not vaccinated.

In this article we want to explore some new or alternative ways of making sure we never lose a family because of covid restrictions, or because they were intimidated by our enrolment process.

In this new, online world, have a think about connecting with new families in a different way.

Could you offer them a virtual tour using FaceTime, Zoom or similar? Remember, our families are very savvy when it comes to their digital devices, and this may suit them better than coming in at first. Walk them around the kindergarten, introduce them to staff and children if you can – and show them what we offer every day. Make sure you end the conversation with a plan – to visit or call again soon, or to email them the link to our apply now form.

Have you thought about making a Welcome to Kindy video, such as the wonderfully creative team at Wales Street have created? Not only is this a fantastic transition tool, it showcases their kindy and their manaakitanga in a way few could resist! Sending your video out to interested families might just be the thing that convinces them to enrol. Again, make sure you have a plan to follow up. (Note: this video is not to be copied or uploaded elsewhere)

And now to the enrolment form…we’ve done some checking about our current practice of ensuring that each family fills in the forms themselves. It turns out (straight from the Ministry of Education) that there are no hard and fast rules – teachers can fill out the forms as long as the family agrees and understands the content. Of course, the parent/caregiver must still sign in all the right places.

The onus is on us to make sure the tricky things like the attestation for 20 hours are understood. We’ve developed a one pager (Assistance with Enrolment Form declaration) that you must attach to the form if you fill it out – it just covers us in the event that a dispute arises sometime in the future. You can find it in forms drive with the enrolment form. This is a game-changer for us – not only will it save time for teaching teams chasing families, but we can also now reassure our new families that we will make the whole process easy and safe.

You also have the option of a Zoom meeting to go through the forms as you (the teacher) fill them out. Then the parent/caregiver can call in simply to sign and complete the enrolment process ready to start. Many of you have completed an exemplar form and then laminated it so, if parents choose to, they can simply use this form as a guide while filling out the form themselves, another great idea.

We’d love to hear how your team has had to innovate to connect – please email jenny.pitama@kidsfirst.org.nz to share your ideas. Ngā mihi maioha for all your mahi during these unusual times, me te mihi nui.

Read all Issue 14 stories here