If it seems like every kid you know goes to some type of camp or after-school program, that’s because it’s probably true. And it’s not just kids. According to the American Camp Association, there are more than 14 million adults and children who attend some kind of camp each year. That’s enough campers to support 14,000 camps in the United States, almost half of which are associated directly with a school or school curricula.
Those numbers are going up. More than 80 percent of camps report increasing attendance over recent years, and 50 percent of camps say they are 90- to 99-percent full. But none of these numbers are likely a surprise. As a school administrator or special programs director you’ve likely seen interest increase and seen attendance do the same. But an increase in attendance means more work on your end to keep things running smoothly.
Traditionally, registration, course attendance and class rosters could be managed with pencil and paper. Or, if you were technically inclined, a spreadsheet on your desktop. But as attendance increases along with the expectations of your students engaged in camp programs, manual methods can’t keep up. You need the capabilities that come with software dedicated to managing registration and attendance, like ACTIVEWorks for Education.
Real-Time Attendance Tracking
Attendance is so important for schools. Have a full roster? Maybe you need to schedule another session. Not much interest in your new summer camp? Maybe it’s time to try something different. With the right software, you can see in real time how each class, day camp session and after-school program is performing. You can see which students are in attendance, which are not and then look at historical data to plan for the next class or semester.
Marketing and Communication
A registration management software, like ACTIVEWorks for Education, will help you manage your parent, student and staff interactions. It can integrate email, social media and mobile marketing tools into the registration process, helping you spread the word about your classes and programs. And with drag-and-drop capabilities, creating those emails can’t be easier.
Program Management and Registration
With the right software, you can build loyalty, increase enrollments and track attendance in your classes, day camps and before- and after-school programs. You can allow parents to register multiple children at one time and easily create forms that let you collect the information that matters.
Manual systems can hold you back, and smart administrators are realizing that. However, the right tools can help you operate more efficiently, allowing you to increase registrations and revenue without increasing staff, administrative tasks or volunteer hours.
