Your month-to-month roadmap for family communication
Families are the top influencers of today’s college students. At CampusESP, we’ve helped over 450 colleges and universities leverage the power of parents with a coordinated, personalized communication plan. 73% of parents say content from CampusESP helps them better advise their student.
We analyzed more than 18 million clicks from families using CampusESP and surveyed over 32,000 parents from 81 institutions to understand what families need — and when. In fact, 77% of families expect to hear from their student’s institution at least weekly, up 7% from last year. Those expectations are even higher for Black, Hispanic, lower income, and first-generation families.
Consider this your Roadmap for Family Communication.
A PSA for our stretched-thin readers:
This may seem like a lot of work. It is. But CampusESP can take it off your plate. Our team curates 93% of the content as part of the CampusESP Content Network. The result? More time spent engaging families and supporting students — and less time spent putting content together. Want to learn more?
Guiding theories behind the roadmap
Our family communication plan is informed by two student success theories: The W-Curve framework for first year students and Schlossberg’s Transition Theory.
The W-Curve demonstrates the five phases of adjustment that new students experience during the first year of college, and Schlossberg’s Transition Theory explains how the student transition continues throughout college. As students face new challenges with academics, career development, mental health and more, families require continued guidance on how to support their student’s transition and success, even beyond the first year.
We took these frameworks and the trends we've seen from over 10 million families to build our own methodology for family engagement and student support.
August-September: Adjusting to a new lifestyle
Students are at the top of the W-Curve rollercoaster. They are excited to begin or return to campus life, while families may feel a mix of pride and emotional goodbyes. It’s also when families are most engaged and eager for guidance.
Share helpful advice on the following topics:
Packing and preparing for move-in
Understanding how college life is different from high school
How parents can set communication plans and expectations with their student
This is also a key time to validate families’ emotions and reinforce what supportive involvement looks like. Early outreach builds trust and benefits everyone — students, families, and your institution.
Start building that sense of community now. In fact, 31% of families feel more connected to their student’s college than their own alma mater, and 38% want to be more involved.
Use events like Move-in, Welcome Week, or other early fall events to make families feel at home and show them how to stay engaged.
Check out our Ultimate Guide to Family Weekend and how CampusESP for Event Management can simplify everything from promotion to check-in.
September-October: First challenges and financial questions
By fall, students start to hit their first real challenges — whether it’s academic pressure, a new major, or feeling homesick. Families may notice these shifts and begin to worry.
It’s also when financial questions start piling up. The FAFSA typically opens on October 1, so this is when families start thinking about financial aid planning for the year ahead. This probably comes at no surprise, but only 25% of families feel that financial aid information is easy to navigate and 59% of families say that it will be difficult to fund their student’s college education.
Now is the time to offer information about:
Coaching students through their first failures
Handling homesickness from afar
November-December: Finals and the return home for break
As finals approach, students are stressed and many first-years are navigating their first trip home. Families are excited, but may notice their student has changed.
Now’s the time to help families with:
Finals support and academic challenges
How to talk to students about their experiences in the first semester
Coaching students through feelings of not wanting to return to school
January-February: “Back to school” and planning for next year
Students come back to school after reconnecting with family and friends. This is when mental isolation creeps in. Especially in colder regions, students are in desperate need of sunshine and Vitamin D.
No matter where they are, though, students are stressed and navigating mental health struggles. Yet only 49% of families are satisfied with the info they get about campus mental health resources. Families need tools to help their students seek support and stay on track.
It’s also time to start thinking about the Fall. It may feel early (for you and families!) but this is when students are starting to weigh their options for future plans:
Where do I want to live?
Should I change my major?
Do I even want to continue pursuing my degree?
With these big questions, CampusESP research shows that family alerts about student status updates can boost retention by prompting timely support.
With all this in mind, the content during this time of year should focus on:
Second semester blues and how the spring semester is different
Mental health resources and identity development
Housing options for the year ahead
Read how UMBC is using AI to proactively support family outreach all with a one person team.
March-April: It’s almost summer. But first, finals and career development!
Students are eager for summer. But first they must make it through impending finals, summer opportunities, and career development. At this point in the year, they’re likely more comfortable with adjusting, adapting, and finding balance.
Family communication should be focused on:
Planning for summer opportunities (families of graduating seniors, it’s time to think about career prep!)
Expectations around student social habits, such as Spring Break or drinking
Applying to scholarships for the coming year
April-May: Finish the year strong
Students feel a sense of accomplishment for surviving the year. But they’re about to leave their comfort zone once again with new summer experiences. Many parents are especially nervous and involved when their student starts their first internship, study abroad program, or summer away from home.
At this point, we target content around:
Supporting students through jobs, internships and study abroad programs (plus graduation for seniors)
Test-taking and study tips to finish out the semester strong
How to navigate the move-out process
June-August: Prepare to do it all over again
The school year is over! It’s almost time to do it all over again. But first… A strong parent communication plan can help with student retention and melt prevention.
For families of returning students, you should communicate:
Summer events on campus
Fall billing information
Registration deadlines for the upcoming semester
For families of incoming new students, the messaging should focus on:
Dorm shopping and pre-arrival checklists
The value of parent orientation
FERPA education and expectations for the term ahead
The “evergreen” content (when in doubt, do this!)
We get it — not every team has the time or resources to build a highly tailored parent communication plan. If you're just looking for a place to start, these three “evergreen” topics are always helpful, no matter the time of year:
General Parent Advice
Whether it’s their first or fourth student in college, families are always looking for ways to be better supporters. In fact, parent advice was our #1 most clicked topic last year.
Start with what (and who) you know. Not only do college families love advice and guidance, they want to hear it from the experts and those who’ve experienced it themselves.
You can:
Share 5 tips for supporting student success
Highlight campus resources
Ask student leaders or experienced parents to share insights
Need more inspo? Check out how Coastal Carolina continued to connect with families with their monthly Coastal Currents newsletter.
Financial Aid Information
Financial aid is consistently the most requested topic by families. College is a huge financial commitment, yet satisfaction with tuition as a worthwhile investment has dropped since last year (77% to 59%). The more clarity you can offer, the more trust you’ll build with families.
First-Generation Family Support
First-generation families are among the most engaged and most in need of support. 57% of first-gen families communicate with their student daily, more often than continuing generation families. Make the most of those interactions by providing the information you know they need, but probably don’t know where to begin looking for it.
One key way to do that? Text messaging:
56% of first-gen families prefer texts for updates, yet only 28% of institutions currently offer this channel.
Odds are, the information you share with first-generation families is going to be helpful to all your families, so it’s really a win-win.
What next?
Open up your notes app and evaluate your family communication strategy. What are your goals? What should families know in order to support these goals?
We know from experience that creating a content calendar is a big task. If you need a quick win, you can always begin with a single month, quarter, or semester. The most important part is getting started!