Unlike long-term childcare accounts for which tuition is charged and collected every month throughout the year, summer camp payments are for short term programs that last from a few days to a few weeks with a definite start and end date. Typically, payments are made as a single lump sum by a particular date before the beginning of camp or billed on a recurring weekly basis.

Parents are busy people as they no doubt tell you every time they drop off or pick up their child at your facility. They arrive with a pinched look on their faces and move like a film being played at top speed. Mentioning the bill or, worse, a delinquent payment may spur an outburst to rival their toddler's.

Simplifying billing to make the parents’ lives easier takes part of the stress off them and your staff.

Here are some ideas on streamlining your billing process.

Preschool kiddos are cute, inquisitive, and on-the-go. You and your staff love spending time with them. When administration duties cut into that time, you miss out on all the fun.

Preschool software can automate many of your most tedious tasks and keep everything on track. The software can come loaded with all sorts of bells and whistles. How do you decide what you need it to do?

How do you know if your after school program is meeting the needs of the youth and community it serves? Like the students it serves, you measure its strengths and challenges using a variety of tests designed to show you where your program is succeeding and where you need to improve.

Before you measure, however, you must clearly define your goals and set a benchmark for each, so you have something against which to measure.

After school programs provide an important support role within the community but recruiting and retention are always challenging, particularly for older students and at-risk communities.

Many students do not become involved because nobody asks them to be or they do not know how to get involved. Others do not want to make a commitment due to family and work pressures or a preference for unstructured time. Some of those who are interested lack transportation or have other obstacles to attending.