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Writer's pictureMax Sundermeyer

San Mateo Foster City School District + Arux

Overview


  • A software that supports fee and grant-based before and after care and summer camps across 16 sites

  • Hands-on implementation, training, and support lead to a smooth software transition

  • Data collection through Arux Connect: Child Care, viewing upcoming schedules, and the Admin Dashboard round out some of the district's favorite features


 

Program introduction


San Mateo Foster City School District (SMFCSD) serves San Mateo and Foster City, California, 30 minutes south of San Francisco. 


SMFCSD offers various programming to its community through the Annex after school program, including before and after school care and camps. With 21 schools, SMFCSD offers programming at 16 sites in the district. 


The Annex after school program provides a safe environment for students to receive homework support, participate in organized group activities, and enjoy a variety of enrichment opportunities. The three-person team of Tiffany Kiniris (Principal on Special Assignment), Teri Benavides, and Lesley Neri (Administrative Assistants) oversees all Annex programming.


San Mateo-Foster City School District

Setting


At the beginning of 2024, the SMFCSD team needed new software to manage the Annex program. Their current platform had many arduous workarounds, and essential aspects of the platform, like enrollments and payments, weren't running correctly or accurately. 


So, Kiniris and her team started the search for new software, conducting interviews and sandboxes. It was during this process that they were introduced to Arux. After going through the demo process and meeting the team, the Annex team liked what they saw. In particular, they appreciated that Arux was accessible from any device without requiring any installations.


One thing that appealed to us was that it wasn't another app we had. Another app that parents would have to download and use. Everything could work within the system. It did everything that we needed to do.


Solution


Empowered community users through user experience

Since implementing Arux last spring, the Annex team has seen a positive response from their community. Parents in the community are being very proactive in enrolling their children while finding Arux very intuitive.


Our last platform wasn't user-friendly. It was clunky. When we started this school year, it was easy for parents to create an account. And we had already completed our registration before implementing Arux, but it was pretty smooth to transfer the registration over.


Empowered team members through customer service 


What has helped make the transition to Arux so smooth is the hands-on implementation and training from Arux's customer success team. Nathan Mortensen has led SMFCSD's implementation and training. 


Nate has just been super responsive. He held onsite training with my staff, which was great. He's super patient, walking everyone through the technology and offering extra meetings and calls, so that's been good. Even though there's a time difference, it hasn't been an issue at all. Our last provider's responses were delayed. It was delayed problem-solving.


Arux's implementation and training have empowered Kiniris' team to run day-to-day operations entirely within Arux, allowing her to focus on program growth. 


To be honest with you, I'm out of it (Arux) now. I use Arux to get the reports or information I need, but Leslie and Terry are in it daily, enrolling students, getting attendance, or getting the reports they need.


Favorite features


Data collection through Arux Connect: Child Care


This fall was the SMFCSD team's first school year leveraging Arux to manage the Annex program, and the team already has enjoyed the data they receive within the Arux Connect: Child Care iOS app and the benefits of a seamless digital sign-in, sign-out experience.


This was the first month I could process time cards and use the app to reference their check-in and check-out, which is a newer feature for us. In the past, we only had paper sign-in sheets for staff. So, this has been the first new feature I've been having to use for my daily or monthly routine.

Not only is Arux helping the SMFCSD save time, but it's also saving a lot of paper.

It's already saved so much paper. Before, I would need two or three binders for all the staff sign-in sheets for the school year. 


It's easier to reference important data points, like the daily average sign-out. Before, we would have to run reports and develop our average, but now we have the information.


Insight into operations through Arux's Admin Dashboard


Arux's Admin Dashboard is a helpful way to see an overview of what is going on at a program. It's the primary page where admin users can view the program's current status. 


The dashboard has been a great, easy-to-use snapshot. I'll go in and view the graph on the dashboard every day. I look at the number of kids who are coming and going, which helps me with the staffing piece to see specifically: Do I have enough staff?


Do I have too many staff?


Can I move staff? That type of thing.


Viewing upcoming schedules 


The insight provided by Arux goes beyond just the daily snapshot for the Annex team. Viewing upcoming schedules for Annex program attendees is keeping the program's before care teachers informed about what they can expect moving forward. 


Now, they see everyone enrolled, but if someone's starting, you know, September 1st, they'll see that on their end. Previously, we would let them know through a call or an email. They can say, "Yeah, I did see that." It's really nice for them to know when exactly children are starting.


Going forward


The Annex program is growing, expanding programming at new elementary sites within the district, and Arux is helping with that. The SMFCSD team can now fully lean into program growth with Arux streamlining attendance tracking, data management, and managing important program information like snack tracking and storing student behavior information. 


I look forward to having all this information in one place, not 20 billion Google Sheets.


When considering other districts that might be looking to make a software change, SMFCSD highlights how districts would benefit from Arux's customer success team, ease of use, and platform functionality. 


It does everything we need it to do. Arux is looking to make our jobs easier, so being responsive and open to what we need and helping us create solutions is very important. 

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