A good re-enrollment and enrollment system starts with a well thought-out and coordinated plan. Whether you’re doing an opt-out (continuous enrollment) or opt-in (reenrollment) process, making the best use of your solution by planning and timing things right can save a lot of work down the road for your school.
As you prepare to enter this season, here are some thoughts, tips and tricks to help you setup and prepare your system for the upcoming season:
- Think beyond Payment Plans. Having parents sign up for their payment plan is a major component, but so much more can be accomplished.
- If you are using a non-integrated payment plan processor (such as Blackbaud for Admissions but FACTS for Tuition Management), plan out your data flow, communications and login accounts.
- Do you have policies or handbooks to be signed? Don’t ask parents to sign before the policy is public. Either make it a living document with 30-day updates, or have the full policy or handbook ready for reenrollment.
- Is there data you’re missing in other systems, such as development or your SIS? This is a great time to ask for it, even if you have to export and import. Grandparents are a good example of this.
- Have parents review their information, but remember that it’s January and a lot can change in 7-8 months. It’s always a good idea to have another “profile check” towards the start of school.
- Rethink fees. If you’re still collecting checks or cash for specific needs, start identifying those now so you can bill them next year instead of asking for money.
- Identify other systems not part of your enrollment process that parents will need to make payments. For example, you may have a cafeteria provider, textbook provider or 3rd-party tuition management. Make these clear to parents during the process.
- If you have optional programs such as extended day, transportation, cafeteria plans, or other opt-ins, consolidate those into this process rather than do them later.
- Bring in optional or required purchases like yearbooks, field trips, grade-level excursions, class t-shirts, and more into this as well. They don’t all have to be billed now, but you’ll want to decide when to bill and if they can be spread into payments.
- Do away with permission slips. The majority of these releases are already known and can be integrated into this process so parents aren’t signing throughout the year.
From the above, there are many opportunities that will improve the parent experience by reducing signups, charges and unexpected costs throughout the year. This also improves internal functioning since you know information earlier in the year than you might have otherwise.
The challenge with this is collecting the data and coordinating with leaders in various departments. It’s also deciding who is responsible for the enrollment process – is it Admissions, Business Office, or someone else? Regardless of who, it’s important to identify a leader.
Enrollment doesn’t have to be a strenuous season, but it does take some planning and effort. If you find your enrollment process needs a revamp, cleanup, or a new software solution, let LeadershipOne Technologies help. We’ve worked with numerous enrollment systems and can help you design a process and system that will help you for years to come!
