We’ve all enrolled online for something before, and we have each had a different online experience.
Whether you signed up for a gym membership or enrolled your child in a summer camp, online enrollment is an easy and effective tool for those who are searching for that instant satisfaction of being “accepted.” In today’s world, technology has become our number one asset for communicating and for good reason: It saves time, is cost effective, and can give instant feedback. So why keep our school enrollment process in the past?
School of Choice offers parents a wide variety of schooling options for their children. Theme schools, Montessori schools, traditional public schools, and charter schools have become accessible to parents. With so many options, how can we ensure we are putting our school at parents’ fingertips? Easy. We make enrolling a synch!
TOP 5 BENEFITS OF HAVING AN ONLINE ENROLLMENT SYSTEM:
BENEFIT #1: It’s EASY and INSTANT
When parents are searching for their child’s education, they want the experience to be easy, accessible, and welcoming. Paper enrollment forms are becoming a thing of the past. If a parent wanted to enroll a child, they would have to own a home printer or go to the school and pick-up a paper form. This causes issues for the family who doesn’t own a printer or the family who doesn’t have the means to get to the school. It also causes issues for the busy family who isn’t able to stop in during school hours. And why should their child’s enrollment suffer because of that reason? Now, parents can go online, research their perfect academy and BOOM – they have the option to submit enrollment information for their child instantly.
BENEFIT #2: Information STAYS TOGETHER
Have you ever stepped foot into a school secretary’s office between 7:30am-4pm? Chances are things are a bit hectic with the many, many important tasks that must be performed each day. With an online enrollment system, all the information stays together in one confidential and secure location. No need to look for signed “Release of Records” forms or enrollment packets. Instead, all the enrollment information is safely gathered in the online system.
BENEFIT #3: ORGANIZED and Available
Spreadsheets are a thing of the past with online enrollment systems. There is no longer a need for ten different spreadsheets, each containing different information for the students being enrolled. Instead, the online system can help keep the information organized. Want to know who has submitted a birth certificate? Simple. Want to know who has siblings at the same school? Simple. With the click of a button, you can organize your new (or returning) students’ information.
BENEFIT #4: Constant COMMUNICATION
So much can happen between the time a parent enrolls and the time school starts! If a parent enrolls early, they could have up to six months before the first day of school. Having an online enrollment system allows the school to remain in constant contact and communication with ALL families, and even track the communication along the way. All the parental information is easily accessible and allows you to invite families to Family Nights, park parties, and community/cultural events.
BENEFIT #5: SIMPLE to Connect
This is a major perk when choosing an online enrollment system. Make sure your enrollment information is easily linked to your school’s data system, such as PowerSchool or MIStar. When parents enroll their children or submit their re-enrollment information, that data is easily transferred from the enrollment system and placed into the school’s attendance/information data system. There is no need for school personnel to manually update student files. Instead, one easy import can do that for you!
Within the Choice Schools Associates academies, we’ve adopted an online enrollment system known as PowerSchool Enrollment that directly syncs with our schools who utilize the data system Powerschool. Utilizing an online enrollment system has been a change for many of our schools, but is one that has decreased parent frustration and increased efficiency. Current (new) student enrollment numbers are available at an instant, collecting data for marketing and information purposes has never been easier, and all of our families receive instant communication from the academy they’ve applied to!
What online enrollment system are YOU using, and how has online enrollment benefited you?