Back to School: 4 Outreach Ideas

This school year, instead of focusing on just the students, support the people who support the students on a daily basis.

1. Encourage teachers and administration with gift bags and coffee. On the first day or during the first few weeks of school, make a special delivery to your nearest elementary, middle and high school. Hit the main offices with coffee from a local coffee shop or goody bags filled with chocolates, pens, USB flash drives with your church’s name and logo on them, etc. Let teachers and administration know you’re grateful for them and are available to help and/or partner with them in any way you can.

80 percent of new teachers say they need the help of parents to be effective.
—Family First

2. Start a weekly breakfast club for stay-at-home moms. Select a comfy location in your church where moms can connect over coffee and pastries for an hour. Provide childcare. The hour immediately following kid drop-off at local schools works well.

29 percent of mothers are stay-at-home moms.
—Bureau of Labor Statistics

3. Host a Friday night parenting seminar focused on a hot topic, such as discipline, raising kids in a social media world or teaching kids about sex. At the end, let parents know about the various ministries and programs you offer for kids of all ages (in addition to your adult opportunities).

33 percent of parents say they have concerns with their child’s technology use.
—Pew Research Center

4. Tutor parents of refugee/immigrant children. Offer short evening classes during which volunteers work with the parents of refugee/immigrant children on English skills so they can better help their school-aged children with homework and school issues.

The U.S. will admit 85,000 refugees in 2016.
—American Immigration Council

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Outreach Magazinehttp://outreachmagazine.com

Outreach magazine publishes ideas, innovations, resources and stories to help church leaders reach their communities and change the world. Founded in January 2003 by church communications company Outreach Inc., Outreach is an award-winning, bimonthly periodical for church leadership and is available by subscription and on Amazon.com. Find out more at outreachmagazine.com

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