An activity group lets you offer one activity more than one way, so families can pick the way that works for them.
Two words to keep straight:
The group is the single listing families see in your catalog.
The choices are what sit inside it, and what a family actually enrolls in.
Most of the time the choices are the same activity, and the only difference is when. A family sees "Chess Camp" once and picks Morning only. They make one decision instead of scanning your whole catalog for three separate listings.
Shared capacity: one question decides it
Every group has a Shared capacity setting. You only need to answer one question to get it right:
If every choice filled up at once, would you have too many children in the room? |
Yes, turn shared capacity on. Your limit covers the whole group, and each student picks one choice. Set a max of 14 on a camp with morning, afternoon, and full-day choices and you get 14 children total, not 14 in each.
No, leave it off. Every choice gets its own limit of 14, and one student can take more than one. That's what lets a family book two piano times in the same week.
Most groups leave it off.
The difference at a glance
| Shared capacity ON | Shared capacity OFF |
A max of 14 means | 14 across the whole group | 14 in every choice |
A student can join | One choice only | As many as fit their schedule |
Waitlist | One shared waitlist for the group | A separate waitlist per choice |
You set capacity | Once, on the group. It's required, and every choice inherits it | On each choice, separately |
One thing that surprises people: with shared capacity on, a student can join only one choice even when two choices never overlap on the calendar. A family who takes the morning camp can't add the afternoon camp as a second enrollment. That's deliberate. It's what makes "pick one" mean pick one.
Common setups
What you're offering | Your choices look like | Shared capacity |
Private lessons or tutoring | One choice per open time, capacity 1 each. Some schools list over a hundred | Off |
A camp with more than one schedule | Morning only, Afternoon only, Full day | Off, unless it's one room with one staff ratio |
Aftercare pickup windows | 3-4 PM, 3-5 PM, 4-5 PM | On |
A program with different commitments | Annual package, Fall trimester only | On |
Optional: give each choice its own name
Homeroom will let you name every choice the same thing, and families will still see the day and time on each one. But three identical lines called "Chess Camp" are hard to tell apart in a cart or a confirmation email. "Chess Camp | Morning Only)" is not. Name each choice after whatever makes it different.
Rules to know
The group holds no schedule. Days and times live on each choice, not on the group.
Families enroll in a choice, never the group. Try to add a student to the group and Homeroom will ask you to pick a choice instead.
Choices can differ in everything else: days, times, dates, room, grades, ages, teacher, and price.
Decide shared capacity before you open registration
The moment a group has its first enrollment, two things lock:
You can't turn the group on or off.
You can't change the shared capacity setting.
Changing your mind after families have signed up means moving enrollments, so settle this one before you go live.
Need help?
If you're not sure which setup fits your program, reach out and we'll walk through it with you.