Welcome! If you are reading this article then that means you have already signed up for a Coach/Parent account here on ChessKid.com! You have made a great "step in the right direction" for your chess team, students, and/or children...
There are probably a few more steps you need to take in order to get your kids signed up and under your "guardianship". The easiest way to do that is to log out, go through the sign up process again with your child, choose their Avatar name (or you better let them choose 
), and give your email (the same one you gave us at sign up) in the "Parent's Email" box.
Your child's registration will then be complete, and as long as you gave the correct email address, your child has now been placed -- automatically -- under your watchful eye. You can learn more about some of the important sign up steps from our FAQ (click here). Now that everyone is signed up and revving their engines to get started, let's "take a walk" through our website in order to help you learn more about our many incredible features and learning tools!
First thing's first: Safety! After you have completed the registration process for both you and your child, here are some things you should know about the safety features and policies on ChessKid.com:
1 -- No other adult (Parent or Coach) membership has the ability to make a friend request with your child. In fact, even Parent/Coach memberships that you are friends with, do not automatically get "friend status" with a child under your guardianship. Child accounts that have not been approved by a parental guardian are also prohibited to "make friends" to ensure the safety of your children/students.
2 -- Although our kid-members (gold) have full access to all of our educational content, unlike other "social networking sites" there are no comments or posts allowed after reading articles or viewing videos. This helps shield our young members from possibly offensive comments, links, and material.
3 -- Our ChessKid.com "Live Chess" is also "kibitz" and "commenting" free. So, you do not have to worry about your child being engaged in a conversation with a stranger or someone who might be looking for personal information!
Our "personalization for kids" and the "peace of mind" this gives parents, is a one of a kind experience here on ChessKid.com. We are truly proud of our safety-functions, and they are something that makes ChessKid.com different from the rest...
Second: Coaching Tools! There is a wide array of training tools and educational material on our site for the kids to learn from, many of which are unsurpassed by other chess websites or software(s) available. All of these features are explained in our "Welcome Article for Kids". If you are curious about our many training tools, check it out, but for now, allow me to ask you a few questions "coach to coach" and "chess parent to chess parent":
Are you the coach/instructor of at least one, if not a few, after-school chess programs? Perhaps you organize local meetings for young chess enthusiasts? Or maybe you are the leader of a homeschool group looking to start your own "scholastic chess program" that is separate from the school system? Have you ever been frustrated in trying to get all of your "chess parents" on the same page about the upcoming schedule of events for the team?
Whether it be tournaments, group teaching sessions, or any other kind of chess gathering, it is never fun when some of your team members are "no shows" because of schedule confusion... No one wins in that scenario!
(To get started, click the "Create a Club" option in the right menu bar!)
You are probably tired of trying to "stuff that note" in the back of your students' back pack(s) 
, hoping that it reaches the child's parent safely? Well, those days are over! When you create your own "Club" here on ChessKid.com: You have the ability to add/manage members as you see fit (including parents); keep everyone "in the know" about the upcoming schedule of events that semester; and send out messages and updates with complete logistical details, resting assured that the "package has arrived"!
Simply click the "Create Event" tab, and organize your team's entire yearly "chess plan" in a few moments. Avoid long emails and confusion. Even FREE Parent/Coach membership accounts (great for assistant coaches) have the ability to join your club, and therefore "stay in the loop".
(Just click the "Create Event" option in the right menu bar in your club settings!)
Finally: Motivation! Beyond the many logistical advantages a coach or parent/organizer will have when managing their "club" through ChessKid.com, there is much more! This list includes a number of motivational tools a coach might use to create a more productive environment for their students chess improvement:
While your kids are rapidly improving from all the many training tools we offer (again, please read the "Kid-Member Walk Through" article for more explanations) you wil have the ability to monitor their progress on a number of levels. If, at a certain point, you feel your student has "reached the goals you set for them" or you simply want to reward their hard work, you can "give them a trophy"!
(View your child's/student's profile, and you will see the "Give a Trophy" Option in the right side menu bar.)
Use our "trophies" as your own motivational tool by giving out prizes in your classes! Easily setup "rated match play between your kids" and against other clubs/groups here on ChessKid.com! Reward trophies to the top finishers and best efforts in the class! We have provided the platform, and we hope you will use these revolutionary tools to create a competitive and cooperative environment, designed for you children and students to succeed!
It is time to "Go for the Gold", so sign up now! Good luck, and enjoy your time here on ChessKid.com!
(Have questions? We have answers! Contact our support team by clicking here.)
