How to Use Custom Fields for Enrollment Opportunities

Custom Fields for Enrollment Opportunities give you the flexibility to tailor your platform to match your exact enrollment process. By creating, organizing, and applying custom fields, you can track details that matter most to your childcare center—from enrollment deadlines and family preferences to tuition budgets and referral sources. These fields also integrate seamlessly with filtering, reporting, and enrollment pipeline customization, helping your team focus on the right families.

What are Custom Fields for Enrollment Opportunities?

Custom Fields for Enrollment Opportunities allow you to add, manage, and organize additional data points in your enrollment pipeline beyond the default fields provided by Enrollio. This feature ensures your pipeline reflects the unique aspects of your childcare enrollment process.

You can create text, dropdown, date, monetary, and other field types, categorize them into folders, and even hide empty fields for a cleaner view. These fields then become usable in filtering, reporting, and automation to streamline your enrollment workflows.

[SCREENSHOT: Custom Fields dashboard showing various field types configured for childcare enrollment, including fields like "Child's Age," "Start Date Preference," "Tuition Budget," and "Referral Source"]

Key Benefits of Custom Fields for Enrollment Opportunities

Custom Fields give you control over how you track and organize enrollment opportunities, making Enrollio a more powerful tool for your childcare center.

• Personalization: Capture information specific to your center, such as tuition budget, classroom preferences, or dietary restrictions.
• Organization: Group fields into folders and reorder them for easier data management.
• Efficiency: Use the "hide empty fields" option to keep pipeline views clean and focused on active enrollments.
• Better Reporting: Include custom fields in dashboards, widgets, and reports for deeper insights into your enrollment trends.
• Filtering Power: Filter and sort enrollment opportunities by custom criteria to quickly prioritize prospective families.
• Automation: Use custom fields in automations, campaigns, and merge fields to save time and personalize communications.

How to Create and Manage Custom Fields

Creating and managing custom fields ensures your team captures the right details for every enrollment opportunity.

Accessing Custom Fields

There are two ways to reach the Custom Fields dashboard in Enrollio. Both methods take you to the same place, so choose whichever is more convenient.

Via Settings

1. From your dashboard, open the Settings menu
2. Scroll down and select Custom Fields
3. This takes you directly to the Custom Fields dashboard

[SCREENSHOT: Settings menu with Custom Fields option highlighted]

Via Enrollment Opportunity

1. Inside the Enrollment Opportunities section, select any existing opportunity
2. Click Add/Manage Fields
3. This shortcut redirects you to the same Custom Fields dashboard, making it quick to edit while reviewing an enrollment

[SCREENSHOT: Enrollment Opportunity detail view with Add/Manage Fields button highlighted]

Creating a New Custom Field

Creating custom fields allows you to capture details unique to your enrollment process directly within opportunities. From family budgets to preferred start dates, these fields give you the flexibility to customize your pipeline and ensure important information is always tracked.

Step 1: Add Field

Click the + Add Field button at the top right of the Custom Fields dashboard. This begins the process of creating a new custom field for enrollment opportunities.

[SCREENSHOT: Custom Fields dashboard with + Add Field button highlighted in top right]

Step 2: Choose Field Type

Select from various field types to match your data needs. Here are common field types and how childcare centers use them:

Field Type	Example Use Case
Single Line	Enter the child's full name or parent's employer
Multi Line	Add detailed notes about special needs or family circumstances
Text Box List	Track multiple emergency contacts or authorized pickup persons
Number	Record the child's age in months or sibling count
Phone	Save a secondary parent's phone number
Monetary	Store the family's tuition budget or payment plan preference
Dropdown (Single)	Select preferred classroom (e.g., Infant, Toddler, Preschool)
Dropdown (Multiple)	Mark all programs a family is interested in (e.g., full-time, part-time, summer camp)
Radio Select	Capture yes/no responses like "Is tuition assistance needed?"
Checkbox	Flag if immunization records or enrollment paperwork has been received
Date Picker	Track key dates like preferred start date or follow-up tour date
File Upload	Attach immunization records, birth certificates, or registration forms
Signature	Collect parent signatures on enrollment agreements directly in the platform

After selecting the appropriate field type, click Next to continue setting up the custom field.

[SCREENSHOT: Field type selection screen showing various options like Single Line, Dropdown, Date Picker, etc.]

Step 3: Assign to Enrollment Opportunity

After naming your field, set the Object to Enrollment Opportunity so the field applies specifically within enrollment opportunity records.

Other Fields to Configure:

• Name: The display label for the custom field (e.g., "Child's Start Date Preference")
• Group: Folder or category to organize the field under (e.g., "Enrollment Details")
• Placeholder: A hint text shown inside the field when it's empty (e.g., "Enter preferred start date")
• Additional Preferences: Advanced options for certain field types (e.g., default values, required toggle)

Click the Save button to finalize your new custom enrollment opportunity field. Once saved, the field becomes available for use across enrollment opportunity records in your pipeline.

[SCREENSHOT: Field configuration screen showing Name, Group, Object set to "Enrollment Opportunity", and Placeholder fields filled in]

Creating a Folder

Folders make it easy to organize multiple custom fields into logical groups. By creating folders, you can keep related fields together, reduce clutter, and make it simpler for your team to find and update the right information inside enrollment opportunities.

Step 1: Add Folder

Click the Add Folder button at the top right of the Custom Fields dashboard. Folders help you organize related fields, making them easier to manage and locate.

[SCREENSHOT: Custom Fields dashboard with Add Folder button highlighted]

Step 2: Name the Folder

Enter a descriptive name for your folder (e.g., "Child Information" or "Tuition & Payment Details"). A clear name ensures your team knows exactly what type of fields belong inside.

Step 3: Select Object

Choose Enrollment Opportunity as the object so the folder applies specifically to enrollment opportunity records. This ensures all fields created under this folder appear in enrollment opportunities rather than parent records or other objects.

Click Save after finalizing the folder name and object.

[SCREENSHOT: Add Folder dialog with folder name entered and Enrollment Opportunity selected as object]

Managing Custom Fields

Once your custom fields and folders are created, you can manage them effectively by reordering, filtering, grouping, or deleting. These tools help keep your enrollment opportunities organized and make it easier to find the right information.

Filter by Object

Use the dropdown at the top right to filter custom fields by object type (e.g., Enrollment Opportunity, Parent/Family, Company). Selecting Enrollment Opportunity ensures you only see fields linked to enrollment opportunities, making it easier to focus on what's relevant for pipeline tracking.

[SCREENSHOT: Filter dropdown showing object type options with Enrollment Opportunity selected]

Group by Folder

Use the Group By dropdown to organize custom fields by folder or category. This makes it easier to view fields based on context—for example, grouping all tuition-related fields under "Payment Details" or all child-specific inputs under "Child Information."

Bulk Actions

Select multiple custom fields using the checkbox menu and use the Bulk Actions menu to edit, delete, or move them into a different folder. This saves time when managing several fields at once instead of adjusting them individually.

[SCREENSHOT: Custom Fields list with checkboxes selected and Bulk Actions dropdown menu visible]

Reorder Fields

Use the drag-and-drop hamburger icon to move custom fields up or down in the list. This allows you to control the order in which fields appear when creating or editing enrollment opportunities.

[SCREENSHOT: Custom Fields list showing drag-and-drop icons for reordering]

Using Custom Fields in Enrollment Opportunities

Once you've created your custom fields, they become available throughout your enrollment pipeline. Your team can use them to capture important family details, track enrollment progress, and personalize communications.

Adding Custom Field Data

1. Open any enrollment opportunity from your pipeline
2. Scroll to the custom fields section
3. Fill in the relevant information for each field
4. The data is automatically saved and available for reporting and automation

[SCREENSHOT: Enrollment Opportunity detail view showing custom fields section with various fields populated]

Display Custom Fields on Opportunity Cards

You can choose which custom fields appear on enrollment opportunity cards in your pipeline view. This makes it easy to see key information at a glance without opening each opportunity.

1. Navigate to your enrollment pipeline view
2. Click the settings or customize view option
3. Select which custom fields to display on opportunity cards
4. Drag to reorder how they appear
5. Save your changes

This feature is especially helpful for quickly scanning important details like preferred start dates, classroom preferences, or tuition budgets across multiple prospective families.

[SCREENSHOT: Pipeline view customization showing custom field selection for opportunity cards]

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use custom fields in automations?

Yes! Custom fields can be used as triggers, conditions, and merge fields in your automations. For example, you can send automated follow-ups based on a family's preferred start date or personalize messages with their child's name.

What happens if I delete a custom field?

Deleting a custom field will remove it from all enrollment opportunities and any data stored in that field will be lost. Make sure to export any important data before deleting a field.

Can I make a custom field required?

Yes, when creating or editing a custom field, you can toggle the "Required" option to ensure your team must fill it in before saving an enrollment opportunity.

How many custom fields can I create?

There's no hard limit on custom fields, but we recommend keeping them focused and organized. Too many fields can slow down your team and make data entry overwhelming.

Can parents see custom fields?

Custom fields are internal to your Enrollio platform. Parents won't see them unless you include specific field data in communications using merge fields.