School setup

Join code

1. 1

   Choose the location on the school card at the top of the menu, then open Join code in School setup.

2. 2

   Download the poster and print it, or share the link.

3. 3

   Review staff requests in Team and family requests in Children before approving an invitation.

How it works

A join code lets someone request access; it does not grant access to school records. Replacing a code stops new requests through the old code. Existing requests remain. Replace code and Disable code each ask you to confirm first.

Record retention

1. 1

   As an owner or organization administrator, open Record retention in School setup.

2. 2

   Choose a record type and review its current period. Check your school’s requirements before changing it.

3. 3

   Review the change, then save. Use View changes for observed history and reload after a conflicting or uncertain save.

How it works

These periods apply across the organization. Changing a period does not delete records now or shorten already saved evidence. Required licensing periods, recorded pauses and related records may keep information longer. The application starting period is not legal approval. Older policy history may be unavailable.

What this is

Do this

1. 1

   After you sign in, open More, then School setup.

2. 2

   Use Essentials for Business details and Additional features for your website and AI writing help. Use School administration for School account. Open AI writing help to read the separate terms before choosing Enable AI. Leave it off if you do not want AI drafts. Hey Ashby, the chat, is always on and does not need it.

3. 3

   Choose your picture or initials at the top right, then My account, to add a photo, update your name, title, and phone, and see the classrooms you work in.

4. 4

   Open Business details to enter in-home or licensed center, the legal business name, and an optional logo. An in-home daycare opens Your daycare instead: its name, home address and legal business name on one page with one Save. Only the owner can change them; a helper sees them read-only.

5. 5

   Open a task to edit it. Location-specific editors use the location chosen on the school card at the top of the menu. Food program is an ordinary link under Additional features.

6. 6

   You can complete hours, rooms, and tuition now or choose Set up later. Bank is optional. In-home daycares start with one group, Main group, and the words of a home daycare. Their Invite parents step opens the join link on a page called Invite parents, which says how many families are on Ashby (there is no separate Join code row), and a page opened from Home’s Getting started returns with Back to Home.

7. 7

   Need another location later? Use Add location on School setup. Its Location page opens after you add it. Staff and children live on Team and Children, not on these cards.

School setup

1. 1

   After signing in, open School setup. Essentials starts with Business details and Location, then hours and holidays, classrooms, children, and your team.

2. 2

   Choose a task in Payments for tuition plans or a bank connection, or in Additional features for parent invitations, admissions, your website, and other tools.

3. 3

   Save your changes, then choose Back to School setup to return to the same section.

4. 4

   Choose Mark not needed on an optional task to move it to the bottom of its group. Use Undo or Add back if you change your mind.

How it works

The guide links to each feature’s permanent page. Essentials, Payments, and Additional features appear in three visible cards, each with its own set-up progress. Optional tasks can be set aside. Food program and School administration links do not count toward progress. Completed settings and tasks show Done. Tap a task row or its arrow to open it. Signup defaults already count as Done. Mark not needed sets a task aside within its group without enabling a feature.

Who pays tuition

1. 1

   Open Tuition → Who pays tuition and choose a child.

2. 2

   Choose Add payer, then a child’s parent (even one not on Ashby yet), an existing payer, or Add someone new with a name and email. Enter their share and dates.

3. 3

   Choose Add. Use the row menu to edit or remove an existing arrangement.

How it works

Split tuition by percentage or a fixed amount. Fixed amounts follow the tuition billing cycle and are prorated for partial cycles. Changes apply to future drafts; existing invoices keep their saved amounts. Only owners, school administrators, and directors can make changes.

Bank & payments

1. 1

   Open Bank & payments in School setup and review your payment account status.

2. 2

   Follow Stripe’s secure steps to provide the requested business and bank details.

3. 3

   In Online payment fees, choose separately whether your school or parents pay processing fees and Ashby’s collection fee.

How it works

These choices apply across your school. Bank setup is optional and does not block getting started. Payments are ready only after both online collections and bank deposits are enabled. Recording cash or checks has no online payment fee.

Business details

1. 1

   Enter the legal business name.

2. 2

   Add a trade name or logo if you use one.

3. 3

   Choose Save.

How it works

These details apply to every location. Program type describes where you provide care; your banking business type is a separate choice.

Your daycare

1. 1

   After you sign in, open More, then Daycare setup, then Your daycare.

2. 2

   Change Daycare name, or Home daycare address. Search for the address, or choose Can’t find your address? Enter it.

3. 3

   Choose Save. The answer shows right under Save: Saved and the name parents see, or what to fix.

How it works

Only the owner changes the daycare’s name and address. A helper, even one with Director access, sees the daycare name and the home daycare address with Only the owner can change this. and Back to Home, and Getting started does not give her these rows. Your daycare holds the daycare name, the home daycare address and where legal mail goes, the legal business name with an optional trade name and logo, and the kind of care. One Save keeps them all; the Address row opens the same page at the address. After Save, the answer shows right under Save, on screen. If something is missing, Ashby takes you to the first box to fix, and the red message under Save lists what is left in the order of the page and goes away as you fix each box. The new name shows in messages and emails from Ashby (new bills, payment reminders and newsletters), on the invite and join pages and the join poster, at the top of Messages on a computer, on printed permission slips, and on receipts and statements. The top of the menu shows it too, beside your logo or initials. Receipts and monthly statements show your daycare name and your home daycare address. The year-end statement for taxes shows only your daycare name until you save your tax ID. Then it also shows your legal business name, when it’s different, your mailing address and your tax ID, so they match the parent’s tax form. Consent wording parents already agreed to keeps the name it was written with. Licensed centers use Business details and Location details instead.

Food program

1. 1

   Centers: open Food program in School setup and enter your program arrangement and sponsor, if applicable.

2. 2

   Choose the approved meals and the effective date, then save.

3. 3

   In-home daycares: open Daycare setup, then Food program. It opens Food reimbursements, where Ashby counts each child’s meals for the month from Daily reports, to print or download for your sponsor’s form.

How it works

For centers, this optional setup does not record meals or submit claims. Staff record servings in Daily reports, and managers review eligibility and the monthly review in Tuition → Food reimbursements. Existing daily records keep their original program details. A home daycare has no program setup: the counts open at the top of the page, Back to Daycare setup returns to the Food program row, and only the director sees the counts. Your sponsor’s claim form is still yours to send.

Childcare assistance

1. 1

   Open Tuition → Assistance & reimbursements → Childcare assistance and choose the child.

2. 2

   Copy the approved agreement details from the agency record, then review and save.

3. 3

   Use the saved agreement when you record funding or reconcile an agency payment.

How it works

Assistance agreements, family bills and agency payments are separate records. Saving an agreement does not send a claim, collect money or change a family balance. Keep the original agency record available when you review or correct a saved agreement.

Tuition plans

1. 1

   Open Tuition plans in School setup. Add a school plan, choose how you charge and how often you bill, and enter the price.

2. 2

   Save, then open By location and choose the plans offered there and the bill timing. With one location, bill timing shows under your plans.

3. 3

   To charge for late pickups, choose Set a fee under Late pickup fee, enter the fee and when a pickup counts as late, then Save fee.

How it works

The school owns one shared library of plans. In-home daycares see Your rates. The late pickup fee is one flat fee per late pickup for each location, not per plan. Existing bills keep their amounts. Archiving a plan or removing it from a location stops new assignments without changing existing children. Online payment fees live in Bank & payments.

Tuition offered here

1. 1

   Open Tuition plans in School setup, then By location, and choose a location you manage.

2. 2

   Choose Choose plans, check the plans offered there, then Save plans. Review the bill timing for this location.

How it works

Offering a plan at a location makes it available for new children there. Removing a plan does not change existing children or bills. Edit prices in School plans.

School website

1. 1

   Choose a website and open its editor.

2. 2

   Update the draft and preview the pages.

3. 3

   Save the draft, then review it before publishing.

How it works

Saving a draft does not publish it. Only approved public information belongs on your website. The School website guide explains domains, images, and publishing. The full-screen editor has no Help link: save your draft, close the editor, then open Help → School website.

AI writing help

1. 1

   Read the AI terms.

2. 2

   If you want drafts, check the box and choose Enable AI.

3. 3

   Choose Turn AI off to stop new drafts.

How it works

Only the owner can change this choice. Hey Ashby, the chat, is always on and does not need it. Staff review drafts before sharing them.

School account

1. 1

   Choose whether to receive onboarding tips.

2. 2

   Use Download records before leaving Ashby.

3. 3

   If you intend to close the school account, follow the confirmation steps.

How it works

An in-home daycare finds this page as Daycare setup → Your account. Only the owner can use this page. Email preferences save immediately. Tips follow your school’s activity, and we check your preference again before sending. An email already being sent may still arrive. Account deletion is scheduled for 30 days later and can be canceled with Keep my school. A recorded retention hold pauses deletion.

Location details

1. 1

   Choose the location you want to edit on the school card at the top of the menu.

2. 2

   Update its address, nickname, or mailing-address choice.

3. 3

   Choose Save.

How it works

A location is one place where you provide care. Check the selected location before saving. Business details are shared across the school; this address belongs to the selected location.

Hours and holidays

1. 1

   Choose the location on the school card at the top of the menu, then set its opening days and times.

2. 2

   Add holidays or another closed day, and answer Do families pay for these days?

3. 3

   Choose Save. Any invoices already sent for days families don’t pay for are listed, with Fix invoices.

How it works

Save updates this location. With No, families don’t pay for these days, tuition invoices leave those days out; Change who pays changes a closure. Past closed days fold away under Show past dates. Copy schedule fills a draft from another location; Use everywhere asks before updating all locations. School facts for writing has separate approved reminder hours.

Rooms

1. 1

   Choose the location on the school card at the top of the menu.

2. 2

   In Add a room, enter a new room name and choose Add room.

3. 3

   Choose a room in Your classrooms to change its name, ages, or how many children fit, then choose Save.

How it works

Your classrooms lists every room with its ages and size. Adding a room saves right away. Room changes save when you choose Save in the room panel. Remove room asks before it removes anything. From Children, Set up this room opens that room; Back to Children returns to its roster. Assign staff in Team and children in Children. A room in use or with protected conversation history may need to remain.

School permit

1. 1

   Choose Edit permit details.

2. 2

   Enter the number and capacity from your permit, leaving unknown details empty.

3. 3

   Choose Save permit details.

How it works

For Texas in-home schools, choose Listed family home, Registered child care home, or Licensed child care home from the current permit. Choose Not confirmed when unsure. For listed homes, review whether ordinary Chapter 742 requirements apply or the home provides relative-only care, then confirm the current permit review. Leave this unconfirmed when unsure. Ordinary listed-home checks require this saved review and separate Attendance inputs. Changes to permit details require a new review. These are school-entered details, not a verified permit. Keep the original permit and its conditions available. If someone changed the details while you were editing, reload before saving again.

School facts for writing

1. 1

   Choose the location and enter its usual opening days and hours.

2. 2

   Select only pickup steps and supplies your school requires.

3. 3

   Check the approval and choose Approve school facts.

How it works

Only the owner can approve facts. Other permitted staff can read them. Empty pickup or supply choices are unapproved policies. Facts stay inside Ashby, work with AI off, and do not update the school calendar.

Add location

1. 1

   Enter the new location’s address.

2. 2

   Add a location name if useful.

3. 3

   Choose Add location, then review its Location details page.

How it works

Owners and organization admins can add locations. The location gets its own hours and rooms. Staff and child assignments remain managed in Team and Children.

How it works

School permit

Enter the license number and capacity shown on the selected school’s permit. Leave unknown details empty. For Texas in-home schools, choose Listed family home, Registered child care home, or Licensed child care home from the current permit. Choose Not confirmed when unsure. For listed homes, review whether ordinary Chapter 742 requirements apply or the home provides relative-only care, then confirm the current permit review. Leave this unconfirmed when unsure. Ordinary listed-home checks require this saved review and separate Attendance inputs. Changes to permit details require a new review. These are school-entered values; keep the original and its conditions available.

AI writing help

For optional AI writing help, the owner opens School setup → AI writing help, reads the AI terms, and explicitly enables it. Leave it off if you do not want AI drafts. Turn it off there at any time. Hey Ashby, the chat, is always on for staff and families and does not need this choice. Guided announcements use a topic and tone; Ashby adds dates, school-local times, event choices, and supplies after generation. Owner-approved opening hours, pickup instructions, and supplies stay inside Ashby. Opening days and hours are required; pickup and supplies can stay unselected while you save hours. An unselected policy is not approved, so its reminder stays unavailable until the owner selects and approves it. A guided supplies announcement still needs at least one item. Private saved wording also stays inside Ashby, is available only to its author within the school, expires 90 days after saving, and works with AI off. Review every draft or reused message before sending.

You

your photo, name, title, phone, and classrooms. Locations appear only when the school has more than one.

Business info

licensed center or in-home, legal business name, optional name on the door, and an optional logo for the left menu.

Location

where children come, an optional nickname, and whether legal mail uses the same street.

Hours

the week this location is open, plus holidays and other closed days (full-day closures). US holidays or UK holidays fills the public calendar; Other holidays covers Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, or Lunar New Year days. Add closed day is one extra date of your own. On Hours and most other School setup cards, changes stay in the form until Save. Rooms save as you add, rename, or remove. Back to School setup (Back to Daycare setup at an in-home daycare), the left menu, and changing the location warn if you have not saved. With more than one location, choose it on the school card at the top of the menu before opening Hours (and the other location cards). A card says this week and closed days are only for the location you picked. Copy schedule asks first, then fills them from another location. Use everywhere writes them to every location. Save stores this location only. When you add closed days, answer Do families pay for these days? With No, families don’t pay for these days, tuition invoices (bills at an in-home daycare) leave those days out, and the invoice says Closed Mon Dec 28 – Wed Dec 30 (Vacation week): not charged. If invoices for those days were already sent, Ashby lists them after Save; Fix invoices voids and sends again the unpaid ones and puts a credit on the family’s next invoice for paid ones. Use Change who pays to change a closure.

Rooms

names of the spaces at this location. Use the Room selector to view one room’s name and details at a time. In-home daycares start with one group, Main group. Add room at the bottom — it saves right away, with no separate Save. Edit or Remove from the row menu also save immediately. Assign people on Team and Children. Rooms with private or group conversation history stay until that history expires, so removing a room cannot widen message access.

School setup → Tuition plans

Choose a template and create a school-wide plan with an amount and invoice frequency. Daily / drop-in charges once per day with a recorded check-in; generate invoices after the period ends. Create separately named plans for infant, toddler, or preschool prices. Customize the template name and price for each group. Discounts and additional fees are optional. A late pickup fee is set once for each location in its Late pickup fee card (amount, and when a pickup counts as late: when you close or 5 to 30 minutes after, using each day’s closing time in Hours), not on each plan; a late pickup (at most one fee a day for each child) then goes on the family’s next bill unless you waive it. Open By location to choose which plans each location offers. Directors can edit shared plans after reviewing affected locations; future invoices use the new terms and existing invoices stay unchanged. Removing availability or archiving a plan stops new assignments without removing existing child assignments. The previous-rate starter in Create plan offers a reviewed monthly suggestion from an older weekly amount. Existing skipped readiness is preserved. To change a price from a later day, choose Edit plan, enter the new price, choose On a date and pick the first day: care before that day keeps the old price, a bill that spans the day shows each price on its own line, and bills already sent keep their amounts. Online payment fees are in School setup → Bank connection.

School setup → Bank connection

Optional, for the whole school. Open Bank & payments in School setup. Online payment fees on this page lets you choose who pays processing fees and Ashby’s collection fee. Choose Continue setup to read Before you begin, then Start setup to open Stripe’s secure form inside Ashby. Short guidance above the form explains recognized steps. After you exit, Ashby checks whether payments are ready, under review, or need more information. Stripe collects the required identity details and payment agreement. Status updates automatically after finishing; payments are ready only when both collection and payouts are enabled. After setup, this page shows payment readiness and account notices. Choose Payment settings only when you need to update bank or business details; Stripe may ask you to sign in. Choose Done to return to the status view. Educators cannot change banking. United States only for now.

Add location

another licensed location under the same business. After you add it, its Location page opens. Open Location, Hours, or Rooms in School setup, or Tuition plans in School setup and use Select a location to edit that location.

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