Most co-ops start with a shared sheet and a chat thread. It works until enrollment opens. Here's what moves into one place when you switch.
| What you need | Propolis | Spreadsheets & group chat |
|---|---|---|
| Open enrollment with applications, approvals, and a waitlist | Included | Not included |
| Sections and classes with capacity and grade bands | Included | Manual tabs you rebuild every term |
| Attendance per class day | Included | Paper or a shared sheet anyone can overwrite |
| Teachers see only their own sections and students | Included | Not included |
| Family and student directory that stays current | Included | Outdated the week after you send it |
| Invoices and online payments via Stripe | Included | Not included |
| Targeted announcements by class, grade, or role | Included | One thread, everyone muted |
| Threaded messaging with families and teachers | Included | Not included |
| Volunteer hours tracked per family | Included | Chasing people at pickup |
| Flat price, no per-family or per-registration fees | Included | Free, but paid for in your evenings |
Rosters, attendance, payments, and hours live in the same place, so nothing has to be reconciled by hand.
Announcements and messages are threaded and targeted, so families actually see what applies to them.
Tuition and class fees go out as invoices and get paid online through Stripe instead of cash envelopes.
Scoped teacher views mean no shared spreadsheet where one wrong paste breaks the whole roster.
Propolis came out of running a real co-op, not out of a generic school admin product.
When leadership changes, the next director inherits a working system instead of a folder of files.
No per-family fees. No per-registration fees.