---
title: "Add a family manually"
description: "Create a family record directly, with parents and children in one step. For walk-ins, transfers, or anyone who didn't come through the lead pipeline."
type: guide
updated: 2026-10-10
canonical_url: https://help.nestlicare.com/owners/families/add-a-family-manually
roles: ["super_admin", "center_admin"]
platforms: [web]
---
Most new families come through leads or enrollment packets. Sometimes you just need to add one manually: a transfer from another daycare, a walk-in, or someone who signed up offline.

<VideoEmbed
  src="families-explained"
  title="Families and children, explained: every button on the family card (narrated, 4 minutes)"
  captions={false}
/>

## Add the family

1. Go to **Families & Children → Families**.
2. Click **Add Family** in the top right.
3. Fill in the New family form.

<ScreenshotWithPointers
  src="/screenshots/owners/families/add-family-modal.png"
  alt="The New family form, with sections for the family name, parents and guardians, and children"
  caption="One form creates the whole household: family name, parents, and children."
/>

The form creates the whole household in one step:

- **Family name** is optional. Leave it blank and the family is named after the first last name you type.
- **Children** takes each child's name and date of birth, and a **Room**. If you have one room, the child joins it. With several rooms, pick one or leave **No room (enroll later)**. Once a room is picked, you can choose an **Enrollment type**, tick the **Days they attend (optional)**, and add a tuition plan. Days matter: attendance and the "not here yet" check use them. Click **Add another child** for siblings.
- **Parents & Guardians**: click **Add a parent** and enter their first name and email (last name and phone are optional), plus their relationship to the child. Click **Add another parent** for a second parent or guardian.

Allergies, emergency contacts and documents can wait. Add them from the child's profile once the family exists.

Click **Add family** to save. If a parent has an email, a **Family created** dialog asks whether to invite them now. Nothing is sent unless you choose to. Click **Send invite** (or **Send invites** for two parents) and they get a link that opens the app and signs them in, or click **Later** to invite them from the family card when you're ready.

<Callout kind="tip" title="Not ready to invite parents?">
Click **Later**. Nothing is emailed. Many owners set up all their families first, get rooms and billing right, and then send every invite at once with **Send app invites to N parents** in the **Onboarding actions** bar on the Families page. For parents without an email, **Print invite sheets** gives each family a page with a QR code to scan.
</Callout>

## After the family exists

Everything else about a household happens on its family card in the Families list:

- **Add more members or children** with the add buttons under each section of the card.
- **Invite a parent to the app** from their row on the card. Parents can't create their own accounts; the invitation is how they get access.
- **Enroll a child in a room** if you chose "enroll later". See [Add a child to a family](/owners/families/add-a-child-to-a-family).
- **Attach billing** so invoices can be generated. See [Create a billing plan](/owners/billing/create-a-billing-plan).

## Troubleshooting

**Created a family I didn't mean to.** Open the family card's **⋯** menu and choose **Archive family**. Archiving removes the family from active lists without destroying the record. To remove it for good, find it on the **Archived** list afterwards, open its **⋯** menu, and choose **Delete permanently** (you type the family name to confirm). See [Archive a family](/owners/families/archive-a-family).

**Add family is greyed out.** Hover over it for the reason. Usually no last name has been typed anywhere: add one as the family name, or on a child or parent. A parent row you started also needs a first name and email.

**Two siblings from the same household showed up as separate families.** There is no merge button. Archive the newer or smaller record and add its children to the family you're keeping.