This August, my family navigated not one, but two school transitions.
In the same week, my older son started first grade at a new school and my younger son transitioned from daycare into pre-kindergarten. Two milestones. Two very different enrollment journeys.
As both a mom and someone who spends every day on school marketing and branding initiatives, I couldn’t help but notice how each school’s touchpoints shaped my experience as a parent. Every message (or silence) influenced my confidence, created moments of excitement, or added friction in the weeks leading up to that all-important first day.
We toured my older son’s new school in the spring and left feeling confident about the choice. Everyone was welcoming, the environment felt right, and he was excited (especially about P.E.).
In May, I completed his enrollment online and immediately got an email confirmation. In June, automated emails arrived with instructions to finish enrollment by visiting the school to submit the remaining paperwork.
I dropped everything off at the school office and was told they’d be in touch. I grabbed a supply list while I was there, just in case. And then… nothing.
From that point on, the enrollment journey went quiet. No confirmation that we were officially set. No welcome message. No “what to expect” note for new families. The “Meet the Teacher” event only hit my radar because I found the school’s Instagram. When the principal’s welcome email finally arrived, it was two days before the event — and four days before school started. Good thing I had it on my calendar already!
As a parent, those gaps became friction points. I had questions, but no clear channel to get them answered. I kept wondering: What if we had just moved here and didn’t have local friends to fill in the blanks? On the first day, my son came home with a folder full of forms and deadlines — all important, but all things that could have been shared during the summer to ease the load.
Meanwhile, my younger son’s pre-kindergarten enrollment unfolded in a way that felt intentional and connected.
By mid-June, we knew his teacher’s name and his first-week schedule. A handwritten note from his teacher arrived in the mail, followed by a birthday card from the school. We were assigned a parent liaison — an experienced mom who reached out with her phone number and an offer to meet up before school began.
The touchpoints were consistent but not overwhelming. A parent orientation night covered logistics and gave us a chance to meet other families. My son had two "practice" days before the official start, which allowed him to get comfortable with his new classroom and routine.
These weren’t just niceties. Each interaction lowered any lingering anxiety, built familiarity, and reinforced our trust in the school’s process. By the time his first day arrived, we both felt ready.
When that first week rolled around, the differences in the lead-up were clear to me — but not to my kids.
My oldest came home beaming, telling me he loved his teacher and had made new friends. My youngest climbed into his car seat with pride and was already eager to go back the next day.
As a mom, that’s the best possible outcome. Two happy kids, two successful transitions.
As a school marketer, it’s a learning opportunity.
Schools need to remember that summer isn’t downtime. It’s a critical stage in the enrollment journey. In higher ed, it’s called the “yield” phase: the time between “yes” and the first day. In K-12, every unanswered question is a friction point that can chip away at a family’s confidence, while every touchpoint builds trust and connection.
Both of my kids loved their first day, but my feelings leading up to it couldn’t have been more different. In a competitive K-12 landscape where parents have choices, those feelings matter.