Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about ParentLead.
Most schools focus their energy on the families they know about — the ones who toured, applied, or at least filled out an inquiry form. But the largest opportunity a school has is the lost families who researched and quietly walked away before anyone at the school ever knew they existed (known as the dark funnel problem). Engage more of those and your enrollment pipeline will increase significantly.
As early and as often as possible! Those conversations are a school's best marketing asset. Embrace doing them often and early. ParentLead makes those parent connections happen as early as possible and we do it easier than anyone ever thought possible, at an affordable price, while giving admissions complete control over the process.
The prospective parent sees an invitation to talk with a current parent and chooses to voluntarily opts-in to start things. We then match them to a school-approved opted in current parent. As the conversation unfolds, ParentLead's system receives, records, and relays each reply to the other pareticipants. Messages are NOT sent directly from one participant's personal mobile number to another person's. Participants communicate without their personal telephone numbers being disclosed to one another. A transcript of the conversation is retained and made available to the school and participants.
We keep it simple: We match by closest grade level. We also ensure that no current parent volunteer is handling two concurrent conversations, or that they handle more than two connections per week — keeping the experience genuine and manageable for your ambassadors.
ParentLead introduces parents by first name + last name initial in the group text thread. No pesonal phone numbers are ever shown in messages. Parents can decide what additional information they wish to share in their texts. Conversations happen within the text thread; no app download is required.
They can start with one. Each one is a volunteer and opts in to participate. Invite more current parents to join anytime. Keep in mind that each volunteer will handle no more than one conversation at a time and generally no more than two connections per week.
We include an admissions officer in every group chat we create, but their participation should be limited to engaging only when appropriate. We notify the parents that admissions will be added but they are there generally only to answer school questions the parent might not know. In most cases, admissions officers do not actively text. We always provide a full transcript of every chat in the dashboard.
Yes. Once each text conversation is closed, the prospective parent can text in the school phrase to ask later questions. This is important because the prospect gets a broader view of the school, not just one family’s perspective. It also gives admissions more insight because later questions may surface new issues that have come up.
The service is free but standard carrier messaging rates may apply for families texting in — the same as any SMS message they send.
There is a single annual subscription cost based on the school's size: Under 400 students: $1,900; 400-900 students: $2,400; Over 900 students: $4,200. There are no other costs.
Schools can start at any time in under an hour. We have a short video call with the school to review the program and set their opt in word. After that, school setup involves two steps: (1) Inviting at least one current parent volunteer to opt-in, (2) placing our banner invitation link on your school's website. We provide those materials to the school. The program requires no technical skills or IT development work.
At the end of the pilot, you'll have seen: how easy and non-intrusive the program is, how many new parent leads were generated, what connections were made, and the numbers and quality of conversations completed. If you'd like to continue, you can pay for the full year and your subscription continues uninterrupted. If you'd like to end the program, it is as simple as removing the banner from your website.
Yes, and the transcript offers schools the best way to learn what prospective parents are concerned about. The transcripts are available in the school's dashboard.
Yes. ParentLead is designed for every Pre-K–12 school and every grade configuration. We use a matching algorithm to match on grade bands most relevant to your prospective families' children.
Just ask them. Most are happy to help. We'll give you a link to a 30-second form they can fill out to opt-in. Start with just one and add more very easily. We offer them a short video explaining the service and what kinds of questions prospective parents may ask. You can pause existing ambassadors on your dashboard, and review each volunteer's connection history.
Yes. We fully satisfy FERPA and COPPA regulations, all student privacy laws, and texting laws under TCPA and CTIA. Review our privacy terms for more details. Parents are fully in control of their participation, every proactive opt in also includes clear opt out instructions (reply STOP at any time).
Simple — click “Reserve My School's Spot” on our Sign Up page. Fill out the brief form and we'll be in touch within one business day to confirm your spot and schedule your onboarding call.
We are here to help. Email us anytime at [email protected] or join one of our weekly information webinars held every Tuesday at 2:00 PM ET.
Still have questions? We're happy to help.