After-School Programs: Why the First Visit Is the First Intro

An after-school enrichment program puts a school in front of dozens of children for weeks. Most schools waste it by waiting for the final session to talk to parents. The rule that fixes it is simple: the first time a family walks into your school is their first introductory lesson.

How do martial arts schools turn after-school programs into enrollments? Get every family into your own school within the first week, using a reason such as uniform pickup and a free class, and treat that visit as the first introductory lesson. Book a second lesson and enrollment from there. Enroll as many families as you can in week one so you have time for the rest in weeks two and three. Hold the graduation midweek, not on a Friday or Saturday.

Why not wait for the graduation to enroll families?

Because one bad night wipes out the whole program. We once ran a school program with about 160 children, held graduations on a Thursday and a Friday, and booked families into back-to-back enrollment appointments on Saturday. We enrolled 36 students in one day. It worked, but it depended on everything going right. If the weather turns, the gym is double-booked, or two staff are out sick, a month of work produces nothing.

So we changed the model. Get them into the school as soon as possible and treat that visit as a normal first introduction.

How do you get after-school families into the school?

Give them a concrete reason to come in early. Uniform pickup plus a free class at the school has worked for us for years. One member who relaunched an after-school program this month followed up the first session with an email inviting every family to class that evening, with a free uniform and three extra stripes toward the program’s grand champion trophy for anyone who came.

She was told one parent might attend the first session. About three-quarters of the parents showed up. Families are more interested than staff expect.

What do you do once they are in the school?

Exactly what you would do with any new family: a first introductory lesson, then a scheduled second lesson with every decision-maker present, then enrollment. Then work the calendar:

• Week one: bring in and enroll as many families as possible.
• Week two: work on the families who have not come in yet.
• Week three: the last ones, plus the graduation.

Staff will resist this. The objection is always the same: “They’re in the program for another three weeks, we’ve got plenty of time.” That is the thinking that leaves enrollments on the table. It takes repetition to change it.

When should you hold the graduation?

Midweek, on a Wednesday or Thursday. Friday and Saturday graduations lose a share of families to weekend trips, whether that is the mountains or the beach. If you run two groups, one on Monday and Wednesday and one on Tuesday and Thursday, a combined graduation makes the room look full and busy.

If the graduation collides with regular classes, you do not have to cancel them. Put the graduation in the middle of the Black Belt class and tell your Black Belts that everyone is needed to help. They become the assistant instructors for the visiting children, and the visiting parents see the student body they would be joining.

What results should you expect?

From a group of 18, expect six or seven enrollments, and possibly more from a small group where every family gets attention. Measure it the same way you measure any lead source: families in the program, families who came to the school, second lessons, enrollments.