Play East sees 34% spring registration increase; staff seek new software and school outreach to convert registrations to unique participants

Play East staff reported serving 377 registered participants during the spring term—a figure described as a 34% increase over the prior year—but told the board their registration system counts multiple program sign-ups separately, so the number does not equal unique individuals.

"We don't [track] unique individuals," a staff member said, explaining that participants who register for multiple programs (for example, dance and soccer) are recorded as multiple registrations. The staff member and board discussed whether the organization should track unique participants and what that would mean for reporting.

To increase enrollment and awareness, board members and staff discussed incentive approaches such as referral credits or family discounts. Staff said the organization is evaluating new registration software that would likely enable targeted discounts and referral tracking and expects to choose a new system by September.

Outreach to schools was another focal point: staff reported working with Fairview Elementary and other local schools to table at events, distribute flyers, and (where feasible) use Peachjar to post digital flyers in districts that permit it. Staff said the local school relationship at Fairview has been relatively stable and productive, while turnover in other schools has complicated outreach.

Board members suggested proactive personal outreach to elementary principals and leveraging back‑to‑school packet distribution to ensure Play East appears early in school communications. Staff said they will continue school tabling and follow up on the software decision to enable more streamlined discount and registration options.