Some staff are not always able to leave and attend luncheons as they need to prepare to teach afternoon classes or may not have coverage.  Boulder Point had an idea of a salad, sandwich and dessert luncheon in the spring.  A new location for staff that may not have been here to enjoy our company.  We'd love to host a staff luncheon!   "Salad and Sandwich Spring Luncheon" in April or March.  Perhaps on the first day of spring.  

I was at an IPRA meeting yesterday where we were discussing different ideas for marketing. One agency mentioned that they have a method of following up when they receive positive feedback via email or on social media. They shoot back a quick message to thank them, ask if they can use the quote for promotional purposes, and how they would like their name to be listed. This allowed them to be anonymous, represent their entire family, or just be "Cori V." It was cool to see their examples calling out specific instructors or classes.

We know that people have great things to say about our programs, events, and customer service, so let's capture that and share with Marketing. We are brag-worthy, and it is great when we can let our patrons help tell our story!

We should pick a couple of summer days and set aside inclusion hours at the pool (CC or WR), like the ME TOO event we do for PrairieFest

I love only having an online version of the catalog. The later entry dates are so helpful! 

It would be great to have colored copies of the updated catalog sent to all supervisors. 

During these unsure times we are cancelling more classes than usual. I think we need to come up with a spreadsheet that each supervisor "dumps" their cancelled info into so it can be organized into families. This will allow parents to only receive one call instead of several different ones for each class their children are registered for. The organized information would also be a great tool for CSRs to use when a participant calls back.

During the stay at home order, it was really nice to be able to Zoom in on the board meetings. I think more people would attend if that could be ongoing. 

This is from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. I thought it had some clever ideas for encouraging inclusivity in child & caregiver programs/events. Just wanted to share. 

I noticed The Paramount has been doing "instagram takoeovers' where their actors or staff post onto The Paramount's Instagram stories for a day. For example, they had one of the actresses from an upcoming show posting during rehearsal and answering questions. They also had someone from their audience services department promoting subscription renewals yesterday. 

I think it could be a great opportunity to highlight some of our departments if we did this at OPD. Dance/gymnastics can post during a competition/meet; Limelight backstage during a show, CSR's could post on registration day, preschool can post during the school day or at a field trip, operations could post their beekeping, and the list goes on. 

I'm not sure what our following is on Instagram. We could promote the Instagram takeovers on Facebook or on the website. This could also be an opportunity to gain followers. 

Create a customer advisory panel that areas could use as a sounding board for new programs and ideas.  This would be a rotating group (i.e., annual involvement) and staff could recommend candidates.   If effectively managed, this could be a great vehicle to get ongoing customer input.  

Is there anyway that we could have someone dedicated to keep the As We Grow pre-school facebook page current?  There are so many great things happening in the classrooms that the general public doesn't see.  It's also a great opportunity for families who are shopping around for a school for their kiddos.

We have an extra day this month, so we want to everyone to be extra active on the Innovation Lab.

To encourage activity on our online portal for idea sharing, we will be offering prizes to the most engaged participants. Throughout the month of February, each new submission you share will be worth 5 points and each comment on an existing thread will earn you 1 point. The staff members with the 3 highest scores will get some Oswegoland Park District swag.

We love seeing all of the great ideas on the Lab, and can’t wait to see what we can brew up in February!

I noticed when I was trying to register my 4 year old for various sports programs, that they slightly overlapped our preschool times. I.E. my son is at South Point from 9:15-11:30, and the sports program begins at 11:15 at civic center. I know it would take more planning, but if the sports (and other categories) programs were coordinated with our preschool programming in terms of time, kids could then participate in both, leading to more revenue.

The innovation lab is becoming a very effective method for new ideas and collaboration. It seems like people come to the lab when they have a great idea. To increase the traffic of people engaging in those ideas, I'd love to have a week where we set Innovation alarms - emails that would come to folks at the same time every day for a week and remind them to check out the innovation lab. Or maybe just a monthly ATOM Alert to visit the lab and see what is currently bubbling. I sometimes get buried in my Things to Do list and forget to stretch my innovation muscle. 

I listen to a lot of podcasts, and I often come across things that are incredibly applicable to the work we do.

Is anyone interested in a monthly Podcast Club (like a Book Club) where we listen to a certain podcast on our own, and then get together to discuss it over lunch?

Here are a few of my favorites that we could tap into to start:

• Clear+Vivid w/Alan Alda – Focus on Communication; always ends with the 7 Questions
• Hidden Brain – Esp “You 2.0 Series”
• TED Radio Hour – Tons of TED Talks on myriad topics
  

I would like a clearing house where each department can post position openings or available shifts for existing staff. 

Ideally, staff from any department would be able to access the open position / shift and then apply or agree to fill shifts. 

Jobs or shifts would include any specific requirements, rate of pay, ect...  

Possible internal software with potential include When 2 Work, Springbrook & Time Pro.