Set up for 2/3/5 day classes

Amanda Polson

We have early childhood classes with a lot of options and I'm wondering if anyone else has a better system for setting these up than what I used. Some children come 2 days, some 3 days, and some 5 days. We also have a ½ and full day option.

This past year (our first with blackbaud) I set up a morning class and afternoon class, and 2 and 3 day sections for each, with the 5 day students registered in both. There are a few problems:

• The teachers are left with multiple classes on their end, so to use the classroom functions or calendars they have to enter everything multiple times, and they don't have just one list to contact the entire class
• We have narrative reports that include an extensive overview of the year in general for all students, so on the report cards if children are 5 days they end up getting information twice since it is entered for both 2 and 3 day students (I could fix this by creating a 5 day option as well, but that would give the teachers yet another class to deal with).

I'm guessing I'm not alone in this, so I'm curious how other schools set it up. Thanks!

Candace Chesler

@Amanda Polson - I previously worked at a school with multiple options for our Early Childhood students - but - the students were only in one class. We had a 3 Day room a 2 Day Room, a Half Day Room and two 5 Day Rooms. If a student attended only 2 days - they were in a classroom with all the others who attended only 2 days.
From your description it sounds like your classroom roster is fluid depending on the day of the week. OR - is it just the 5 day students who are in “multiple” classes?

I am wondering if you keep those initial classes as they are - so the teachers know WHO should be in attendance on a given day. And then - create another class that is ALL the students for any one teacher - or team of teachers depending on your set up.

This other class can be used for any ALL EC events and news - but anything that pertains specifically to the 2 day or 3 day students would be shared on their class. You could then use this ALL EC class for the Report Cards.

Teachers will still have to be aware of which class they are using to post information - but it seems like this setup of overlapping enrollments is going to cause some confusion for either parents or teachers. I always opt for a solution that is easier for the parents - since they are the ones paying tuition.

Amanda Polson

@Candace Chesler Thanks! Yes, our 5 day students are in the same class as the 3 and 2 day. That's a good suggestion, I appreciate it and agree that keeping things simple for the parents is the goal!