Running clubs and after-school programs at a small school

A small school can run good clubs with one or two staff members and a spare room. What goes wrong is usually the paperwork: a family thinks chess runs on Tuesdays, the club leader thinks it's Thursdays, and nobody is sure whether the fee is per term or per month.

Write a one-page sheet for each club

Before you open sign-ups, write a single page for every club. Keep the same headings on every sheet so families can compare them side by side.

• Name and leader. Who runs it, and who covers when that person is out.
• Ages. Give the range in years or by classroom level.
• Days and times. List the weekday, the start time and the pickup time. Say where pickup happens.
• Start and end dates. Write the first and last meeting dates, and list any dates the club skips, such as school closures or conference week.
• Capacity. Set a firm number. Choose it based on the room, the materials and the adults you have.
• Fee. State the amount, what it covers (materials, a snack, an outside instructor) and when it's due.
• What to bring. Indoor shoes, a water bottle, a smock.

If a club has no fee, write "No fee" on the sheet. Families notice a blank line and ask about it.

Decide your fee rules before anyone signs up

Most arguments about club fees come from a case the school never decided. Settle these questions with your director now and print the answers on every sheet.

1. When does the fee start? Pick one rule for children who join after the first meeting. Many small schools charge only for the meetings that remain, and they charge nothing extra to join late.
2. What happens if a child leaves? Decide whether you refund anything and by what date a family has to tell you.
3. What about a missed meeting? If the club leader is sick and you cancel, say whether you add a make-up date or credit the family.
4. How does the fee reach the family? Put it on the regular tuition bill as its own line, or send a separate invoice. Choose one method and use it for every club.

Write the rules in plain sentences. "If your child joins after the first meeting, you pay only for the meetings left in the term" is easier to follow than a table of percentages.

Build the roster and keep it current

Open sign-ups on a fixed date and close them on a fixed date. A first-come list is fine for a small school, as long as you say so in advance. When a club fills, start a short waiting list and tell each family their place on it.

Your roster for each club needs, at minimum:

• the child's name and classroom
• who picks the child up after club, if that person differs from the usual pickup
• allergies and medical notes that matter for the activity, copied from the child's main record
• a phone number the club leader can call during the meeting

Give the club leader a printed copy on the first day and update it the same day anyone joins or leaves. A child who left the club in October and still appears on the list in November causes a pickup mix-up sooner or later.

Take attendance at every meeting, even when the group is six children. It answers the question "Was my child at club on the 14th?" without anyone having to remember, and it gives you a record if a fee question comes up later.

Tell families once, then put it on the calendar

Send the club sheets to families in one message, with the sign-up dates at the top. After sign-ups close, send each enrolled family a short confirmation that repeats the day, the time, the pickup place and the fee.

Then add every meeting to the school calendar, including the skipped dates. Families plan pickups weeks ahead, and a calendar that shows club days next to closures saves you the "Is there club on the day before break?" question.

A sample confirmation:

Your child is signed up for Garden Club. It meets Wednesdays from 3:15 to 4:15 in the courtyard, from October 7 to December 9, with no meeting on November 25. Pickup is at the courtyard gate. The fee is $60 for the term and appears on your November invoice.

Change the details to fit your school, and keep the order: club, day and time, dates, pickup, fee.

At the end of each term, ask each club leader two questions: which day and time worked, and whether the capacity was right. Adjust the sheets before the next round of sign-ups.