Last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday CHEP had a booth at Imaginology and it went very well. To attract the kids to the booth there were samples of owl pellets, three Piper Raspberry Pi Computer Kits, three large bins of slime with printed recipe handouts, and a prize wheel provided by Deanna.
The prize wheel really caught the kids attention. After spinning it and answering an educational question they would get a piece of candy. The second most popular draw was the slime, which was so popular we created a sign with just the word ‘Slime’ on it and the kids came running.
While the kids waited in line someone could introduce the parents to our program. It was great to see people actually interested. Sometimes once we said homeschool people would get a sour look and say it wasn’t for them. But as we told them about the classes offered and the teacher support they would light up. Sometimes being confused as to weather this was actually homeschool. Seeing people change their views was pretty great.
Also sometimes we would get parents who would say that they already do homeschool through a charter. But as we tell them about CHEP they would become interested and actually ask for a brochure or somewhere to sign their names.
The hardest part was getting people to sign up. I think there is a general distrust with giving out your contact information. They were more inclined to take a brochure.
Without the ability to promote all three sites we didn’t mention the sites at all unless asked. We focused on the program and what it offers. If the parent asked where the classes were I would point to the back of the brochure and say, “We offer classes in Tustin”.
And if they said it was too far to drive for them I would say, “We are hoping to expand and offer classes in cities closer to you, like Anaheim and Cypress. If you sign the form with your email address we can let you know if and when a tour at one of these locations becomes available.”
That way we still record their interest. Over the three days we adjusted our efforts. On Friday it was mostly children being brought in on busses, but there were a few homeschooled families.
Saturday was busy except for a few moments of quiet. Around 1:00, probably people looking for food, and near the end of the day. But Sunday was non-stop. We had so many families that we couldn’t get to them all. Teachers attended to the children and talked to parents. CHEP parents also helped to get signatures and talk about CHEP. I stood outside the booth to talk to parents waiting with their kids in line. But even still there were so many people.
We counted the kids who came with parents (Sunday only) and there ended up being around 750 children. Only twice did I talk to a parent who was not interested to learn more. I gave the brochure at the end of my speech because usually they ended up asking for one. Let's hope this turns into calls.
Thanks to all the teachers and CHEP parents who were there to talk to prospective families. But one of our best selling points was the kids themselves. Dressed in CHEP t-shirts and talking to parents or the kids. Several times I got compliments on good the children were.