CLIENT STORIES

Bialik Day School

After School Program Software With Bialik Hebrew Day School

We’ve worked with Bryan at Bialik Hebrew Day School for a few years now. He came to Regpack after a long career in the camp world, and was looking for a software to help manage a long list of after school enrichment programs for his school.

With his camp experience, he first looked at some summer camp software he had used in the past. While they worked for camp, they didn’t offer the flexibility he need for an after school setup. Naturally he checked out some after school program software, but again they weren’t able to meet his needs.

Thankfully, before settling for a software that would include many workarounds, he found Regpack and got the customization and flexibility he needed to run a seamless registration flow.

I’ll let Bryan explain how Bialik is using Regpack to manage their after school sessions, including payments, reporting, rosters, and more.

“No one was able to hit the mark, which is why Regpack ended up being so good because of how customizable it is.”

The program was growing and we were at about 200 kids per day when it took over. They needed someone who could manage this, as well as the registration, as until then it was managed only with Excel.

A lot of things were getting lost in translation and they needed someone to come in with that experience to set a better process.

You had experience with other registration software. What led you to Regpack?

I reached out to about 10 different software companies to figure out who could best see what we were trying to do. I reached out to several that were specifically built for afterschool programs.

No one was able to hit the mark, which is why Regpack ended up being so good because of how customizable it is.

I think what really worked for me is that no matter what different restrictions we had at our specific school, there was a way to work that into Regpack.

Unless your process fit the exact mold of the software, they weren’t going to work well for you. That is why Regpack was so great. Whatever thing you needed to accomplish for your own business, school, or camp, you could make it work with Regpack.

What specifically was missing from other software options?

From a camp perspective, I had experience with 2 other software platforms that were built specifically for camp. I loved them and they were very excellent for camp. I had used them for years. I did try to use them for our after school programs at Bialik, but the camp software and afterschool software options could not accomplish my biggest challenge.

Our challenge is that we have different programs happening on the same day, at the same time. For example, we had something we call after-four which is essentially different programs such a floor hockey, basketball, arts and crafts, science, coding, etcetera.

We had other programs running from 4-5pm, and 5-6pm. So, my biggest problem was if a parent wants to sign up Jimmy for hockey from 4 to 5 and then go to the general aftercare program from 5 to 6 but they only want to do that on Monday, then on Tuesday needed him from 4 to 5pm, and on Wednesday they needed Jimmy from 4 to 6 – signing up for this unique option was a pain with any other software.

Did this customized setup allow you to charge parents more efficiently as well?

Definitely. The organization of all the options and the payment were pretty easy to setup accurately. We were also able to setup various discounts, whether it is from a staff member sending theirs kids that we give a discount to or someone on subsidy at the school that gets a discount. We used the PROMO code function easily and make a bunch of individualized discounts that can be added.

Added to this, I run the programs at two different schools. I work predominantly out of one, but I do after school registration for both schools.

So, on top of all the benefits of Regpack, I don’t even need 2 system to handle it all. I just ask during registration which school they want to register for, and that automatically triggers the products they are eligible to sign-up for.

Creating a customized and personal experience for each family is important!

Exactly. It is a fairly basic feature, but it is important for what I do.

How was your experience with your Project Manager?

Yes, she is awesome. She was absolutely amazing, and she essentially built that whole project out for me that first year.

I unfortunately got pretty sick and was in the hospital in August, and we were trying to set up for September, and she just did it for me.

With our complex build, having a Project Manager is absolutely huge. She has been so incredible to work with and has gone above and beyond for sure.

Given your camp background, how would you say Regpack rates for camp software?

I would say that Regpack can be used for anything and will be good for anything for sure.

I don’t really think it is a question now, I would just go with Regpack because it is more affordable than the expensive camp systems, plus you can get what you need out of it with flexibility.

When I first made the decision to go with Regpack, and I understood I didn’t have to deal with workarounds with the other more traditional camp and after school software, I understood how worth it Regpack really was for us.

How would you rate the support you’ve received?

The team has been very wonderful and great to work with.

When I needed something urgently, the success team has been very helpful for sure.

How are you utilizing the reporting tools, including creating rosters?

It has been great. I have to run many reports weekly and what is nice about Regpack is the customization. I can get exactly what I need because I can build the report with only the information I need in it. Once that template is created, I can name that report and just filter for the right group and run the report when I need to. That has been very helpful.

I rely on the data to be accurate, especially since it is changing daily based on the differing schedules of all the kids. I have the confidence to just build my report knowing they will be updated. I just filter by the day, and run the report. Then I can distribute it to all the teachers so they know where to send their kids each day when school gets out.

I might have eight programs a day, plus the general aftercare programs, so I need nine different attendance lists every day. I can run those reports with ease, and they are all customized to how I need it.

What would you tell other after school program directors about using Regpack for their after school program software?

In August, one of our vice principals moved to be the head of school in another area. I got a call from their after school program director. She wanted to know what we do for registration and what I would recommend. Until then, they had been using just Excel to manage everything.

I told her that Regpack has been great for what we do and that it will work for whatever you need. I gave her a rundown of how our program schedule works, and how Regpack has been able to assist us in running it so smoothly, easily, and reliably for the past few years.

I let her know that a project manager is assigned to her account to help with setup and to make sure that everything is working properly, and to assist in getting everything going.

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I think what really worked for me is that no matter what different restrictions we had at our specific school, there was a way to work that into Regpack.

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We’ve included some important tasks all school programs should have, including:

• Curriculum
• Rosters
• Medical forms
• Emergency contact information
• Staff / Volunteer Selection
• Multiple child sign-ups
• Multiple payment methods