Anyone who has had small children or worked in schools knows that lice is a common problem. Yes, terribly annoying and a nuisance, but what happens when parents don’t understand that this is a common problem occurring in every school? Barnert Temple’s Preschool is well known for its sensitivity to the well-being of its approximately 70 children, and for its attentiveness to parents’ concerns and fears. This winter’s epidemic of lice was managed successfully due to our use of One Call Now’s automated call system. As the epidemic spread, we needed to reassure parents, as well as educate them about the problem. Questions needed to be answered. We soon discovered our E-mail messages to the Preschool parents weren’t doing it; they weren’t able to convey the personal attention that is a hallmark of our Preschool. Worried and sometimes angry parents needed to hear the voice of our highly regarded Preschool Director. They needed to be reassured that she was effectively managing the situation and monitoring progress toward resolution. They needed to hear it directly from her, in her own words; they needed to hear her voice. That was when we hit upon a plan. Our Preschool Director would use One Call Now to record messages describing how we were responding to the epidemic and what experts were consulted. Numerous messages were sent over a period of four weeks, until we were certain that parents were satisfied with our response and the epidemic had passed. Lice, though common, is not a serious health issue (as we made clear in our phone messages). The automated phone messages enabled us to calm parents’ fears, lessen their anxiety, and reassure them that the Preschool Director was indeed in control of the situation.
- Alice K.
Temple Administrator
Barnert Temple Preschool - Franklin Lakes, NJ