Controlling daycare capacity

Daycare is different from boarding. With boarding, each pet gets a specific run for their whole stay. With daycare, pets come and go the same day, and you need to know how many you can handle without packing the place too tight.

Petsoft lets you set a daily limit for each daycare service. Once you hit that limit, the system blocks new online bookings for that day. Staff can still override if needed, but the default behavior keeps you from accidentally overcommitting.

Setting your weekly plan

Go to Facility > Services > Daycare Availability.

The first time you open it, you will set up a default weekly plan. This tells the system how many daycare spots you want to sell on a typical Monday, Tuesday, and so on.

Day	Typical limit	When to adjust it
Monday	20	Lower if your Monday staff is smaller
Tuesday	20	Same as Monday for most businesses
Wednesday	25	Mid-week might be your busiest day
Thursday	20	Back to normal
Friday	15	Some facilities run short-staffed on Fridays
Saturday	10	Weekend daycare is less common
Sunday	Closed	Set to 0 if you do not offer Sunday daycare

These numbers are not set in stone. You can change them anytime. The plan is just a starting point. Individual date overrides always win over the plan.

Reading the calendar

Once your plan is saved, the calendar shows each day with three numbers:

• Booked: How many pets are already scheduled
• Capacity: The limit for that day
• Remaining: How many spots you have left

If remaining hits zero, the day turns red. Online customers will see that day as unavailable. Your staff can still book manually if you trust your judgment more than the computer.

tip

The remaining count includes boarding pets that are occupying runs. If you see a low remaining number on a day where you do not have many daycare bookings, check your boarding arrivals. They might be using the same physical space.

Overriding a single day

Sometimes you know a specific day will be different. Maybe you hired extra help for spring break, or maybe half your team is at a conference.

Click the day on the calendar and change the number. You can also mark a day as completely non-bookable if you are closed for a holiday or a private event.

Single-day overrides stick around until you delete them. If you set a custom limit for July 4th, it will still be there next year unless you remove it.

Bulk editing a date range

If you want to change a whole season at once, use the Edit Range button. Pick a start date, end date, and a service, then apply a new weekday plan to that range.

This is useful for:

• Summer camp season when you have extra staff
• Winter break when you are short-staffed
• A month where you are remodeling part of your facility

How it affects the parent portal

The capacity settings control what customers see when they try to book daycare online. If a day shows zero remaining, the portal will not let them select it.

However, the portal also checks vaccination records and blocked customer status before it even gets to capacity. A customer might see a day as unavailable for multiple reasons. If you are troubleshooting why someone cannot book, check all three: shots, block status, and capacity.

What if you go over capacity?

The system will warn you if you try to book a daycare stay that exceeds the limit. You can still save it if you want. The limit is a guardrail, not a wall. If you know you can squeeze in one more regular who gets along with everyone, go ahead.

Just remember that going over capacity too often probably means your limits are set too low, or you need more physical space.

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Capacity management methods compared

Method	Best for	Effort	Duration
Weekly plan	Standard operating schedule	One-time setup	Ongoing default
Single-day override	Holidays, special events, staffing changes	Per day	Until deleted
Bulk edit range	Seasons, camps, renovations	One-time for range	Covers date range

Override decision flow

Troubleshooting booking issues

Symptom	Check	Likely cause
Day shows unavailable	Vaccinations	Missing or expired shots
Day shows unavailable	Customer status	Account is blocked
Day shows unavailable	Capacity	Limit reached; check Remaining
Low remaining with few daycare bookings	Boarding arrivals	Shared physical space
Can't override online booking	Staff permissions	Need reservation override permission