Air*tistry

by Jack Porcello

The Pre-K Connection Part 3
Getting In

Last month we discussed development of early childhood education programs. This month I would like to share a few simple ways to get leads and to promote your programs to agencies that will benefit from them.

Of course, the simplest approach would be to pick up the phone book and look under "Child Care" or related fields, and that strategy will give you access to the most agencies in your area. Personally, I prefer to study my market and qualify potential clients, thus cutting down on the amount of dead ends and maximizing my promotional potential. This involves developing relationships and targeting interest markets. In this approach you have many valuable allies.

Many of the resources referred to in this article pertain to those working in the USA. Hopefully, those that read this article from other countries will be able to apply the principles I address to your own county's unique circumstances. I speak mainly from my experience.

Throughout the United States of America, child care programs are required to meet certain criteria to be certified to provide their services. These criteria are established by state legislation, and are executed by agencies that are either direct associations with the state or on contract. In most cases, these agencies tend to be under funded and under staffed. This makes them open to creative opportunities to make use of resources in the community in fulfilling their responsibilities.

The state agency usually has an office on the county level. This office oversees the certification of child care providers in the county. In my area, this involves working with the contract organizations that offer the education for providers to meet their certification requirements. There are a few private individuals and a few larger organizations that contract with the state in my area. My approach was to target the largest of these organizations and offer them the benefit of my services in exchange for access to qualified leads.

Child care licensing involves meeting educational requirements in many categories. These vary from state to state. You can get information regarding your state's requirements at http://www.childcareaware.org/ on the net. While researching child care certification educational requirements, I discovered that I was qualified to serve as a workshop provider in some of these categories. In some cases, all it takes is at least a Bachelor's level degree in a related field. Other cases require a certain amount of experience in the field.

Armed with my new-found academic ammunition and experiential arsenal, I threw myself into the breach. The organization I targeted was excited to hear my proposal, as guest presenters at their workshops had been the norm for them from the beginning. As I presented my ideas, including my offer as a workshop leader and in-residence storyteller, we discussed the possibilities of grant money to cover my fees. Believe me, no one knows grant writing better than those in the child care profession!

Many of these organizations (this one included) send a regular newsletter to the early childhood service community. The newsletter issued by the organization I partnered with contained the schedule of classes they offered to providers. It also contained advertisements, and mine runs regularly.

This organization also has a prominently displayed and regularly perused literature rack, which carries my brochures. This resource location is the one that I replenish the most! Every year this organization also has a recognition dinner for area child care providers, and I am often contracted as keynote speaker. This gives the childcare community the opportunity to see me in action, always the best promotional vehicle. Of course, door prizes are awarded at these events, and my entertainment certificates are a favorite among providers.

Besides this approach, the only other advertising I do is through an area monthly free magazine which targets parents and educators. I am also listed on visiting artist directories used by community agencies and libraries. These keep me as busy as I need to be. The referrals I receive lead me to jobs in schools, churches, libraries, communities, and many private and corporate events. I wish you all the success I have experienced, and more.

See my website for more information, or you may e-mail me at info@airtothekingdom.org.

Until next time, I remain *Air-tistically* yours!

Jack