Adding Aftercare, in depth
To add Aftercare sessions in your Popsicle account, you will begin by clicking on the Aftercare icon at the left side of the screen, and then click on the "Add Session" button in the upper righthand corner of the screen, here:
When starting to build your aftercare session, you will fill in the details of the session just as you would for Classes or Camps, and then once all the fields are filled, click the Continue button, here:
Next, you'll move on to the Dates & Times section of the session setup process. Here, you'll designate the start and end dates for the session, the "No Session Dates" (any days during that time period where there will be no aftercare,) and the registration window dates and times. Once all fields are filled, just click the Continue button:
Once you've entered the information into the Dates & Times section, you'll move on to designate which days of the week you'll be offering Aftercare:
**Please note: When a parent chooses a day of the week or multiple days of the week, they are committing to that day of the week for the entirety of your aftercare session. For instance, if the parent chooses Monday and Tuesday Aftercare, this will commit them to every Monday and Tuesday that are offered during the entire Aftercare session. Some parents have varying schedules, and would like to be able to choose a day here and there--this is where Drop In's come into play!
**When Drop In's are enabled on your account, parents will be able to choose from any days of the week, in any combination, and will be charged upfront at registration.
The Aftercare feature allows you to set different times and prices for each individual day of the week, while still choosing whether you will have a waitlist, and the option to offer Drop-Ins as well:
The Popsicle platform will automatically balance your waitlist and drop-in options to ensure that your programs never go over capacity--just set your limits here, and we'll handle the rest! 🎉
After you select the days of the week that you'll be offering Aftercare, you will be prompted to add a price for Aftercare on the following page. You will enter the rate you will charge, and can choose to either offer a fixed rate, or charge per the day/hour:
Lastly, you will determine how these fees will be billed to those who register. You can choose to have parents pay Upfront, Per Week, or Per Month:
For Weekly and/or Monthly billing, you will have the option to charge based on either Scheduled Attendance, or Actual Attendance.
**If you select the Per Week option- the parent’s payment source will be billed on each Monday for the previous week
If you select Per Month - parent’s payment source will be billed on the 1st of each month for the previous month
Upfront - parents will be charged for the session when registering
**Don't forget to choose the Save & Done option once you've completed this section!
Once you've decided on your Session Fees, you will need to set up your Drop-In billing. You can charge the same amount as your other pricing options, or you can charge a different rate for Drop In's. You can choose the rate for the Drop-In to be charged either by the day or the hour, but this fee must be paid up front when registering:
You will also be able to offer both Multi-Child and Multi-Day Discounts here, at your discretion:
Multi-Day discounts would apply to one child, who is attending multiple Aftercare sessions, and Multi-Child discounts would apply to multiple children from the same family who are enrolled in Aftercare.
Lastly, you will be able to configure any Add-On's, such as Material Fees, Lunch/Snack offerings, T-Shirts, etc., and set prices for those--as well as designating if they are a required purchase. You will also see the option at the bottom of the section to require parents to provide Pickup details, the child's Homeroom teacher, and T-Shirt size, if applicable--and require that information before being able to successfully register. These can also be toggled off, if not in use:
Once you've added all of the information for your Aftercare Session, you will need to click on "Save and Done" and you'll be all set!