What Principals Look For in an After-School Vendor

Updated September 17, 2026

A principal judges an outside program on four things in its first year: what parents say about it, whether class starts on time with a prepared instructor, whether you tell her about changes before she has to ask, and how you handle the day something goes wrong. I spent a decade in public education, leading schools. Those four are what I watched from the principal's office.

Getting into a school is a sales process. Staying in a school is an operations process. They take different skills, and operators who are great at the first sometimes underinvest in the second, because it feels like upkeep. It's the business. My guide on how to get your program into schools covers getting in and the renewal ask. This post is the view from the other side of the desk during year one.

What does a principal evaluate in a program's first year?

Four things, and none of them is your curriculum binder.

1. Parent feedback. The comments she hears in the hallway and the emails that reach the front office. When parents are happy, she hears about it. When they're frustrated, she hears faster.
2. Logistics. Class starts and ends on time. The instructor is there early and ready. Handoffs with teachers and the office are smooth. The room looks the way you found it.
3. Communication. When something changes, you reach out first. She doesn't chase you, and neither does her office manager.
4. How you handle a problem. Something will go wrong in a room full of kids. She's watching whether you handle it with competence and tell her the truth quickly.

A principal who saw all four done well has an easy decision in the spring. A principal who saw one done poorly has a harder one, and a full desk.

Why does the principal care so much?

Because she vouched for you. For you, this is an agreement. For her, it's a decision she made and now answers for. She gave you access to her building and her families. Every parent who registers is trusting her judgment as much as yours.

I know how heavy that is. As a first-year principal I had to cancel our after-school program. The aides running it had no curriculum and no support, so I made the call. It hurt. No principal wants to make that call twice, so she watches the next program closely. Give her nothing to worry about and she becomes your best reference in the district.

What ends a school partnership in year one?

Three things do most of the damage, and all three are preventable.

• A late start. Starting two or three weeks after the date you promised tells the school you were disorganized or you overpromised. Families have already arranged pickup around your dates. Paperwork is the usual cause, so start it early. My post on how long vendor approval takes has the countdown.
• Going quiet. The stretch between the signed agreement and the first class is where operators disappear. Send a short note every couple of weeks: registration is open, here's the count, here's the roster, here's who is teaching.
• An incident she hears about from a parent first. This is the one that breaks trust. The incident itself rarely ends a partnership. Being surprised by it does.

How do I report an incident to the school?

Principal first, same day, before families start talking. Put this protocol in writing and train every instructor on it before the first class.

1. The instructor takes care of the child, then calls you. Every time, even for small things.
2. You tell the front office before you leave the building or within the hour: what happened, which child, what was done.
3. You call or email the principal the same day. Facts only. What happened, what you did, what you're changing.
4. You contact the family the same day, and tell the principal you've done it.
5. You follow up in writing within a day, so the school has a record and so do you.

Follow the school's own incident procedure where it has one, and ask for it in your first meeting. From the principal's chair, the 3:40 PM phone call from a parent about a program I didn't run is the worst kind of surprise. A provider who calls first, with the facts, comes out of that day with more trust than they went in with.

How should I work with the school coordinator or office manager?

As your partner, because that's what she is. She handles the daily details that decide how your program feels to the school: the room, the announcements, the kid whose pickup changed at 2:50 PM. She's also often the person who tells the principal how it's going.

• Send the roster before day one, with grade, homeroom teacher and how each child goes home. Resend it when it changes.
• Give her one number that gets answered during class hours.
• Ask what made the last outside program easy or hard to host, then do the easy things.
• Say thank you, by name, in front of the principal.

What should I do during the year to make renewal easy?

Build the renewal all year, a few minutes at a time, so spring is a formality.

Then ask directly: "Is there anything you'd need to see to feel good about next year?" That question surfaces concerns while they're still fixable. For what to keep on file, see the end-of-term checklist for renewals.

What is a school partnership worth over three years?

About three times what it's worth if it ends in June, and that's before it grows. Here's the math with example numbers. One class of 12 kids at $240, three terms a year.

• One year: 12 x $240 x 3 = $8,640 of tuition.
• Three years at the same size: $8,640 x 3 = $25,920.
• Add a second class in years two and three: $8,640 + $17,280 + $17,280 = $43,200.

The second class is the part people miss. Schools that trust you give you more days, more grades and an introduction to the principal across town. At Journey to STEAM, 95% of our school partners renew. Renewals are how a program gets to 75+ school sites. Year one is where that math gets decided. Picking the right schools helps too, and I cover that in how to choose school partners.

Frequently asked questions

What if the principal who brought me in leaves?

Introduce yourself to the new principal in her first month with your one-page recap and two sentences about the program's history at the school. This is why you keep records all year and why more than one person at the school should know your name.

Do principals care what my program costs families?

They care whether families can take part and whether the price causes complaints. Tell her the price, how scholarship seats work and whether you offer payment plans before registration opens, so she's never surprised by a parent's question.

Should I go to school events?

Yes, two or three a year. It takes a few hours and it tells the school you're part of the community and you plan to stay.

How does registration affect what the school thinks of me?

More than most operators expect. Paper forms and checks in backpacks make work for the office. One link families finish on a phone, and a roster the office receives before day one, make you easy to host. See what schools get with enrops, or read enrops for after-school programs.

Create your first registration. Free for businesses. Live in under 5 minutes. Or click through a sample registration first.

Arielle Hammond, Ed.D. is the founder of enrops and host of The Youth Enrichment Leader, presented by enrops.