In supervising the program you will
find a certain number of turnovers in parent participation, due to many
and varied reasons. To help alleviate some of this turnover, a few
of the following suggestions are recommended:
1. Place a suggestion box in the
caressing room whereby parents can anonymously write their comments, suggestions,
praise, or constructional criticism about the program.
2. When a parent and child haven't
participated for a couple of weeks drop a "we missed you" postcard in the
mail, or call, to let them know they were thought of and missed.
3. You may wish to schedule an informal
tea or play group for the parents and their children, as a way of providing
additional socialization. Often, a successful volunteer program is
comprised of volunteers who have become good friends with one another,
and therefore work together as a cohesive team.
4. Continue to recruit on a regular
basis, putting flyers and brochures at various locations such as schools,
daycare centers, churches, and in newsletters or on bulletin boards at
baby shops, pediatrician's offices, and central volunteer's organizations.
5. Try to find new avenues of recruitment,
such as having a local newspaper do a feature article on the program.
Put an ad in the "Volunteers Needed" column of the newspaper. Or
do a small write-up on the program and submit the article to parent and
baby publications, such as "Baby talk", "Parents Magazine", etc.
6. Remind regular attending parents
to sign in so they will receive proper recognition from the Project Caressing
Program at the end of the year.
7. When all else fails, be enthusiastic
and don't give up. Every good program has its "slow" periods.
Ask yourself if there aren't some parents in your own neighborhood who
are just waiting for a personal invitation.
"It is not how much we give - but
how much loving is put into giving."
~ Mother Theresa
