Pre-K Now will support your planning in several ways. First, easy-to-use online site registration and management tools are being provided at http://events.preknow.org/. These tools allow volunteer organizers to create webpages announcing their sites and to collect and manage RSVPs to their sites. From this web-based system, organizers may send e-mail invitations to potential conference participants, track individuals who have registered, and send e-mail updates to registrants.

Second, Pre-K Now held training calls for site organizers on September 4 and September 6.

• Listen to a 30-minute site organizer training call (MP3)
  (To save this file to your computer, right-click on the link above and select "Save As...")

Additional calls will be held for discussion leaders on September 26th and 27th. Please see the Discussion Leader Guide for details.

Third, we will post site management and marketing materials to help you attract participants and run a productive and fun site on October 17. Please check back as these materials are updated.

Last but not least, Pre-K Now staff is available to answer questions and offer advice. Feel free to contact:

Trista Kendall
Pre-K Now Satellite Conference Coordinator
Phone: (202) 862-9873
Email: tkendall@preknow.org

Tasks

1. Contact other volunteer organizers in your area, if any.
   Using our online registration tools, you can search for other sites in your city, state, or region and get contact information for organizers who may be interested in collaborating with you.
   
2. Understand what to look for in a conference site.
   Before you begin contacting potential sites, please review these technical requirements and general recommendations.
   • Satellite broadcast requirements
     The conference will be broadcast by satellite on the C analog band and the EchoStar Transmission Satellite System.  (We will not be broadcasting in 2007 via Ku analog band as we have in previous years.)  For a site to receive this broadcast, it must have either a satellite dish that can access programming on the C band or an EchoStar satellite dish.  In either case, check to make sure that the site’s satellite equipment is active and capable of receiving broadcasts.  See our Satellite Coordinates webpage for important information regarding setting up and testing the satellite receiver at your site.
   • Satellite technician availability
     We recommend that organizers select sites where in-person technical assistance will be available during the satellite broadcast.
   • Time
     We recommend that you choose a site which is available on October 17th from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.   While the satellite broadcast will be from 12:30-2:30 p.m. ET, we strongly encourage site organizers and discussion leaders to utilize this valuable time with local advocates to build momentum for community and state-wide events.  You and the discussion leader can plan activities before the broadcast to introduce participants and celebrate local and state successes.  In the past, advocates have had success using an extended discussion period after the national broadcast to set a local agenda and use lessons learned from advocates across the country to plan strategies for the upcoming year.  You will need to be at the site at least two hours before the national broadcast to test the satellite capabilities, but the activities and discussions before and after the broadcast are determined by each site organizer.  Click here for discussion and activity suggestions.
   • Seating capacity
     We expect that there may be sites with as few as 20 attendees while others may have more than 100. You should make your decision on seating capacity based on your knowledge of the local early education community and the sites that are available to you. You can search other sites and their seating capacities through our online registration system to assist you with an estimate of other sites and registration numbers near you.
   • Telephone and AV equipment
     You will need to have at least two land phone lines with long distance call out capabilities. One line will be used so that attendees can ask questions and participate in the panel discussion during the satellite broadcast, while the other should be used for technical assistance before and during the broadcast. Also check to make sure the site has all the AV equipment you may need for your discussions such as laptops, projectors, microphones, etc.
     Click here to download the audio/visual and facilities checklist in PDF format
   • Site rental fees
     We expect that many potential sites will offer their satellite connection and event space to organizers at little or no charge. Please be aware that volunteer organizers will be responsible for any site rental fees incurred and that Pre-K Now will not pay or reimburse such expenses. Organizers must inform participants in their online site description if they plan to collect fees to defray their personal expenses so that interested attendees can be advised beforehand.
   • Accommodations for participants with special needs
     We strongly urge organizers to choose sites that allow for the inclusion of participants with special needs.
     
3. Contact potential sites and make a reservation.
   Armed with the criteria above, make a list of potential sites and begin contacting them to identify the best fit.
   • Sites worth considering
     Satellite capabilities and meeting space can often be found at colleges and universities, teaching hospitals, hotels with conference centers, public television stations, and local branches of government agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services or the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
   • Additional room setup and facility requirements
     Depending on your space, you may have some control over room setup.  With your discussion leader, decide on a room setup that will allow participants to transition easily between viewing the broadcast and small or large group discussion.  Also, work with your discussion leader to decide if you need any additional materials.  Do you need a flip chart and markers for planning?  A table for handouts, nametags, or food?  The facility may be able to provide these items for your group – it can’t hurt to ask!
   • Get it in writing
     When you make your choice and reserve a site, please ask for written confirmation.
     

Tasks

1. Send emails inviting friends and colleagues to your conference site.
   You should begin inviting your contacts to your site as soon as you have registered your site online.  Pre-K Now’s online registration tools make it easy for your contacts to get the details on your site, register, and stay up-to-date on the conference as a whole.  It will also help you to track registrations for your site.
   
   • Invite twice as many as you want
     For events like this one, it is common practice to invite twice as many people as you hope will attend in order to reach your attendance goal. Pre-K Now will help you reach your goal by encouraging our members in your area to search and register for your site.

Tasks

1. Select a discussion leader for your conference site.
   Each site requires a discussion leader to manage the conference experience.  This person can be you (the organizer) or someone else you recruit.  In advance of the conference, Pre-K Now will provide all of the information and training needed to successfully facilitate the action at your site, including the tasks below.  The discussion leader should plan on joining a training conference call on either September 26 or September 27.  Please see the Discussion Leader Guide for more information.
   
2. Be prepared for activities during satellite broadcast.
   During the broadcast, panelists in Washington, DC, will ask conference participants to engage in two or three short, group activities at local sites.  The discussion leader should be prepared to lead these activities and to manage the submission of questions and comments to panelists in DC via the phone line reserved for this purpose.
   
3. Plan pre- and post-conference discussions and strategy sessions.
   The time before and after the satellite broadcast is when participants can focus most intensely on local strategies to improve the effectiveness of their pre-k advocacy.  We strongly encourage site organizers and discussion leaders to utilize this valuable time with local advocates to build momentum for community and state-wide events.  You and the discussion leader can plan activities before the broadcast to celebrate local and state successes.  In the past, advocates have had success using an extended discussion period after the national broadcast to set a local agenda and use lessons learned from advocates across the country to plan strategies for the upcoming year. 

Here are some suggestions for pre- or post-conference activities:

• Hold a planning meeting.
• Give an award.
• Invite legislators, business leaders, school board members, or other prominent members of the community to speak.
• Provide materials (postcards, paper, envelopes, stamps, phones, contact information, a laptop with wireless internet) that will allow participants to contact policymakers during the meeting to tell them how important pre-k is.  You can also contact state advocacy groups to see if they know of any ongoing grassroots campaigns your site could take part in.
• Draft a joint letter to the editorial board of your local paper reminding them that local citizens want pre-k policy to get more local media coverage.
• Depending on the size of the group, organize a site visit to a pre-k facility or perhaps a few hours of volunteer work in a nearby classroom.