Services for Schools

Admissions advice to help schools better understand their marketplace + marketing guidance that help schools better communicate with prospective and existing families.

Services

    • Present workshop for families about the Kindergarten or High School admission process

    • Meet with families to guide their admission process

    • Support families through the admission process

    • Mentor, coach, or consult to support new high school placement counselors or preschool directors on the ex-missions process

    • Mentor, coach, or consult to support new admission directors

    • Assess and strengthen admissions process

    • Develop strategic admission marketing and messaging

    • Plan mission-centered events that increase yield and retention

    • Develop a parent network to become admission representatives

    • Survey accepting or non-enrolling families

    • Review and assess middle school English or writing curriculum

    • Develop new middle school English or writing curriculum or structure to develop student reading and writing skills

    • Mentor, coach, or consult new middle school English teachers

  • “At Marin Country Day School, I called Tara for a consulting project; she was an amazing partner from beginning to end. Tara was organized, thorough, very responsive, and communicative, and she completed her work with impeccable professionalism. Besides her strong interpersonal and project-management skills, Tara's deep experience with independent schools and the network she's developed over over two decades was the extra value-add she brought to the table. She spoke our language and was absolutely brilliant to work with. I highly recommend her to anyone who needs consulting on any aspect of independent school admissions.”

    Katherine Dinh, Head of School, Marin Country Day School

  • “I am delighted to recommend Tara and Spruce Advisors. Tara has an exceptional understanding of the K-12 admissions process in the Bay Area, providing invaluable guidance and support to families at every step. Tara takes the time to understand each client's unique needs and goals. She coaches families through their applications with a high level of care, helping them identify and realize their strengths and students' potential. Her attention to detail and dedication to excellence are evident in every aspect of her work. She is responsive, communicative, and a thoughtful advocate. If you are looking for an admissions consultant who is not knowledgeable and professional but genuinely invested and committed to your child and family's success, I cannot recommend Tara highly enough.”

    Abigail Miller Gudich, Director of Admissions & Enrollment, Alta Vista School

  • "We hired Tara to conduct in-depth 1:1 interviews with parents who had declined an offer to enroll their children in our Kindergarten class. Not only did she provide thoughtful guidance on every aspect of the project, from creating the initial outreach email through to the final presentation with our Head of School, she also offered a ton of strategic insight on how to best use the information we collected. Her final report was detailed, clearly written, and easy to digest, and she continued to follow up with me months after the project was completed to share suggestions related to the current admissions cycle. She is fun to work with and knows the landscape inside and out. I’d recommend her to a colleague and hire her again without a moment of hesitation.”

    Admissions Director, K-8 Independent School