No one is born knowing how to organize. Sure, it may seem like some people are just “naturally”
more organized than others, but organization is a learned behavior, and the sooner it’s learned, the more deeply ingrained and useful the skill will be. That’s why so many education and youth programs are turning to accordion folders to help students – and parents – stay more organized and productive.
Branding accordion folders with your school or organization name, logo and colors provides both parents and students with a strong visual reminder that your organization is deeply committed to student success.
- Orientation kits
One of the primary ways colleges and schools use accordion folders is to provide useful information to new students so they’re able to adjust more quickly. Adjusting to any new school environment takes time, and schools that provide accordion folders help students become more familiar with programs and policies so they can turn their focus toward excelling in their studies and in extracurricular activities.
- Parent guides
As with student orientation, schools and youth organizations typically have a lot of information to share with parents. Accordion folders let you create a comprehensive kit that positions your brand favorably in the eyes of parents and also helps them be more proactive in their child’s life.
- Career resources
Schools and youth organizations that help provide students with career guidance and training will find an accordion folder is a great way to keep kids organized and focused on areas that interest them. Kids can be encouraged to use the file to store articles about jobs or job-hunting, flyers from employment workshops and career days, worksheets on interviewing, letters of recommendation and personal information that will make it easier to fill out job applications.
- Virtual school assignment organizer
Today, one of the hottest trends in education is online learning. Once the purview of colleges, now virtual learning is becoming popular for K-12 students as well. For these students, staying organized can present a particular challenge since all their school materials must be kept in their homes. Online schools that offer brightly branded accordion folders provide a convenient place for students to keep all their assignments and other school-related paperwork. And because the folder will have a prominent place in the home (and potentially on field trips), it will be highly visible to others, providing an additional branding opportunity. Some students may choose to use the folder for organization of supplies, using some pockets for work to be completed and others for storage of notebook paper, pens and pencils, USB drives and other supplies. For students attending an online college, the accordion folder makes it easy to take school materials to work for lunchtime study (again providing additional opportunities for branding to new audiences).
- Goal-setting tool for students
Guidance counselors can help their schools make a real impression on parents and students by offering each new student an accordion folder to organize all the information the student will need to make the college and scholarship application processes much easier and much more successful. For instance, an accordion folder can be divided into sections reflecting academic achievement including report cards and awards, extracurricular school-based activities like clubs and sports, volunteer and community service activities outside of school, information about jobs held and even teacher and personal recommendations.
When it’s time to fill out applications, the accordion folder ensures that important information won’t be overlooked. The student may be allowed to take the folder home, or the folders could be stored at the school along with the students’ regular files, with students encouraged to add to the file regularly during study hall periods or by submitting information to the guidance office for filing later during a scheduled appointment with the counselor. In addition to encouraging regular student contact, the folder also can serve as an important tool for identifying where a student needs to focus his or her attention to get into the colleges in which they’re most interested.
It’s pretty easy to see how many opportunities there are for promoting your youth or education program with a branded accordion folder. For parents and students, the most important message they’ll take away when they receive a folder is that your organization truly cares about the success of the kids it serves, and that’s perhaps the strongest, most powerful marketing message your organization can provide.
