## Summary

**Auto-Archive Rules** keep your active waitlist manageable by moving applications to **Archive** when a child passes your age limit or a family has been inactive for too long. You choose the thresholds; Kiddo runs the rules daily and when you first turn a rule on.

## Before you start

- You need admin access to **Settings**.
- Review your **classroom age bands** (under **Settings → Locations & Classrooms**) if you plan to use the age rule — Kiddo can suggest a threshold from your oldest classroom.
- Auto-archive rules only affect applications on the **Wait List** tab with **On Wait List** status. Offers, enrollment in progress, and enrolled children are not auto-archived.
- This guide covers **Auto-Archive Rules** in settings. **Incomplete** applications can also be removed from the active list automatically after reminder emails — that is separate from these rules.

## Steps

1. Open **Settings → Enrollment & Waitlist** and scroll to **Auto-Archive Rules**.
2. Choose one or both rules:

### Age rule

Turn on the first toggle and set **When child turns** **[years]** **years** **[months]** **month(s)**.

- Kiddo uses the child's date of birth. Applications without a birth date are skipped.
- If your threshold is below Kiddo's recommended age (from your classroom upper age limits), you may see **Update auto-archive age**. You can **Use recommended age**, **Keep existing age**, or **Turn on with current age**.
- Recommended age uses each classroom's upper age limit. If a classroom has no upper limit, Kiddo adds two years to its minimum age.

### Inactivity rule

Turn on the second toggle and set **If the parents' last activity was more than** **[number]** **[Month / Year]** **ago**.

- **Last activity** means the parent signed in or confirmed interest in Kiddo. If that date is missing, Kiddo uses the last time they confirmed their application.
- **Imported or staff-added applications** that never signed in are only considered after the record has been on your waitlist for more than one year.

3. Changes save automatically. When you **first enable** a rule, Kiddo runs auto-archive once right away and shows how many applications moved to **Archive** (if any).
4. After that, rules run on a **daily schedule** (3 AM UTC). Matching applications move to **Archive** without further action from you.

## What happens next

### On your waitlist

- Archived applications leave the **Wait List** tab and appear under **Waitlist → Archive**.
- Auto-archived rows show **Age rule — auto** or **Inactivity rule — auto** so you can tell them apart from manual archives.
- **Waitlist position is preserved** — if you **Return to Waitlist**, the original submission date still counts for ordering.
- Use **Return to Waitlist** from a child's profile anytime a family comes back.

### For families

Auto-archive is staff-facing cleanup. On **Home** today:

- Families do **not** see a removed or archived label for auto-archive.
- If auto-archive was the only status on the application, **Home** may fall back to **On Waitlist** — which can look like they are still actively waitlisted.
- Kiddo does **not** send an automatic email when auto-archive runs.

**Reach out directly** when families need a clear answer. Use **Parent Withdraw** when you archive manually and want them to see **Withdrawn** on **Home**. See [How to archive a waitlist application](https://help.joinkiddo.com/hc/centers/articles/archive-application).

### On Overview

- **Auto-Archived Children (Last 30 Days)** on **Overview** shows how many applications were archived in the last 30 days, as a share of all archived applications at your center.

## Common questions

### Can I use only one rule?

Yes. Age and inactivity rules work independently — enable either or both.

### Does auto-archive delete applications?

No. Applications move to **Archive**. You can still view details, export data, and use **Return to Waitlist** to bring them back to the active list.

### What counts as parent activity for the inactivity rule?

Signing in to Kiddo or confirming continued interest on an application. Staff edits alone do not reset the clock for a signed-in family.

### Will auto-archive affect applications with an open offer?

No. Only applications with **On Wait List** status are eligible. Sent offers, accepted enrollment, and enrolled children stay where they are.

### What about imported waitlist rows?

Families who never created a Kiddo account are not archived for inactivity until the record is at least one year old. Age rules still apply when the child's date of birth crosses your threshold.

### How is this different from manually archiving?

Manual archive is a one-time staff action with a reason you choose. Auto-archive runs on your schedule using the rules above. Both land in **Archive** and behave the same on **Home** today.

## Related articles

- In the app: **Settings → Enrollment & Waitlist → Auto-Archive Rules**
- [How to archive a waitlist application](https://help.joinkiddo.com/hc/centers/articles/archive-application)
- [Configure enrollment fees and steps](https://help.joinkiddo.com/hc/centers/articles/enrollment-settings)
- [Import families from a spreadsheet](https://help.joinkiddo.com/hc/centers/articles/import-waitlist)
- What your parents see on **Home**: [Understand your waitlist status](https://help-families.joinkiddo.com/hc/families/articles/application-status)