Getting Started

Welcome to Seedlist

You're all set up — now let's make sure you're getting the most out of your waitlist. This guide walks through everything you need to know, step by step. It should take about 10 minutes to read, and you can come back to it anytime.

1. Share Your Waitlist Link

This is the most important thing you can do right now. Your waitlist has a unique link that families use to apply. You can find it in your dashboard sidebar — just click Copy Waitlist Link.

Put it everywhere families might look:

  • Your website (a button that says “Join Our Waitlist”)
  • Your Facebook page or Instagram bio
  • Your email signature
  • A printed flyer at your front desk or in your lobby

The more places you share it, the fewer phone calls you'll field from families asking how to get on the list.

2. Set Up Your Classrooms

During onboarding, we pre-filled some default classrooms for you. Now's the time to make them match your actual center.

  • Rename rooms to match what you actually call them (e.g., “Ladybugs” instead of “Infant Room”)
  • Set your capacities — both your licensed capacity and the number you actually operate at, if different
  • Add staff count per room so Seedlist can track your staff-to-child ratios based on your state's rules

Where to find it: Settings → Classrooms

3. Add Your Existing Families

If you already have families on a waitlist (in a spreadsheet, a notebook, or just in your head), get them into Seedlist so everything is in one place.

  • Import from a spreadsheet — upload a CSV or Excel file from Settings. Seedlist will map your columns automatically.
  • Add manually — click the + button on your dashboard to add families one at a time.

Tip: Import your currently enrolled children too — this powers the enrollment forecast so Seedlist can predict when spots will open up.

4. Understand Your Waitlist Board

Your dashboard is a visual board where every family is a card that moves through your enrollment pipeline, from left to right:

NewTouredWaitlistedOfferedEnrolled
  • Drag and drop a family card to move them to the next stage
  • Click any card to see the full details — parent info, child info, notes, tour history, and contact log
  • Use filters at the top to narrow by age group, priority, classroom, or status
  • Search by parent or child name to find anyone quickly

5. Set Your Priority Rules

Not every family on your waitlist is equal — siblings of enrolled children, staff families, or alumni may get first dibs. Seedlist lets you define priority tiers so the right families are always at the top.

  • We start with sensible defaults, but you can rename, add, or reorder tiers
  • Families in higher tiers are surfaced first when a spot opens up
  • Assign a priority to any family from their detail panel

Where to find it: Settings → Priority Tiers

6. Customize Your Pipeline

Every center's enrollment process is a little different. If the default stages don't match how you work, change them.

  • Add new stages (e.g., “Toured — Interested” or “Deposit Received”)
  • Rename or reorder existing stages
  • Remove stages you don't use

Where to find it: Settings → Pipeline Stages

7. Automatic Check-Ins

This is one of the most important features in Seedlist. Waitlists get stale fast — families find other care and forget to tell you. Without regular check-ins, 20–40% of your list may be families who no longer need a spot.

Here's how it works:

  • Seedlist automatically emails waitlisted families asking “Are you still interested in a spot?”
  • Parents confirm with one click — no app, no login, no password needed
  • If a family doesn't respond, Seedlist follows up again after the interval you set (default: 30 days)
  • After a set number of unanswered check-ins (default: 3), the family is automatically archived
  • Emails come from myseedlist.com with your center's name, so parents know it's from you

Importing families from a spreadsheet?

When you import families, Seedlist will ask you how to handle check-ins for those entries:

  • Wait 30 days (recommended) — gives families time to settle in before their first check-in
  • Start right away — check-ins begin within 24 hours of import
  • Skip check-ins — imported families won't receive check-in emails (you can turn them on later from each child's detail view)

Sample email for your families

Switching from a spreadsheet or another system? Consider sending something like this to your waitlisted families so they know what to expect. A copy-and-paste version is also available in your Settings page.

Subject: Update on our waitlist

Dear families,

We're excited to let you know that [Your Center Name] is now using a new waitlist management system to keep our enrollment process organized and transparent.

What this means for you:

  • You'll receive periodic check-in emails from myseedlist.com asking if you're still interested in a spot. These emails are legitimate and come directly from us.
  • Simply click the link in the email to confirm — no app, no login, no password needed.
  • You can also check your waitlist status anytime using the link in the email.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.

[Your Center Name]

Where to find it: Settings → Still-Interested Check-Ins

8. Review Your Enrollment Forecast

The forecast shows you when spots are likely to open up in each classroom — so you can plan ahead instead of reacting.

  • See projected openings month by month, classroom by classroom
  • Based on children aging out, known departures, and your historical churn rate
  • Make sure your enrolled children are imported — the forecast needs them to be accurate

Where to find it: Forecast in the sidebar

9. Customize Your Application Form

The application form families fill out works great out of the box, but you can add your own questions too.

  • Add up to 5 custom fields — text, dropdown, or checkbox
  • Example questions: “Does your child have any allergies?” or “Preferred schedule”
  • You can also customize the confirmation email families receive after applying

Where to find it: Settings → Custom Fields & Confirmation Email

10. Invite Your Team

If other staff members help manage your waitlist, you can invite them so they have their own login.

  • Add their name and email — they'll get a temporary password by email
  • Staff can view and manage the waitlist and forecast
  • Only owners (that's you) can access Settings, Billing, and team management

Where to find it: Settings → Team

11. What Families See

You might be wondering what the experience looks like from a parent's side. Here's what they get:

  • A clean application form with your center's name — works great on phones
  • A confirmation email right after they apply, with a private link to check their status
  • A status page — no login needed — where they can see their application timeline and current status
  • Periodic check-in emails asking if they're still interested (one click to confirm)

Families never need to create an account or remember a password. Everything works through their email.

Need Help?

If you get stuck or have a question that isn't covered here, we're happy to help. Reach out anytime — we respond within 24 hours, usually much faster.

Contact Support