At The Waldorf School of San Diego, education goes beyond textbooks and test scores. Rooted in the Waldorf philosophy, the school creates an immersive, experiential learning environment where students develop not just academically, but emotionally, socially, and morally.

“We start each day with a space for learning,” explained Liza Ferraro, Director of Admissions at The Waldorf School of San Diego. “We don’t have a traditional schedule where students shift subjects every hour. Instead, we teach in three- to six-week blocks, allowing students to fully absorb a subject through stories, art, and discussion.”

While students flourished in this rich learning environment, the administrative team was struggling with outdated processes that made managing tuition, billing, and contracts more stressful than it needed to be.

“I was helping in the business office, but when our administrator left, suddenly I was in charge of it all,” Ferraro explained. “That’s when I realized just how much of a nightmare it really was.”

Re-Imagining the Re-Enrollment Process

“Our families used to dread the re-enrollment process,” Ferraro shared. “It felt like a chore.”

Every year, parents re-enrolling at The Waldorf School of San Diego would have to complete a separate tuition agreement months after signing their contract, which always inevitably led to a last-minute scramble.

“I was texting 50 to 60 families the week before July 1st reminding them to set up their tuition agreement,” Ferraro explained. “Families understandably couldn’t fathom why they had to go through an extra step. It was frustrating for everyone.”

“Now with Clarity, families sign their contract, set up their payment plan, and manage everything in one place,” Ferraro said. “No more follow-ups, no more confusion — it just gets done.”

“Re-enrollment should be something families look forward to, not something they dread because the process is so onerous. Clarity makes that possible for our families.”

Eliminating Fees and Making Payments Painless

“One of the biggest challenges we had was the extra fees our parents were being charged for every interaction, from setting up a payment plan to making monthly payments,” shared Ferraro. “We had families dropping off tuition payments in cash just to avoid ACH processing fees.”

“That’s why I was so excited that Clarity doesn’t charge ACH fees. Our families are able to make tuition payments so much more easily, and they aren’t penalized for wanting to pay electronically.”

In addition to not charging ACH fees, Clarity also gives schools full control over whether and when late fees are assessed.

“Clarity isn’t just making our lives easier — it’s giving us the tools to be proactive and better serve families.”

Managing All Billing in One System

Beyond tuition, the school also had to manage payments for field trips, athletics, extended care, and parent-child programs — all of which were billed separately.

“Teachers were collecting field trip money, coaches were handling athletic fees, and payments were coming in through Square, Venmo, and checks. The reconciliation process was all over the place. It was very difficult to manage,” explained Ferraro.

With Clarity, all tuition and incidental billing is centralized in one system, reducing administrative burden and eliminating manual errors.

“Our teachers and coaches will enter fees directly into Clarity incidental billing portal without having access to any information that isn’t relevant to them. That’s a game changer.”

“No more tracking down payments from multiple platforms. Everything will be in Clarity, where it belongs.”

Support That Stands Apart

With their previous provider, The Waldorf School of San Diego often felt like they were on their own.

“I would call their support line and hope someone could help, but I never had a dedicated person who actually took the time to understand our school,” explained Ferraro.

With Clarity, that’s changed. Clarity provides each of its partner schools with a dedicated Client Success Manager who has at least a decade of experience working in the business offices of private schools.

“Every time I have a question, my Client Success Manager has an answer,” added Ferraro. “And if there’s ever a curveball, there’s now someone I can rely on to actually follow up with a solution. I can’t say enough about how helpful they have been for our school.”

“We’re already seeing such a difference with Clarity’s Contracts and Billing,” Ferraro shared. “Our re-enrollment, which used to be a month-long process, now takes one week. “We’re excited to see what further impact Clarity will have on our school’s process efficiency,” she continued.

“We’re finally getting the system we deserve. Clarity is going to transform how we manage contracts and billing — forever.”