I've never been a member of a club with a "junior board." How do you prevent it from becoming a clique?
I really like the idea of doing fun activities that aren't training. Freestyles are so expensive and younger skaters often get caught up in socializing on the ice. I think it would be a good idea to have a monthly or weekly get-together on a public session where the kids can hang out, fool around, and just have fun together without worrying about this move or that spin. It's cheaper than renting club ice time and it encourages comraderie. The difficult part is finding a session that works for everyone. It would be AWESOME if you could ask the rink to welcome the club members over the loudspeaker at that public session. (You could probably get a group discount rate.)
My skating parents and students all get along really well and they've embraced the other families on their synchro teams. Last year, we had a number of potlucks for the 20 or so people involved. The dads watched football, the moms chatted, and the kids played. We took turns hosting it at our houses and everyone brought something to eat, which resolved the various food needs and gave us all something new to try.
One mom taught the girls how to knit, another lives near a park/playground where the girls could walk over to play. Another has a huge house and yard - they had a blast playing on the hammock, tossing horseshoes, etc.
I think that the kids and the parents need to have fun with each other. It develops respect and makes them support each other on the ice since they're not strangers.
If your club has weekend practices, what about having a picnic lunch a few times each year?
Have everyone bring their own box lunch, go to a park nearby and just hang out.
I really like the idea of a mentor program. I act as the mentor for my students' families, but I've had multiple people ask to be on my email distribution because their coaches don't provide as much information or guidance. That's uncomfortable for me because I don't want to be accused of soliciting someone else's students. I often have new skating parents ask me for information and guidance. If the Club offered that assistance, it would encourage families to change from the rink's basic skills program to the club's membership. Even if it's still a Basic Skills program, mentoring will bring in new members earlier than waiting until they're ready for their first test.