Back to school: organise September without it all landing on the same parent
The Android and iOS app that brings together school supplies, activities, school meals and pick-ups for the whole family.
Going back to school is three weeks in which everything for the year gets decided: the supplies list, signing up for football and music, the pick-up schedule, school meals, the first note in the planner. And it is the period when one parent's mental load explodes. Zoku puts all of it in the tribe, with a named owner on every task, not in one person's head.
The real friction of going back to school
One per child, one per class, items you already have at home and others bought twice. The trip round the shop happens from memory.
Activities Monday and Thursday, pick-up at 4.30 except Wednesday, grandparents every other day. The schedule is on a printed sheet that has already changed.
School meals, after-school club, club membership, class photo, PTA. September's small amounts add up to a big one nobody totals.
Thursday's parents' evening, discovered on Thursday. The information existed; it just did not travel.
How Zoku is built for the new school year
One list per child ⭐ or a single one. Tick off what you already have, and each of you shops while ticking off live. No duplicates.
Recurring activities, school pick-ups, childcare at the grandparents'. Weekly view ⭐ to see the week at a glance. Every run assigned to a parent.
School meals, activities, supplies: every expense with its payer. The monthly total arrives before the bank statement.
A photo of the note, the rules, the term dates: pinned, and seen by both parents.
Fruit pouches, biscuits, felt tips, glue. A threshold, an alert, one tap to the list. No more « nothing left for snacks » on Sunday night.
« Add parents' evening Thursday 6pm », « add a set square to the list ». Without letting go of the wheel.
→ The shared family calendar · → The shared shopping list · → Alfred, the voice assistant
A setup that works
A family with two children, in Year 4 and Year 7:
- Tribe « Home »: both parents and the eldest with their own phone. Calendar of the typical week with assigned runs, supplies list per child, The Wall with the school's documents, La Caisse for back-to-school costs, Radar for snacks.
- Tribe « Grandparents »: the parents and Nan, who does the Tuesday pick-up. She sees the schedule and the chat, not the budget.
At the end of August the supplies list is shared; both parents tick off what is already at home, one goes to the shop, the other orders the rest. On 1 September the typical week is in the calendar with named runs. The first note from the planner is photographed onto The Wall that same evening. On 30 September the cashbox filtered to the month says what going back to school cost.
Sharing out, not delegating
The new school year is the moment one of the two parents « takes on » the organising, and keeps it all year.
- Every run, every task has a name on it. It is not « someone », it is « Dad ».
- Both parents see the same thing, in real time, with nothing passed on by word of mouth.
- Children old enough take part: the eldest ticks off their own list and sees their schedule.
- Shared custody: the school schedule lives in a co-parenting tribe that both households can see.
- Data encrypted in transit (TLS), hosted in Europe, exportable and deletable (GDPR).
→ Mental load, and how to share it · → Zoku for shared custody
FAQ - Back to school with Zoku
Can we make one supplies list per child?
Yes, with multiple lists (Premium). On the free plan, a single list with each item prefixed by a first name works very well.
How do we handle pick-ups that change every day?
Create recurring events per weekday, each assigned to the parent (or grandparent) handling it. The weekly view shows the week at a glance.
Can helping grandparents see the schedule?
Yes, in the main tribe or in a dedicated tribe where they only see what concerns them.
Does it work for separated parents?
Yes. The school schedule and school-related costs go in a co-parenting tribe shared by both parents, while each keeps their own household alongside.
Can we keep the school's documents?
Yes, on The Wall: a photo of the note, the term dates, the lunch menu, pinned and shared. Attachments up to 10 MB with Premium.
Is it free?
Yes. Calendar, assigned tasks, shopping list, The Wall, La Caisse, Radar with one zone and chat are free. Multiple lists, the weekly view and attachments are Premium.
This year, the organising lands on nobody in particular
Free on Android and iOS. No credit card.