Table 1.

The FOSTER Approach for Optimizing Recruitment^*

FOSTER Strategy	Definition of Characteristic	Application With Rural and Urban Schools and Families
Facilitate	Team’s attitude and actions	Team approach = we (the research team) are visitors and all responsibilities are with us and not a burden to school and families; participating in the study is easy for schools and families due to planning and nonobtrusiveness of school schedule.
Open and transparent communication	Clear and consistent communication methods	Team approach = the study is not secretive; toll-free numbers provided; communication methods reviewed and validated for literacy level and clarity prior to dissemination: follow-up appreciation communication provided directly by Pl/key research team leaders to school team.
Shared benefits	Everyone benefits from the study	Team approach = PI set tone with superintendents, school personnel, and community members about the value and benefits of the study; all research team members “walk the talk.”
Team and tailored	Attitude and approach	Team approach = engaged and collaborative to foster alignment with school leadership and key personnel to serve with the research team as navigators; facilitated PTA meetings, open house, school-based events; advised on dissemination of critical study materials and follow up; maintained a consistent and primary point of contact: research team provided personalized gifts and incentive pay from $100 to $250 per school year; all recruitment sessions occurred with school personnel on site to help facilitate; culturally appropriate activities such as food preference, prayer, and including same ethnicity (AA) as the school navigator; diverse research team with ethnicity and gender.
Educate bilaterally	Learning from each other	Team approach = learning recruitment incentives from community and school members such as gift cards from local merchants and provision of childcare for recruitment sessions.
Relationships, realistic, and rewards	Reasonable and positive	Team approach = messaging “improved health; improved family communication”: incentives for parents and children maximum $50 and $20/y, respectively; small gift incentives for all who attended recruitment sessions regardless of study participation decision; relationships and partnerships considered priority reward for research and school team.

^*FOSTER indicates Facilitate, Open and transparent communication, Shared benefits, Team and tailored, Educate bilaterally, and Relationships, realistic and rewards; PI, principal investigator; PTA, Parent-Teacher Association; and AA, African-American. Some of the principles of FOSTER are adapted from community-based participatory research approaches.