Modern schools rely on digital systems for communication, attendance, grades, payments, and more.
New families need access to these systems, but schools often struggle with when and how to set them up.
Some schools create accounts during enrollment. Others wait until families have started. Both approaches can work, but both create problems if not handled thoughtfully.
The technology burden for new families
Consider what new families might need access to:
- Parent portal for attendance, grades, and communication
- School app for notifications and announcements
- Learning management system (if students use devices at school)
- Payment system for fees, trips, and activities
- Photo consent and permissions
- Email lists or communication groups
- School calendar or timetable system
That is a lot of systems. Families can feel overwhelmed.
Setup during enrollment vs. after enrollment
Schools debate whether to set up technology access during enrollment or wait until later.
Setting up during enrollment
Advantages:
You have the family in front of you. You can walk them through setup, answer questions immediately, and confirm everything works before they leave.
They receive welcome emails and notifications from the start, even before school begins. This helps them feel connected.
You avoid a rush of technical support requests in the first weeks of term when both families and staff are busy.
Disadvantages:
Enrollment appointments become longer and more complicated. Families are already completing paperwork, and now they also need to set up multiple accounts.
Some systems may not work properly until the student is formally entered in your database, creating awkward technical failures during the appointment.
Families forget their passwords by the time school starts weeks or months later.
Setting up after enrollment
Advantages:
Enrollment appointments stay focused on enrollment paperwork. Technology setup becomes a separate task.
You can send families clear written instructions they can follow at home at their own pace.
Account setup happens closer to when families actually need to use the systems, so passwords and processes are fresh in their minds.
Disadvantages:
Some families never complete the setup and miss important communications.
You get a wave of technical support requests in the first weeks of term when staff are overwhelmed with other start-of-year tasks.
Families cannot access systems they might need during the lead-up to school starting (like checking supply lists or orientation information).
A hybrid approach
Many schools use a middle approach that works better than either extreme.
Critical access during enrollment: Set up the one or two most important systems during the enrollment appointment. This is usually your main parent portal and communication system.
Optional setup during enrollment: Offer to help families set up other systems if time allows and they want the help, but make this optional rather than required.
Post-enrollment setup: Send families clear instructions for setting up remaining systems after enrollment, with a deadline before school starts.
Support window: Designate a specific person and time period when families can get help with technology setup. This might be a phone hour twice a week or drop-in times at school.
This approach ensures families have essential access while preventing enrollment appointments from becoming lengthy technology sessions.
What to set up during enrollment
If you set up any technology during enrollment, prioritize systems families need soon.
Parent communication system: Your primary method of communicating with parents should be set up first. Whether this is email, an app, or a portal, families need this working to receive important information.
Payment system: If families need to pay fees or make deposits soon after enrollment, they need payment system access set up.
Permission and consent systems: If your school uses a digital system for photo consent, medical information, or permission forms, getting this done during enrollment makes sense while families are already providing information.
Less urgent systems: Student gradebooks, learning management systems, and similar tools can wait. Families will not need these until school starts and students are in class.
The technical setup process
How you handle technical setup matters as much as when.
Simple credentials: If possible, let families use their email address as their username. Assigning arbitrary usernames that must be written down and remembered creates unnecessary complexity.
Password assistance: Many enrollment-age parents have password managers or strong password habits. Let them choose their own passwords rather than assigning temporary ones that must be changed.
Test before they leave: If you are setting up systems during enrollment, test them before the family leaves. Have parents log in, navigate to a key screen, and confirm they can see their information. Finding problems while you can help them immediately prevents support calls later.
Written instructions: Even if you walk families through setup, give them written instructions to take home. They will forget steps. Having clear instructions with screenshots helps them succeed independently.
Access to devices: If families do not have smartphones or do not want to use apps, make sure they know how to access systems via web browser. Some schools assume all parents have and want to use apps, leaving less tech-savvy families unable to access information.
Common technology setup problems
Several problems occur frequently with new family technology setup.
Multiple children, confusing accounts: When families have several children at your school, some systems give them separate accounts for each child while others provide one account showing all children. Make this clear to families so they know where to look for each child's information.
Separated parents: When parents are separated or divorced, each parent usually needs their own account access. Your enrollment process should ask about this and ensure both parents are set up if they want access.
Accounts created too early: Some schools create portal accounts before families complete enrollment. This can cause problems if families change their minds or enrollment falls through. Confirming enrollment before creating accounts prevents orphaned accounts cluttering your system.
Email addresses: Families sometimes provide email addresses they rarely check, use disposable email addresses, or share email addresses between parents. Ask for the email address they actually use for important communications, not just any email address.
Mobile numbers: If your communication system sends SMS notifications, confirming mobile numbers during enrollment prevents families missing messages because they provided their work landline instead.
Supporting less tech-confident families
Not all families are confident with technology.
Acknowledge varied comfort levels: Some parents are comfortable setting up accounts and downloading apps. Others find this intimidating. Acknowledging this and offering extra support prevents families feeling embarrassed about asking for help.
Offer in-person help: Schedule a time when families can come to school for hands-on help with technology setup. Walking someone through the process on their own phone is often clearer than written instructions.
Paper alternatives: For critical communications, consider whether you can provide paper alternatives for families who cannot or will not use digital systems. This is less efficient for your school but ensures all families receive important information.
Student help: Older students can often help their parents set up school technology systems. When you send setup instructions home, mention that their child can probably help them if they get stuck.
Testing and validation
Making sure technology setup actually worked prevents problems later.
Confirmation process: After families complete setup (whether during enrollment or at home), send a test message through your communication system. This confirms their contact details are correct and they can receive messages.
Checklist follow-up: A week or two after enrollment, send families a checklist of technology setup tasks with links to instructions. This reminds families who have not completed setup and helps those who got stuck.
Pre-term checkup: Before school starts, check that all enrolled families have completed essential technology setup. Contact families who have not to offer help.
Verification during orientation: If you have an orientation event before school starts, you can verify technology access then and help families who are still having problems.
Staff preparation
Your staff need to be ready to support family technology setup.
Staff training: Make sure staff conducting enrollment know how to set up each system, troubleshoot common problems, and explain systems to families in plain language.
Test accounts: Create test accounts staff can use to practice the family experience of your systems. Staff often only see the administrative side and do not know what parents see or experience.
Updated instructions: Review and update written instructions for families before enrollment season. Screenshots from two years ago may not match your current system.
Support capacity: Designate who will handle technology support requests from new families and ensure they have time allocated for this. Do not assume enrollment staff will handle support on top of their other duties without acknowledging the time this requires.
Communication about technology
How you communicate about technology setup affects family success.
Setting expectations: When families book enrollment, tell them what technology setup will happen during the appointment and what they will need to do at home. This lets them prepare and prevents surprises.
Clear benefits: Explain why each system matters rather than just telling families to set it up. "You'll need the parent portal to check attendance and communicate with teachers" is more motivating than "Set up your portal account."
Deadlines with reasons: If families need to complete setup by a certain date, explain why. "Please complete your payment system setup by August 15 so you can pay enrollment fees before school starts" is clearer than just a deadline.
Help availability: Always tell families how to get help. A phone number, email address, or office hours where they can ask questions makes them more likely to attempt setup knowing help is available.
The realistic view
Technology is now integral to school operations, so new families must get set up on your systems. The question is not whether to do this, but how to do it efficiently while preventing family frustration.
Perfect is not possible. Some families will struggle no matter how clear your instructions, and some will ignore your setup requests and call for help when they cannot access something they need. But most families will succeed if you prioritize what actually matters, provide clear help at the right time, offer support without judgment, and test that things work.
Technology setup does not need to be a major burden. With thoughtful process design, it becomes a routine part of enrollment that most families complete successfully with minimal intervention. That outcome is achievable and just requires intention.
