Asked at the door, lost by lunchtime
At drop-off a dad asks whether his son can come in on Thursday as well this week. The member of staff says she will check. By the time she has settled the children, she has had two other requests and she is not sure which day the dad said. Another parent emails the office on Sunday night asking for an extra afternoon. A third sends a message through the parent app.
The office pieces them together, checks the room plan, looks at the rota, and replies. Sometimes the extra is agreed but not added to the booking system, so the room is not expecting the child. Sometimes it is added to the booking but never reaches the invoice.
Why the extras process leaks
An extra session touches three things at once: room capacity, staff cover, and billing. In most nurseries each is held in a different place and each needs updating by hand.
- Requests come in through several channels, with no single list.
- Checking space means looking at the booking system, and checking cover means looking at the rota.
- Approval is often verbal, with no record of the price or the date agreed.
- The booking and the invoice are updated separately, if at all.
- Cancelling an extra is even less likely to be recorded than booking one.
What that costs
Extras that are agreed and not billed are the most direct loss. Extras that are agreed without checking cover cause a tight room on the day, and staff moved at short notice. Parents who are told 'we'll let you know' and then hear nothing ring again or give up. The office spends time chasing each request through three systems.
Sometimes the worst outcome is the opposite: a child turns up for an extra day the room was not told about.
The request flow we build
- Parents request an extra session in one place: the parent app, a web form, or by replying to a message. Requests made at the door are entered by staff on a tablet in seconds.
- Each request shows the manager whether the child's room has a free place in that session and whether the rota covers it under the rules you have set.
- The manager approves or declines in one tap. The parent is told straight away, with the price where one applies.
- Approved extras are added to the booking, so the register and the room plan expect the child.
- The extra is added to that month's invoice as a dated line, and any change or cancellation follows your cancellation policy.
- Frequent requests from the same family are shown as a pattern, which may be worth offering as a permanent session.
| Request | Room space | Cover | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extra Thursday, pre-school | Space | Covered | Approve in one tap, added to booking and invoice |
| Extra Monday, baby room | Full | N/A | Decline, or add to a list if a place frees |
| Extra afternoon, toddlers | Space | Tight | Manager decides, sees who could cover |
Whether you allow extras at all, and at what price, is your policy. If you prefer that some requests are always handled by a person, the flow simply routes them to the manager.
How the week looks
Requests arrive in one list, whatever channel they came from. Most are simple and take a moment to approve. Parents hear back quickly. The room sees tomorrow's expected children, including extras, on its tablet. At the end of the month, extras are already on the invoices, dated, so parents recognise them.
When a family keeps asking for Thursdays, the manager notices and offers them a permanent Thursday, which is better for everyone's planning.
Is this your office?
- Extra sessions are requested by text, email and at the door.
- Extras are approved without a quick way to check cover.
- Some extras never reach the invoice.
- Rooms are occasionally surprised by an extra child.
- Parents chase you for an answer on extra days.