SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT
The Washington Market School
Since its founding nearly 50 years ago, when Tribeca was called “Washington Market,” the founder of The Washington Market School (WMS) held the school's first classes in her NYC loft apartment.
Today, WMS still prioritizes creating a nurturing and enriching environment for its young children, having expanded to two locations in lower Manhattan to serve its students between the ages of two and five.
“We really need to think a lot about what makes us different, what makes us stand out, and why would families choose us,” said Genna Scarano, Associate Director of Systems, Design, and Marketing at WMS.
At a Glance
The Washington Market School is an independent preschool in NYC, serving students between the ages of 2-5.
As a school offering a unique educational approach, WMS blends Montessori and Reggio Emilia methodologies to provide structured learning and meaningful opportunities for children to engage in their work.
“As an early childhood school, we're a bit unique in that we function in many ways more like a lower school than a preschool, and we found that a lot of the software out there just wasn't meeting our needs.”
And as the school’s leadership noted, the tools they used needed to be smart, efficient, and effective.
“We were at the point of deciding, ‘Should we add this mobile app?’ Now that we’re more than a year into its launch, it’s probably been the most impactful decision we’ve made for our parent community.”
GENNA SCARANO
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF SYSTEMS, DESIGNS & MARKETING
A Full Platform for Building Family Relationships
WMS’s partnership with Finalsite took a significant leap forward when WMS launched a new website and integrated several software solutions, like Finalsite Enrollment and Billing, a comprehensive SEO campaign, Messages XR, and most notably, a mobile app designed to enhance the school's communication capabilities.
The journey to integrating the Finalsite mobile app into WMS's daily operations was driven by a clear purpose: to save time and improve communication within the school community. Not to mention, WMS is surrounded by several competing NYC schools.
“We were at the point of deciding, ‘Should we add this mobile app?’” shared Scarano. “Now that we’re more than a year into its launch, it’s probably been the most impactful decision we’ve made for our parent community.”
“That branding consistency and professionalism that comes about by having our website and communications and our app all under the hub of Finalsite makes it easy to keep everything branded and have clear messaging that's spread across all platforms.”
“We've found that Finalsite is so easy to customize in a super intuitive way, and it's really easy for us to set up,” said Scarano. “We used to use so many different tools for our communications, and now that it’s all centralized, it saves a lot of time.”
Security and data integration were also key benefits of the Finalsite partnership. With all communications happening within a secure platform, parents can trust their information and their children’s data are safe. The seamless data integration across various tools and platforms saved time and reduced the complexity of managing multiple systems.
“Our children are so young that it's challenging to keep our parents informed on the day-to-day of what's happening,” Scarano said. “Having a way to communicate daily with parents a snapshot of their child's experience is something we were looking to offer.”
“Our parents are in their early 30s for the most part — it’s an app generation,” noted Scarano, adding that nearly 90% of their parents use the app to stay connected to the school.
Enhanced Communication and Engagement
The mobile app quickly became a central hub for parents and staff alike, streamlining access to vital resources and school information — everything parents needed right at their fingertips, like
- School Calendars
- Essential Resources
- School Blogs
- App Alerts and Notifications
The Classroom Portal was another critical feature, offering each WMS classroom its own dedicated space for sharing important information, such as:
- Class Schedules
- Family Handbook
- School Calendar
- Videos, Learning Resources, Sign-ups, and more
One of the most impactful features made more accessible by the app was WMS’s Daily Posts. Written by classroom teachers, these recaps give parents a window into their child's daily classroom experiences.
Teachers share curriculum updates, suggest questions for parents to ask their children, post important reminders, and include photos of classroom activities. Parents can subscribe to these posts through the mobile app and receive push notifications, keeping them connected to their children’s day-to-day adventures.
A Connected School Community
“Our school is largely compared to our peers, and we focus on what makes us unique,” said WMS Head of School, Carrie Kries.
Kries highlighted the app's effect on school communications and said the level of connection was invaluable, particularly in a school environment where children are too young to communicate all the details of their day to their families.
“They’re learning how to talk,” laughed Kries. “As the school leader, where I don’t have the blessing of being inside every classroom, I have access to each classroom’s daily notes, and that lets me feel really connected to my entire school.”
The ease of use of the Finalsite mobile app was another significant advantage.
Teachers, who initially might have been apprehensive about the additional workload, found that the app made it simple to update information quickly and efficiently. By spending just a few minutes updating posts, teachers keep parents informed without the daily check-in becoming a time-consuming task.
More than a year after the app’s launch, The Washington Market School's decision to adopt the Finalsite mobile app allowed it to maintain branding consistency, improve communication efficiency, and provide parents with a centralized hub for all school-related information.
As WMS continues to refine its use of the app, the school remains committed to enhancing the educational experience for its students and creating a strong, connected community.
“It's not enough to do a show and tell,” Kries added. “Now it’s more about the mission and asking, ‘Why do you send your child to our school?’ It needs to be reflected in the daily post, and now our teachers have the muscle to get in there and do it so easily.”
The best way to see how Finalsite’s mobile app works — is for yourself.
Get a behind-the-scenes tour of the mobile app!
Strengthen your school’s connection with families with an intuitive, seamless, and branded experience.