An Interview with Kirk Gossman, Director of Admissions, Woodside Priory School
For many schools, transportation is a critical challenge that can become a barrier to enrollment. Long distances, costly bus services, and logistical concerns often discourage prospective families from committing to a school they love but find hard to access. The situation is further complicated by a national shortage of bus drivers and increasing traffic congestion. As a result, parents are left struggling to manage daily commutes, which can detract from their overall school experience and lead to lower enrollment rates.
Carpooling offers a practical, cost-effective solution that alleviates the transportation burden on parents while strengthening the sense of community within schools. It allows families to share the responsibility of getting students to and from school, reducing individual stress and costs. Schools that offer such transportation alternatives become more attractive to families, as they remove a significant enrollment barrier. Carpooling not only solves logistical problems but also fosters connections between families, creating a supportive network around the school.
At the 2024 Enrollment Management Association (EMA) annual conference, GoKid Director of Customer Success Felice Wilson sat down with Kirk Gossman, Director of Admissions at Woodside Priory School to discuss his experience as a GoKid client. Here are the highlights of their conversation:
Q: What challenges did your school encounter with traditional transportation solutions?
At Woodside Priory, transportation is a significant challenge due to its remote location, despite being only a five-minute drive from a main freeway. Families often face long commute times, with a seven-mile trip to downtown Palo Alto taking 45 minutes to an hour each way. This creates a burden for parents, who may not have the time to spend two hours daily driving their children to and from school.
Q: How did you introduce the GoKid program to parents?
We included GoKid as part of our admissions communication, starting when we sent out acceptance letters. Parents were notified to expect an invitation in August, and we followed up with several reminders during the summer. Once the platform was rolled out, Felice helped with consistent messaging to ensure the community adopted the program.
Q: What has been the feedback from families using Gokid at Woodside Priory?
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Beyond the obvious convenience of organizing carpools, we’ve seen families form friendships and community ties through the app. It’s also been great for introverted students who may find it difficult to approach new people in person. They can easily arrange carpools without feeling pressured to make a direct, in-person request.
Q: How does Gokid address liability concerns for schools?
We ran the program through our legal team, and the feedback was that GoKid poses even less liability than previous methods. Since it’s a third-party, opt-out system controlled by parents, the schools share detailed personal information. This is actually safer than the older approach, where we provided home addresses and phone numbers in bulk to parents trying to organize carpools.
Q: What is the cost-benefit of implementing GoKid for schools?
Previously, our school provided a costly concierge transportation service, spending a six-figure amount annually to transport around 30 families. This model was unsustainable, prompting the school to explore alternatives like GoKid, which offers a more cost-effective and community-based solution. When researching GoKid, we really found it to be a no-brainer for us to think about. The investment was minimal, and the return on investment was astronomical.
At our school, we fully cover the cost of the program as an amenity for our families. We believe the return on investment in terms of parent satisfaction and community-building justifies the expense, so we don’t pass the cost onto parents.
Q: Have any of your peer schools or competitors started using this or a similar service?
Yes, a few schools in our area have signed on with GoKid. My previous school recently adopted it as well. Some of our peer schools use bus services, which I didn’t have, so GoKid was an excellent solution for us to supplement what we needed.
Q: Can parents organize carpools for after-school activities using the program?
Yes, parents can organize after-school carpools. They can update their profiles to include notes on their children’s activities, like sports or other after-school programs, and connect with other families who have similar schedules and interests. The app is designed to match families based on where they live, so carpools are specific to children traveling to the same residential area.
Q: How do you discuss this service with prospective families during enrollment conversations?
Transportation is often a key concern for families, so I bring up the GoKid service before the question is asked. I explain what we offer, share the success stories, and talk about the future challenges we’re hoping to address.
Q: How are schools like yours doing with this service?
A: Schools with a pre-K-3 to 8th-grade structure tend to do really well with the service because that age range is a sweet spot for carpooling. For example, Woodside had 41% of families registered in the first year, and newer schools are seeing similar positive trends.
Q: Is managing car seats and booster seats a challenge for parents using the service?
A: Yes, managing car seats and booster seats can be a challenge for some parents, but many use easily removable seats to accommodate carpools.
Q: Has the company been responsive to customer feedback?
Yes, the company has been very responsive. For example, they improved integration with our SIS system for easier data uploads based on feedback, which has made starting the school year much more seamless.
Q: Can families choose who they carpool with, or are they assigned to a group?
Families can reach out to others nearby through the map which includes the app’s group chat feature and organize their carpools. The app does not show whether a family is already part of a carpool, so communication between families is key to forming arrangements.
Q: Can a family see the schedule of others in their carpool?
No. Each family builds its own schedule. However, the app helps organize multiple carpools in one place, sending notifications to remind parents who’s driving, or alerting them if no one is assigned to drive that day.
Q: Can families opt out of a carpool arrangement if they’re unable to participate?
Yes, families can remove themselves from a carpool or indicate when they are unavailable.
Q: Has offering this service helped with family retention or recruitment?
Absolutely. We’ve had families who would have otherwise declined to enroll because we were able to offer this service and connect them with other families in their area.
Q: Does the school pay for the premium features, including tracking, or is that up to the families?
The school contracts with GoKid and covers the cost of the service, including premium features like tracking. Families don’t have to subscribe separately; they get access to everything.
Q: Who sets up the carpools in schools using Gokid?
The school provides access to the GOKid platform, but the responsibility of organizing carpools rests entirely with the parents. They connect and make decisions about carpooling arrangements independently, based on their own needs. This approach not only empowers parents to coordinate directly with each other but also relieves the school from liability, as all decisions and logistics are managed by the families themselves.
Q: What is the range of families using this service, and have other schools adopted it?
At Woodside Priory, families come from a 30 to 50-mile radius. For example, transporting just four children from a city 30 miles away used to cost the school around $72,000. By using the GOKid platform, these families were able to connect and form a carpool, significantly reducing costs. Several peer schools in the area have also adopted GOKid, recognizing its value as a transportation solution, especially for schools that don’t offer bus services.
Q: Can carpools be organized for after-school activities?
Yes, parents can organize carpools for after-school activities by noting their children’s involvement in specific programs like sports or other extracurriculars. The platform allows parents to connect with other families in similar activities, helping them arrange rides based on shared schedules and locations.
Q: Can new families join existing carpools?
New families can easily join existing carpools. When they sign up for GOKid, they can see all available families on the map, regardless of how long those families have been at the school. If there’s room in an existing carpool, new families can reach out and join, or adjust as necessary, based on the availability within the group.
Thank you, Kirk Gossman, for your time sharing your experience implementing carpooling at Woodside Priory. If you would like to learn more about Gokid please contact schools@gokid.mobi or visit https://gokid.mobi/schools.
