PTA Management Guide

Adding a new student

Step 1: Add the Student

  1. Go to the Contacts section of the Admin UI.
  2. Search for the student by name.
  3. If the student isn't found, click Add / Student....
  4. Fill in the Student First Name, Student Last Name, StudentID and SecurityValue.
  5. Click Add.

Step 2: Connect the Student to a Parent

If the parent already exists in Contacts:

  1. Search for the student by name.
  2. Select the student, then select the small Parent-Students Map tab.
  3. Click the green Add button under Parent List.
  4. In the Select Person dialog, search for the parent by name, select them, and click Add.

The student and parent are now connected.

If the parent is not found:

  1. Go back to Contacts and click Add → Parent.
  2. Fill in the parent's Email, First Name, and Last Name, then click Add.
  3. Search for the parent by name, select them, then select the small Parent-Students Map tab.
  4. Click the green Add button under Student List.
  5. In the Select Person dialog, search for the student, select them, and click Add.

The parent and student are now connected.

Step 3: Enroll the Student in Classes

  1. Go to Class Editor.
  2. Select the teacher, then the class.
  3. In the entry box above the student roster, type the student's name using your account's name format (Last, First or First Last).

Not sure which format your account uses? Check how other students are listed in the same class roster.

  1. Press Enter when the system finds a match.
  2. Repeat for each class the student should be enrolled in.

Administrator Access

Updating an Existing Contact's Access

  1. Go to the Contacts tab and search for the contact.
  2. Select their name.
  3. Adjust the Admin Level pull-down to set their access.

This allows the contact to log into the Admin UI and view reports, with permissions determined by the level selected (see table below).

Adding a New Administrator

  1. Click the green Add button.
  2. Select Admin....
  3. Fill in the contact's information.
  4. Set their Admin Level using the pull-down.

The new contact will be prompted to create a password the first time they log in.

Admin Access Levels

Level Permissions
Appointment Viewer Can log in and view appointments only — no changes allowed
Appointment Maker Can make appointments from the Admin UI, but cannot change setup or add/remove slots
Resource Administrator Can make/cancel appointments and add/remove slots — limited to the specific resources granted in Resource Access
Event Administrator Full administrative access to one or more specific events — set under Event Access
Administrator Full access to the entire account

All levels include access to reports.

Granting Specific Access

Some levels require you to specify what the contact can access:

Updating Multiple Teachers/Admins at Once

To bulk-update access levels for a group of contacts:

  1. Go to Global Setup / Contacts.
  2. Under Advanced Options, click Modify Admin Level.


Allow Teachers to Block Slots

Why upgrade teacher access?

By default, teachers have Appointment Viewer access only — they can view their schedule but not make changes.

Upgrading teachers to Appointment Maker access allows them to block their own slots before the scheduler opens to parents. This is useful when an admin has bulk-created slots for all teachers, and each teacher needs to block off specific times (e.g., for breaks or unavailability).

How to upgrade teacher access

  1. Go to Global Setup / Contacts.
  2. Click Show Advanced Options.
  3. Click Modify Access Level.
  4. Change the access level from Appointment Viewer to Appointment Maker for your teachers.

Each teacher will now have access to manage their own schedule.

How teachers block/unblock slots

  1. Log into the Admin UI — teachers will land directly on the Reports section.
  2. Click Block Schedule at the top of the page to go to the Appointments page, showing their available time slots.
  3. To block a slot, click the X in that slot's cell — it will turn red.
  4. To unblock a slot, click the X again — it will turn back to blue, indicating it's available.

Allow Teachers to Pre-Book Appointments

Why upgrade teacher access?

By default, teachers have Appointment Viewer access only — they can view their schedule but not make changes.

Upgrading teachers to Appointment Maker access allows them to book appointments on behalf of parents, before the scheduler opens to parents.

How to upgrade teacher access

  1. Go to Global Setup / Contacts.
  2. Click Show Advanced Options.
  3. Click Modify Access Level.
  4. Change the access level from Appointment Viewer to Appointment Maker for your teachers.

Each teacher will now have access to manage their own schedule.

Contacts

The Contacts tab is where your full list of teachers, administrators, students, and parents is stored. Parent contact records are created automatically the first time they log into the online scheduler.

Note: Student and parent names don't display automatically — you'll need to search by first or last name to find them.

To get started: From the Admin UI, select Contacts on the left-hand side dashboard.

Viewing Contact Info

Search for and select a contact to populate their details on the right-hand side. Several tabs are available:

Tab What it shows
Contact Info Email, first/last name, admin level, customer access rights, and any custom fields configured under Global Setup / Contacts
Appointments (small tab, distinct from the main Appointments tab) All appointments for this contact. For students, this shows enrolled classes.
Log Email history and a log of when appointments were booked or canceled
Vendor Access Resource Access and Event Access settings for administrators
Parents-Students Map View, create, or edit which students are linked to a parent (see Parent-Student Relationships)

Search options: The Search Control list allows you to search by Last Name, First Name, Email, or any custom ID fields configured under Contacts.

Other actions available from a selected contact:

Setting Up Vendor Access

Important: When adding a new contact with Appointment Viewer, Appointment Maker, or Resource Administrator access, be sure to check the appropriate box under Vendor Access / Resource Access — otherwise they won't have access to any resources.

Master Access: The "Allow access to all events and all resources" option under Master Access is only available for Appointment Viewer and Appointment Maker levels. It is not available for Resource Administrator or Event Administrator levels, which require resources/events to be granted individually.

Adding a New Contact

  1. Click Add.
  2. Select a contact type from the drop-down:
    • Admin
    • Teacher
    • Student
    • Parent
    • Other
  3. Fill in the fields marked <not entered> on the form — fields vary depending on the contact type selected.

The form will not allow you to create a new contact record with the email address that already exists on the vendor account.

Creating Teams

You can combine teachers into teams from the Class Editor page.

Create a New Team

  1. Select Add Teacher/Team → Add Team. The Select Person dialog will open.
  2. Search for and select the first teacher, then click Add to Team (top-left corner of the dialog).
  3. Repeat for the second teacher.
  4. Once all team members appear in the top-left list, click OK.

Double-booking protection: Booking a slot with the team automatically blocks the corresponding slot for each individual team member — and vice versa, booking with an individual teacher blocks the corresponding team slot.

Add Teachers to an Existing Team

If a teacher is already listed in Class Editor and you'd like to add them to a team:

  1. Select the teacher on the left-hand side.
  2. Select Add Contact/Team → Assign Team. The Select Person dialog will open, with the first teacher you selected already on the team.
  3. Search for and select the teacher to add, then click Add to Team.
  4. Repeat for any additional teachers.
  5. Once all team members appear in the top-left list, click OK.

Directions for Parents

Follow the link provided by your school to access the Scheduler, then follow the steps below.

Step 1: Sign In

Step 2: Locate Your Student(s)

  1. Enter the required information to find your student(s), then click Proceed.
  2. Confirm your student(s) appear in the list, check the box next to their name(s), and click Next Step.

Step 3: Select Teachers

By default, all of your child's teachers are selected.

Step 4: Book Appointments

The scheduling grid displays available times as squares with a plus sign (+).

  1. Click your preferred time square.
  2. Click Create Appointment.
  3. A confirmation message will briefly appear at the top of the screen.
  4. Repeat for each teacher you'd like to visit.

Managing Your Schedule

View or Print Your Schedule

Click Printable Schedule in the left-hand sidebar to see your full itinerary.

Changes & Cancellations

On a computer:

  1. Click My Appointments in the left-hand sidebar.
  2. Locate the appointment you'd like to change.
  3. Hover over the appointment to reveal Details, Edit, and Cancel options.

On a mobile phone:

  1. Tap the menu icon (☰) in the top-left corner.
  2. Select My Appointments.
  3. Tap the three dots (⋮) next to an appointment to modify or cancel it.

Important Notes

Divorced Parents

Default behavior: PTA scheduling enforces a one appointment per teacher per class rule per student. This means two parents can split up conference duty — one can book appointments with half the teachers, and the other can book with the remaining half — while the system still ensures no teacher gets double-booked for the same child and class.

If divorced parents would prefer separate appointments: Sometimes both parents need their own, separate appointment with the same teacher for the same class — which the standard one-appointment rule doesn't allow.

The Solution: Clone Student

To allow two separate appointments with the same teacher, you'll create a second record for the student so the system treats them as two distinct children.

  1. In the Admin UI, go to Contacts and search for the student.
  2. Select the student, then click Clone Student.

This creates a duplicate student record, with an asterisk (*) appended to the original Student ID.

Linking the Cloned Record to the Second Parent

Since pickAtime now treats the two records as separate children, each parent can book independently with the same teacher without conflict.

Note: Some schools maintain a standing list of families who use Clone Student every year, while others handle it case-by-case as requests come in.

Making Parent Appointments

Booking through the CUI (parent-facing scheduler) respects all standard restrictions and limits. To override those restrictions — for example, giving a parent extra time with a teacher — you'll need to book the appointment manually through the Admin UI.

For the PTA product, every appointment must have both a student and a parent associated with it.

Making Parent Appointments

  1. Select the Appointments tab.
  2. Select the correct date on the calendar (left-hand side).
  3. Select the correct teacher, then click the time slot where you'd like to schedule the appointment.
  4. Click the green plus sign. This opens the Select Person dialog.
  5. Select the student:
    • If the student is on the teacher's roster, select their name from the list on the right and click OK.
    • If the student is not on the teacher's roster, uncheck "Students of [Teacher Name]", search for the student by name, select them, and click OK.
  6. This opens the Create Appointment dialog.

Now, link the parent:

Once complete, the appointment box will display both the parent's and student's names.

If the appointment has a red border: Click on it to view the error message shown below the calendar. From here, either click Cancel Appointment to remove it, or click Confirm Appointment to force the booking and clear the red highlighting.

Other Appointment Options

Click on any existing appointment on the Appointments page, then open the Appointments drop-down to access:

Option What it does
Confirm Appointment Confirms a flagged (red) problem appointment
Cancel Appointment Cancels the appointment, with the option to send a cancellation email
Edit Appointment Edits appointment-specific details (e.g., custom fields collected from parents)
Change Time Moves the appointment to a new time
Send Reminder Sends a reminder email to the parent
Customer Info Opens the Contact Information dialog for the parent

Modifying Enrollment Data

    Modifying Enrollment Data

    1. From the Admin UI, select the Class Editor tab.
    2. Select a teacher, then select the class. The class roster will display on the right-hand side.

    To remove a student: Select the student and click the red X to the left of their name.

    This only removes the student from this class — it does not remove them from your account.

    To enroll an existing student:

    1. Start typing the student's name in the white box at the top of the roster.
    2. If the student is already in your account, the system will suggest a match.
    3. Press Enter to confirm and add them to the roster.

    To enroll a new student (not yet in your account):

    1. Go to the Class Editor page and select the teacher, then the class.
    2. Click the Enroll Student icon (above the roster, far right).
    3. In the Select Person dialog, click Add Student, then fill in the student's details — First Name, Last Name, Security Value, and Student ID — in the fields marked <not entered>
    4. Press Add
    5. Click OK. The student will now appear in the roster.

    Modifying Teacher or Room Data

    Teachers

    Once teacher and class data are imported, teacher names appear in Contacts and in the resource listing on the Appointments page.

    Correct the Spelling of a Teacher's Name

    1. Go to the Appointments page.
    2. Select the teacher, then select the Teachers drop-down → Assign Contact. A Select Person dialog will open.
    3. Click Show Full Dialog.
    4. Search for the teacher on the left. When their information appears on the right, correct the name, then click Ok.

    Add a New Teacher

    1. Select the Class Editor tab.
    2. Click Add Teacher/Team → Add Teacher. An Add Teacher dialog box will open.
    3. Choose one of the following:
      • New teacher: Select the green Add Teacher button, fill in the fields marked <not entered>, then click Add and then Ok.
      • Existing contact: Search for the teacher, select them, then click OK.

    The teacher will be added to the roster. 

    Be sure to add classes to the teacher, either manually in the Class Editor page or through a data file import. 

    Replace a Teacher (e.g., Long-Term Substitute)

    If one teacher is being fully replaced by another — so all their classes transfer to the new teacher — you can reassign them directly:

    1. Go to the Class Editor tab.
    2. Select the teacher to replace, then select Assign Contact/Team → Assign Contact. A dialog will open.
    3. Search for and select the new teacher, then click Select.

    All classes previously assigned to the original teacher will now belong to the new teacher.

    Rooms

    Displaying Room Numbers

    To show the room column on the parent-facing scheduler: Go to Settings / Scheduler Display, and check Display Class Name.

    Editing a Room Number

    For a single teacher:

    1. Select the Appointments tab.
    2. The room number is listed next to the teacher's name and can be edited directly.

    For all teachers at once (bulk update via import):

    1. Import an updated Teacher file with the new room numbers.
    2. Import the Class file.

    This updates room numbers for all individual teachers in the event.

    Importing a Class file overwrites manual edits. If you've made manual changes to a class, update your Class file to match before importing — otherwise those changes will be lost.

    Note: This method does not update room numbers for Teams of Teachers — those must be edited manually.

    Moving a Class

    1. From the Admin UI, select the Class Editor tab.
    2. Select the teacher from the list on the left.
    3. Select the class to be moved.
    4. Click Move Class.
    5. Select the teacher the class should be moved to.

    Parent Student Relationships

    Parent-Student Relationships

    The Parents-Students Map tab (right side of the Contacts page) lets you view, create, and modify which students are linked to each parent.

    Viewing Relationships

    1. Go to Contacts and search for a contact on the left.
    2. Select the contact, then select the Parents-Students Map tab.

    What you'll see depends on the contact type:

    To remove a relationship: Click the red X to the left of a name in either list.

    Adding a New Student

    1. Go to Contacts and search for the student by name.
    2. If not found, click Add / Student....
    3. Fill in First Name, Last Name, Student ID, and Security Value, then click Add.

    Connecting a Student to a Parent

    If the parent already exists in Contacts:

    1. Search for and select the student, then select the Parents-Students Map tab.
    2. Click the green Add button under Parent List.
    3. In the Select Person dialog, find and select the parent, then click Add.

    If the parent doesn't exist yet:

    1. Go to Contacts and click Add → Parent.
    2. Fill in the parent's First Name, Last Name, and Email, then click Add.
    3. Search for and select the newly created parent, then select the Parents-Students Map tab.
    4. Click the green Add button under Student List.
    5. In the Select Person dialog, find and select the student, then click Add.

    Adding to an Existing Relationship

    To add a parent to a student's record:

    1. Select the student in Contacts, then go to the Parents-Students Map tab.
    2. Click Add under Parent List, select the parent, and click Add.

    To add a student to a parent's record:

    1. Select the parent in Contacts, then go to the Parents-Students Map tab.
    2. Click Add under Student List, select the student, and click Add.

    Problem Appointments

    The Appointments List page shows a master list of all appointments, including any that need attention.

    Red Appointments — Rule Violations

    What they are: Previously booked appointments that violate a rule configured under Settings → UI Setup.

    How they're created:

    To resolve:

    1. Click the red appointment to see the reason for the conflict, shown below the calendar.
    2. Open the Appointments drop-down and select Confirm Appointment to force the booking and clear the flag.

    ⚠️ Important: Red appointments are invisible to parents — they do not appear as booked on the parent's schedule, and reminder emails will not be sent until the appointment is confirmed. Always check the Appointments List for unresolved red appointments.

    Orange Appointments — In Progress

    What they are: Appointments currently being booked by a parent, mid-process.

    Behavior:

    This status is useful for admins booking appointments manually: it prevents you from accidentally selecting a time slot a parent is currently in the process of booking.

    Deleted Slots with Existing Appointments

    When you delete a slot that has appointments booked on it, those appointments are not deleted — they're flagged instead, and will appear in the Appointments List for review.

    Reports

    When you log into pickAtime, you'll land on the Event Reports page by default. Reports fall into two categories: Event-Specific and Account-Specific.

    Event-Specific Reports

    Select your event from the Event pull-down. If your event's dates have already passed, enter a From/To date range to pull historical data — otherwise, this is optional.

    Report What it shows
    Teachers' Schedule Appointment schedule per teacher. Supports filtering by teacher, plus "Show All Slots" to see every slot (booked or not). Can be emailed to all teachers or one individual.
    Teachers' Appts Number of appointments scheduled per teacher
    Teachers' Slots Number of available vs. total slots per teacher
    Teacher By Rooms Sorted list of appointments by room — includes room, teacher, time, student, and parent. Supports "print one per page" for a page break per room.
    Parents' Schedule Sorted appointment list per parent. Filterable by individual parent; can be emailed to all or one parent. Can be sent directly to parents.
    Students' Schedule Sorted appointment list per student. Filterable by individual student. Can be sent directly to students.
    Number of Parents and Students Count of parents/students with appointments, sorted by date for multi-day events
    Appointment Histogram Number of appointments by date and time
    Appointment Count by Parent List of parents and how many appointments each has made
    Appointment Count by Student List of students with booked appointments
    Students Without Any Scheduled Appointments Students whose parents haven't booked any appointments. Can be sent to parents.
    Students Without Any Scheduled Appointments by Class Per-class gaps — e.g., a student enrolled in 7 classes with only 5 booked will show the 2 missing. Can be sent to parents.
    All Teacher/Team Appointments Like Teachers' Schedule, but for teachers on a team, shows a combined master schedule of both individual and team appointments
    Class Rosters Class roster per teacher/class
    Appointments by Date/Time All appointments listed chronologically
    Display Only Empty (Not Blocked) Slots List of open, unblocked slots per teacher

    Additional Report Fields: Most reports support adding extra columns via links like "Student's Contact Fields," "Parent's Contact Fields," and "Appointment Fields" — useful for pulling in details like email addresses or Student IDs.

    Managing Reports

    Every report supports the following options:

    Action Description
    Format Print, export to XML, or export to tab-delimited (Excel-compatible)
    Email Report Send the report to yourself or others
    Save Report Settings Saves customizations (e.g., added fields) so they persist next time you run the report
    Schedule Report Delivery Set a date range, time of day, and frequency for automated email delivery

    Account-Specific Reports

    Toggle to Account Reports mode to view data across your entire vendor account (all events).

    Report What it shows
    Settings Your account's auto-generated scheduler URL
    Account – Invoices and Payments Account balance, invoice history, and payment history. Click an invoice # to view it and pay by credit card.
    Problem Appointments Appointments placed "on hold" — e.g., when a slot with an existing appointment is deleted, the appointment isn't deleted but flagged here for review
    Appointments from All Events All appointments across every event on your account
    Contacts Without Appointments Contacts who've logged in but never booked an appointment
    List of Administrators Admin emails and access levels. For teachers (auto-assigned Appointment Viewer access), this also shows which resources/teachers they can access. Click Additional Fields → Last Logged In to see last login dates.
    % Full Percentage of booked vs. available slots, across multiple events
    Cancelled Appointments All cancelled appointments, with cancellation date/time and who cancelled
    Appointment Counts for All Events Total appointment counts across every event
    Resource Mapping Shows all resources and their associated contacts/teachers — useful for verifying Team assignments
    Parents Without Students Parents not linked to any student
    Students Without Parents Students not linked to any parent
    Parent-Student Relationship Table of all parent-student associations
    Scheduled Report Delivery Overview of your automated report deliveries — recipients, frequency, last sent date. Delete entries here to cancel a scheduled delivery.
    Appointments Summary by Contacts Appointments booked by specific contact(s), across all events on the account

    Sending Custom Emails

    The Appointments List page — not the main Appointments page — lets you search for and manage appointments by:

    This returns a list of parents with appointments matching your search, along with options to email, delete, confirm, or recreate slots and appointments.

    Sending Emails from the Appointments List

    1. Click Send Email at the top of the page.
    2. Choose Send to All or Send to Selected.
    3. In the dialog that appears, choose an email type:
      • Reminder email
      • Custom email

    image.png

    You can send using the existing template as-is, or customize it for this send.

    Email templates are managed under Settings/ Notification Setup.

    Teacher Access

    Teachers can view their own schedule by logging in at pickatime.com or via the school's scheduling link — the same way a parent would.

    Once logged in, teachers are taken directly to the Reports page, where they can view their booked appointments.

    For teachers who are also parents at the school:

    These users will land on the standard parent scheduling page first. From there, they'll see an Admin UI link, which takes them to the Reports section to view their own teaching schedule.

    Viewing Appointments in the Admin

    You can adjust several display settings to make the Appointments page easier to read.

    Adjust row height (make time slots taller): On the Appointments tab, hover over one of the horizontal lines just above a time marker, then click and drag vertically.

    Adjust column width: Hover over the space between two resource columns, then click and drag.

    Adjust time markers and gridlines: Go to Settings / Vendor UI Setup and modify "Time Mark Display on the Appointments Page."

    Adjust the visible time range (scroll bar limits): On the same Vendor UI Setup page, under "Hours Visible on the Appointments Page," set the minimum and maximum hours shown.

    This range applies account-wide per event — it is not day-specific. If one day has slots from 8–5 and another has slots from 9–6, set the range to 8–6 so the scroll bar covers all possible slot times across every day.

    PTA Videos

    Getting Started with your PTA event
    The Backend
    Working with slots in your PTA event 
     Working with classes and teachers at your PTA event 
     Working with parents and students at your PTA event 
     Additional features