Family memberships: record each adult's role separately

• The recorded payer is the person the organization bills under its agreement. They receive invoices and payment notices and manage the card on file.
• A recorded guardian may receive dependent access and signing permissions after the organization checks their authority.
• A recorded pickup contact may collect a child when the organization approves it under its policy. That role alone grants no account or waiver-signing access.

In many families one parent holds all three roles. Other families need more care: separated parents who split costs, a grandparent who pays but never collects, a nanny who collects but does not decide, or an adult who is part of the household but holds none of these roles.

When software stores a single parent or account holder, staff fill the gaps from memory. The payer is treated as the guardian because they are the name on the account. A pickup contact receives billing emails because theirs was the only address entered. These mix-ups can expose information to the wrong adult or let them act without the right permission.

Recording each role separately lets staff answer each question from the record instead of guessing. It also keeps a change to one role from touching another: removing someone's pickup permission should not remove their guardian role, and replacing the card on file should not change who can sign a waiver.

1. Create a record for each person, including children who do not need a login.
2. Choose the payer, then choose which people the membership covers. The payer does not have to be one of them.
3. Verify guardian authority under your policy, then record the relationship and its effective date.
4. Add authorized pickup contacts for each child who needs them.
5. Collect each required waiver from an authorized signer.

Ask about each role at enrollment.

Confirm who may sign a child's waiver and whether its terms meet local legal requirements. A recorded signature alone does not establish that every term is enforceable.

Check authority and signing requirements against your policy and applicable law before using these example permissions.

For example, a grandparent pays for two children, their parent is the verified guardian, and an aunt may collect one child on Fridays. A new card from the grandparent changes payment details. It does not add the aunt to the other child’s pickup list or change the parent’s authority.

Collect only the personal details you need for these roles and protect what you keep, as the FTC recommends. Restrict access to sensitive notes and set a retention policy that meets applicable requirements.

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A new partner may start collecting a child, or a grandparent may take over payments. Keep a dated history instead of overwriting the record, so staff can see which role was recorded on a given day. Escalate a court order or custody dispute under your verification policy before changing permissions.

Verify a reported change before ending a role. Review pickup permissions promptly because they matter at the moment a child leaves the building.

Decide whether the price depends on how many people a membership covers, and what happens when someone is added or removed partway through a term. If the agreed terms and applicable law permit a price change, state when it takes effect and how the payer will be told before the next charge. A written pause policy addresses the related question of what happens when one family member stops attending for a while.