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How automated messages work (and what families receive)
Summary Kiddo sends most family-facing emails and texts on behalf of your center — application confirmations, tour reminders, offers, and enrollment steps. You review templates and timing in Communications; Kiddo delivers them with your center's name. Before you start - You need admin access to Communications and Settings. - Messages use the email addresses families provide on the waitlist form or in Kiddo. How it works Two kinds of messages | Who sends it | What it covers | Example | | --- | --- | --- | | Your center (via Kiddo) | Day-to-day enrollment communication | Waitlist confirmation, tour reminder, offer sent | | Kiddo (platform) | Account and security | Sign-in link, payment receipt from Kiddo billing | This article focuses on center → family messages — the ones you configure under Communications. Where to manage them Open Communications in Kiddo. Tabs group workflows by stage: - Announcements — one-time messages you send to many families (bulk announcements). - Wait List Communications — messages during the waitlist stage (confirmations, continued-interest checks, status updates). - Tour Communications — booking confirmations, reminders, and follow-ups. - Enrollment Communications — offers, document requests, and enrollment fee reminders. Each workflow shows the trigger (when it sends), the channel (email and/or SMS where enabled), and the template text your center can customize. What families experience - Emails come from your center's name with Kiddo handling delivery. - Links in emails sign families into Kiddo when needed (offers, payments, documents). - Families do not see internal workflow names — only the subject and body you configured. What your parents see: Families receive email from your center's name (via Kiddo). If they report missing mail, share Not receiving emails from Kiddo. For waitlist steps after applying, see Understand your waitlist status. Cadence and toggles Many waitlist workflows include a cadence (how often periodic updates send). Turn workflows on or off per center; adjust copy to match your voice. Test with a staff email before wide changes. Common questions Can I turn off automated emails? Yes — disable or adjust individual workflows in Communications. Critical one-time messages (like an offer) still send when you take that action in the app. Why did a family say they did not get an email? Ask them to check spam. Confirm the email on their application matches what they check. Share Not receiving emails from Kiddo or Sign in with email (verification code) if they cannot access Kiddo. Do I edit emails in Communications or Settings? Template text and workflow timing live under Communications. Center profile details (name, logo) come from Settings → Center Profile. What is the difference between Announcements and automated workflows? Announcements are manual one-time blasts you compose and send. Wait List / Tour / Enrollment Communications run on triggers (application submitted, tour booked, offer sent, etc.). Related articles - In the app: Communications - How to send a bulk announcement to waitlist families - Go-live checklist — what to configure before sharing your link
WaitlistHow to add a second child to the waitlist
Summary Each child needs their own waitlist application at your center. When a family already has one child on your waitlist, you can add a sibling from Waitlist or send them your public link so they complete the form themselves. Before you start - You need staff access to Waitlist. - Know the parent’s email (or name) so you can find the right family when adding from staff tools. - If you charge a waitlist fee, confirm Stripe is connected — Connect Stripe for waitlist fees and payouts. Option A — Parent adds the sibling (recommended) Most centers reshare the same waitlist link so families enter their own information. 1. Copy your link from Waitlist → Copy waitlist link — see Share your parent waitlist link. Copy waitlist link on the Waitlist toolbar 2. Send it to the family and ask them to sign in with the same email they used for their first child. 3. Kiddo opens the form directly when they already have an application at your center — they may not see Begin Application again. 4. They select Add Another Child on the form, or return from Home → Add Child on the family Home page, then complete the new child’s details and enrollment preferences, pay if required, and submit. What your parents see: How to add another child to the waitlist. Option B — Staff adds the sibling Use this when you are entering the application for the family or helping them over the phone. 1. Open Waitlist and stay on the Wait List tab. 2. Select Add Child (the primary button — not Import Children). Add Child button on Waitlist 3. On Add New Child, search for the parent by name or email under Parent Information. Add New Child — search for the parent 4. Select the matching guardian. Kiddo loads their existing family and any children already on file. 5. Open Child Information. Existing children appear for reference. Enter details for the new sibling (or select Add Another Child if you need an extra row). 6. Open Enrollment Information. Set start date, schedule, location preferences, and priorities for the new child only. Add New Child — Enrollment Information for the sibling 7. Select Add Child to Wait List. The new application appears on Wait List with its own status. Kiddo links siblings on the same family so you can see related children from the waitlist table. What happens next - The sibling gets a separate waitlist application and queue position — offers are per child. - If you use enrollment priorities (for example, current families or siblings), the new application may qualify when the parent answers priority questions — see What is waitlist priority and how is it used?. - Waitlist fee: Fees are charged per child when your settings require payment for that application. On Payment Information, parents see each child on its own line — for example Fee Waived or an amount — based on your waitlist fee, Priority Status answers, and discounts. - Reminder emails for incomplete applications apply separately to each child — see What incomplete waitlist applications mean. Common questions Should I use Add Child or Import Children? Add Child is for one family at a time (including a second sibling). Import Children is for bulk CSV import — see Import families from a spreadsheet. Will the sibling share the first child’s waitlist spot? No. Each child has their own application and offer path. Priority rules may rank siblings higher when you configured them. The parent used a different email for the second child — now I see two families Ask the parent to use one email for all applications, or add the sibling yourself with Add Child after searching the correct guardian. If the same child appears twice, see How to merge duplicate child profiles. Can I add a second child for a family who is already enrolled? Yes. Search for the parent in Add Child and complete a new waitlist application for the sibling. Enrollment status on an older sibling does not block a new application for another child. What if the parent starts but does not submit? The sibling may show as Incomplete on Wait List until they finish or reminders time out — see What incomplete waitlist applications mean. Related articles - In the app: Waitlist → Wait List → Add Child - Share your parent waitlist link - What is waitlist priority and how is it used? - What incomplete waitlist applications mean - What your parents see: How to add another child to the waitlist
EnrollmentConfigure enrollment fees and steps
Summary Enrollment & Waitlist settings control how families apply, how you rank the waitlist, and what fees you charge before and during enrollment. Configure these before sharing your parent link. Before you start - You need admin access to Settings. - Connect Stripe if you charge waitlist or enrollment fees — Connect Stripe for waitlist fees and payouts. Key sections Open Settings → Enrollment & Waitlist: Schedules Add the schedule options families choose on the waitlist form (e.g. full-time, part-time, MWF). Inactive schedules stay hidden from new applications. Enrollment Priorities Define ranking rules and the questions parents answer on the form. Drag to reorder priority. See What is waitlist priority and how is it used?. Fee Management - Waitlist fee (non-refundable) — optional charge when families join the waitlist. - Enrollment fees — deposits or registration fees during enrollment (after an offer). Waitlist Welcome Message Customize the message parents see before Begin Application on your public form. What your parents see: How to join a center's waitlist — your welcome message and the steps on the public form. Auto-Archive Rules Automatically move over-age or inactive waitlist applications to Archive. See How to set up auto-archive rules for your waitlist. Export Waitlist Download waitlist data for reporting (does not replace import — see Import families from a spreadsheet). What happens next - Changes apply to new applications and form visits immediately unless noted otherwise. - Existing applications keep their submitted preferences until updated by staff or the family. Common questions Should I charge a waitlist fee? Optional. Many centers use a small non-refundable fee to confirm serious interest. Set to zero if your waitlist is free. Where do families pay enrollment fees? After an offer, families pay through Home or links in enrollment emails — same Stripe connection as waitlist fees. How do these settings relate to the go-live checklist? The in-app Setup checklist on Waitlist mirrors these same steps. See Go-live checklist. Related articles - In the app: Settings → Enrollment & Waitlist - Set up document types for enrollment - Share your parent waitlist link
Spots and offersCreate and manage open spots
Summary An open spot is a classroom, schedule, start date, and age range you want to fill. Create spots on the Open spots tab so Kiddo can match waitlisted families and you can send offers. Before you start - You need staff access to Waitlist for a specific location (open spots are location-specific). - Confirm Schedules and classrooms are set up under Settings → Enrollment & Waitlist. Steps 1. Open Waitlist and select the Open spots tab. 2. Choose the location and classroom where the spot is available. 3. Select Add a new spot (or the add action on an empty classroom). 4. In the create window, set: - Classroom and Start date - Number of Open Spots (how many children you can enroll) - Schedules the spot accepts - Age range or birthdate range for matching 5. Select Create Spot. Kiddo lists matched children who fit the spot. Open the spot row to review matches, send offers, or archive the spot when it is filled. Edit or archive a spot Open the spot from Open spots, update fields as needed, and choose Save Changes. When the spot is no longer available, archive it from the spot actions menu. What happens next - Matched families appear on the spot detail view — sorted using waitlist priority and fit. - Send offers from the spot — see How to send an offer for an open spot. - Parents receive offer emails when you send; they respond on Home. What your parents see: How to accept an enrollment offer Common questions Why are there no matches? Families may not have applied for that schedule, age group, or location yet. Review Waitlist filters and your Schedules setup. See What is waitlist priority and how is it used?. Can I create a spot without choosing a classroom first? You create spots from a classroom context on the Open spots tab — pick the location and classroom, then add the spot. What is the difference between Waitlist and Open spots? Waitlist is every application. Open spots are specific spots you are actively trying to fill. See Common questions about open spots and offers. Related articles - In the app: Waitlist → Open spots - How to send an offer for an open spot - Parent Help links you can share with families
CommunicationsHow to send a bulk announcement to waitlist families
Summary Use Announcements when you need a one-time message to many waitlist families — closure notices, policy updates, or event reminders. This is separate from automated waitlist workflows. Before you start - You need admin or director access to Communications. - Know which families to include (often filtered from Waitlist before you start). Steps 1. Open Communications. 2. Stay on the Announcements tab (or select it if another tab is open). 3. Select New Announcement. 4. Enter a Campaign Name and choose Email Only or Email & Text Message. 5. Write the Subject and message body. Use template variables if your center configured them. 6. Review Recipients — adjust the list if needed (Edit Recipients). 7. Optional: choose Send Test Email or Send Test SMS from the send menu before going live. 8. Select Send, or choose Schedule for Later / Save Draft from the dropdown. You can also open bulk announcements from Waitlist bulk actions when families are selected. What happens next - Kiddo queues messages through your center's configured channels. - Families receive email and/or SMS from your center (via Kiddo) — they see your center's name as the sender, not internal campaign names. - After you send, open Communications → Announcements to see delivery status and results on the list. For ongoing automated messages (confirmations, continued interest, etc.), see How automated messages work. What your parents see: Email or SMS from your center's name (via Kiddo). If families report missing mail, share Not receiving emails from Kiddo. Track results on the Announcements list The Announcements table shows one row per campaign. After a send finishes (or while it is still going out), use these columns: | Column | What it shows | | --- | --- | | Status | Draft, Scheduled, Starting, Sending, Sent, or Partially sent | | Open Rate | Rough estimate of how many email recipients opened the message | | Click Rate | How many families used a Kiddo action link from the email (for example View Waitlist), not every link in the body | Status on the list uses different labels than the delivery card when you open a campaign — for example, Sent on the list corresponds to Completed in the detail view, and Partially sent corresponds to Completed with issues. Open Rate and Click Rate are helpful estimates, not exact counts: - Opens depend on email-client tracking. Some clients block or inflate open signals, so treat the number as directional. - Clicks count families who followed a Main Action link Kiddo generated for that announcement (the primary button-style link), not arbitrary URLs you pasted into the body. - Either column may show -- while the campaign is still Sending, before any emails have been delivered, or when the campaign did not include email. Rates can keep updating for several hours after a send completes as opens and clicks arrive. Review an announcement To see delivery detail and parent engagement while a send is in progress or after it finishes: 1. Open Communications → Announcements. 2. Select the campaign row (not New Announcement). Once a campaign starts sending, it opens in a read-only Campaign Details view — you cannot edit message content or recipients. Draft and Scheduled campaigns stay editable when you open them. To send something similar to a past announcement, return to the list, open the row ⋯ menu, and choose Duplicate. Delivery status At the top of Campaign Details, a delivery card summarizes the send: - Completed — every queued email and text for that campaign finished without failures (shown as Sent on the list). - Completed with issues — some messages could not be delivered (shown as Partially sent on the list). Review the Delivery issues list below the progress bars. - Sending / Starting send — delivery is still in progress (shown as Sending or Starting on the list). You can leave the page; sending continues in the background. Progress bars break down Email and Text separately (for example, 45 of 50 sent · 2 failed). If deliveries failed for specific families, a Delivery issues list shows the guardian or child, which channel failed, and a short reason when Kiddo has one. Some rows include Reached anyway — for example, email failed but text succeeded, or another parent on the account received the message on a different channel. If many families were affected, the list may show the first entries only, with a note such as Showing first 10 of 25. Parent engagement since sending For finished sends — including Partially sent campaigns — Kiddo shows Parent engagement since sending — activity from contacted families after the announcement went out: | Metric | Meaning | | --- | --- | | Parent activity since sending | Parents who signed in or took in-app action after the send | | Updated waitlist info | Parents who updated waitlist details (for example contact info or enrollment preferences) | | Removed from waitlist | Children no longer on the waitlist after the send — includes parents who withdrew and applications the parent closed from their side | Percentages are of parents contacted, not of every child on your waitlist. A chart below the cards shows how these counts accumulated day by day. Engagement appears only after the campaign has finished sending. If metrics do not load, refresh the page or check back once the list shows Sent or Partially sent (or the detail view shows Completed or Completed with issues). Common questions How is this different from Wait List Communications? Announcements are manual one-time messages you compose. Wait List Communications are automated workflows triggered by events (application submitted, status update cadence, etc.). Can I message only certain schedules or locations? Yes — start from filtered recipients on Waitlist or edit the recipient list in the announcement editor before sending. Why is Send disabled? Complete the Campaign Name, subject, message content, and at least one recipient. Kiddo shows validation if something is missing. Why is Open Rate --? Common reasons: - The campaign is still Sending or has not delivered any emails yet. - The announcement did not include email, so there is no open tracking. - Email delivery has not finished — wait until the list shows Sent or Partially sent (or the detail view shows Completed or Completed with issues). What counts as a click? Click Rate tracks families who used a Kiddo action link tied to the announcement's Main Action (for example View Waitlist). Links you type manually in the message body are not included in this metric. Why is Click Rate --? - The announcement did not include email, so there is no click tracking on the list. - The campaign is still Sending or no emails have been delivered yet. If emails were sent but no families used the Main Action link yet, the column shows 0% rather than --. Why did some texts or emails fail? Invalid phone numbers, carrier blocks, full mailboxes, and spam filtering can cause individual failures while other recipients still receive the message. Open the campaign and review the Delivery issues list for affected families. Kiddo notifies the support team when a send has partial failures. What does "Removed from waitlist" include? This counts children who left the waitlist after the announcement was sent. The breakdown includes: - Withdrawn — the parent withdrew the application. - Archived by parent — the parent closed the application from their Kiddo account. Center-initiated changes that do not remove the child from the family's view may not appear here. Use Waitlist for full application status. Related articles - In the app: Communications → Announcements → New Announcement - How automated messages work (and what families receive)
SettingsManage multiple locations
Summary Centers with more than one site use locations so waitlist, tours, open spots, and staff permissions stay organized per campus. Before you start - You need Super Admin or Admin access to Settings → Locations & Classrooms. - Plan a short code per location if you display location suffixes on status labels. Steps Add locations and classrooms 1. Open Settings → Locations & Classrooms. 2. Select Add Location and enter name, address, and details. 3. Within each location, add classrooms (age groups or rooms) used for open spots and offers. 4. Repeat for each site in your organization. Let families choose a location When multiple locations exist, your waitlist form can ask families which site they prefer. Configure location preferences during enrollment setup and on the public form — see Configure enrollment fees and steps. Assign staff to locations Location Manager and Staff roles access only assigned locations. When inviting users, pick locations on the Add New User form — see Invite staff to your center. Work in the app by location Many pages include a location switcher (Waitlist, Open spots, Tour). Choose All locations or a single site depending on your role. What happens next - Open spots and tours are location-specific. - Stripe and some integrations may be configured per center account — confirm billing with your Kiddo plan contact if you operate many sites under one login. What your parents see: How to join a center's waitlist — families can rank location preferences on the application when you enable it. Common questions Can one family apply to multiple locations? Families can rank location preferences on the application when your center enables it. Each application row ties to a preferred site. Do I need a separate Kiddo account per location? Usually one center account with multiple locations. Contact Kiddo support if your organization needs separate accounts. Where is multi-location in go-live setup? The checklist includes Add your other locations before sharing your parent link. Related articles - In the app: Settings → Locations & Classrooms - Invite staff to your center - Go-live checklist