A weekly playgroup and a full-day childcare service can share a need for bookings and parent communication, while requiring different daily records. SchoolTracs supports session-based class administration, including enquiries, enrolment, fees, leave and journals. Use the illustrative situations below to identify the workflows you need, then evaluate any additional childcare requirements separately.
How do you keep trial enquiries from becoming missed follow-ups?
A parent asks about a trial, another staff member replies, and the family later calls to book a regular class. If the history stays in separate messages, reception may ask the same questions again or lose track of the next step.
- Keep one enquiry record. Use lead management to record the family’s interest and update the follow-up stage. A trial discussion can stay with the enquiry until the family confirms enrolment.
- Confirm before enrolling. When a lead is marked as won, SchoolTracs converts it into a student record. Staff can then enrol the student in the agreed course; conversion alone is not a completed class booking.
- Check the agreed arrangement. Review the lesson dates, available places and fees before completing enrolment. Test a trial-to-regular-class example so staff know what to update at each step.
What happens when a child misses a session?
A parent submits a leave request and later asks which session their child can attend instead. Staff need to connect the request, the timetable and the centre’s policy, while still keeping parents informed about the sessions attended.
- Handle the request explicitly. Review each leave application in the timetable. Approving it marks the selected lessons as leave, and the approval comment is sent to the parent.
- Check the replacement arrangement. Arrange a make-up under the centre’s rules and available capacity. Where enabled, families can arrange make-ups through the Student App; staff handle returned visits and refunds.
- Share a useful session update. Use a journal to record an observation, such as joining a group activity with less prompting, and attach a photo when appropriate. Choose a parent-visible update or an internal note.
When do full-day childcare requirements need a separate check?
A service offering care throughout the day may need records beyond scheduled learning sessions. Write down those tasks before comparing systems, rather than treating every product described as preschool software as equivalent.
- For class operations, demonstrate the enquiry, enrolment, attendance, payment and leave workflows above with your own staff roles and policies.
- For daily care, ask the provider to demonstrate any required health, meal or authorised-pickup records. A class register or photo journal does not by itself establish those capabilities.
- For specialist administration, verify any subsidy processing, statutory returns and required exports with the provider against your service’s requirements. This article describes class workflows, not evidence of childcare regulatory compliance.