Quickstart

Get up and running with Sunschool in under 5 minutes. No credit card required.

What You’ll Do

Create your parent account with just email and password

Add Your Child

Add your first learner with their name and grade level

Start Learning

Switch to learner mode and begin the first AI-generated lesson

Explore the Dashboard

Track progress, manage rewards, and view detailed analytics

Visit sunschool.xyz and navigate to the Sign Up page.

The first user to register is automatically promoted to Admin status. This gives you full system access for self-hosted installations.

Registration Form

Provide the following information:

username

string

required

Unique username for login (e.g., parent_name)

string

required

Valid email address (e.g., parent@example.com)

name

string

required

Your full name (e.g., Sarah Johnson)

password

string

required

Secure password (minimum recommended: 8 characters)

role

string

default:"PARENT"

Account type — select PARENT for managing children

Age Confirmation

You must confirm that you are at least 18 years old and accept the Terms of Service to proceed.

The registration flow includes an age disclaimer checkbox:

// From client/src/pages/auth-page.tsx:98-104
if (!regDisclaimerAccepted) {
  toast({
    title: 'Error',
    description: 'You must confirm that you are at least 18 years old and accept the terms to proceed',
    variant: 'destructive',
  });
  return;
}

What Happens Next

After successful registration:

JWT token is generated and stored securely in your browser
You’re redirected to the Parent Dashboard (/dashboard)
You see a prompt to Add Your First Child

2. Add Your First Child

From the Parent Dashboard, you’ll see an inline form or an “Add Child” button.

Child Information

name

string

required

Child’s name (e.g., Emma)

gradeLevel

number

required

Current grade level: 0 (Kindergarten) to 12

Sunschool automatically generates grade-specific lesson prompts tailored to your child’s level:

K-2: Foundational concepts with visual aids
3-4: Intermediate topics with narrative elements
5-6: Pre-algebra and critical thinking
7-8: Algebra, geometry, and advanced reading
9+: High school subjects and exam prep

Under the Hood

When you add a child, Sunschool creates:

User Account with role LEARNER linked to your parent account
Learner Profile with grade level and empty knowledge graph
Starter Rewards to activate the points system immediately:
- Extra Recess (10 points)
- Pick a Movie (25 points)
- Special Outing (50 points)

// From server/routes.ts:358-366
await createReward(parentId, {
  title: 'Extra Recess',
  description: '15 minutes of extra free time',
  tokenCost: 10,
  imageEmoji: '🏃',
  color: '#4CAF50'
});
await createReward(parentId, {
  title: 'Pick a Movie',
  description: 'Choose a movie for family night',
  tokenCost: 25,
  imageEmoji: '🎬',
  color: '#2196F3'
});

Username Generation

Usernames are auto-generated to avoid conflicts:

// From server/routes.ts:312-313
const timestamp = Date.now().toString().slice(-6);
const username = `${name.toLowerCase().replace(/\s+/g, '-')}-${timestamp}`;
// Example: "emma-123456"

3. Start the First Lesson

Switch to Learner Mode

From the Parent Dashboard:

Find your child’s card showing their name, grade, and stats
Click “Start Learning as [Child Name]”
You’re now in Learner Mode — the simplified, child-friendly interface

Parents can switch between PARENT mode (dashboard, analytics, settings) and LEARNER mode (lessons, quizzes, games) using the header toggle.

Request a Lesson

On the Learner Home page (/learner):

Choose a subject from the available options (or let the AI pick one)
Optionally specify a topic (e.g., “fractions”, “photosynthesis”, “World War II”)
Click “Create Lesson”

Lesson Generation

Sunschool uses AI to generate personalized lessons:

Content: Custom explanations, examples, and diagrams tailored to grade level
Illustrations: SVG graphics generated via Google Gemini 3.1 models
Validation: Content is checked for age-appropriateness and placeholder text

// From server/routes.ts:886-892
spec = await generateLessonWithRetry(gradeLevel, topic, {
  subject: finalSubject,
  difficulty: difficulty as 'beginner' | 'intermediate' | 'advanced',
});

Lesson generation may take 10-20 seconds. SVG illustrations generate in the background and appear when ready.

Reading the Lesson

The lesson page (/lesson) displays:

Markdown content with rich formatting
SVG illustrations explaining key concepts
Interactive elements like expandable sections
“Take Quiz” button when you’re ready to test understanding

4. Take the Quiz

After reading the lesson, tap “Take Quiz” to answer questions.

Quiz Features

Multiple-choice questions based on lesson content
Instant feedback on each answer
Points system: Earn tokens for correct answers
Score tracking: Performance is logged for analytics

Earning Points

Points are awarded based on quiz performance:

Correct answers add points to the learner’s balance
Points can be redeemed for rewards set by parents
All transactions are logged in the points ledger

After the Quiz

Once completed:

Score displayed (e.g., “85% — Great job!”)
Points added to the learner’s balance
Lesson marked complete and moved to history
Concept mastery updated in the knowledge graph

5. Explore the Parent Dashboard

Switch back to PARENT mode to access powerful tools.

Dashboard Overview

Child Cards

View each child’s stats: lessons completed, average score, achievements

Reports

Detailed analytics per child: progress, concept mastery, time spent

Rewards Shop

Create custom rewards, approve redemptions, manage point costs

Learner Management

Edit profiles, change grade levels, adjust subjects and interests

Key Features

Real-Time Progress

The dashboard shows live data from the server/routes.ts:1028-1035 reports endpoint:

const { data: report } = useQuery({
  queryKey: [`/api/reports`, learner.id, 'progress'],
  queryFn: () => apiRequest('GET', `/api/reports?learnerId=${learner.id}&type=progress`)
});

Redemption Approvals

When learners redeem rewards:

Request appears in Rewards > Pending Redemptions
Parents approve or reject with a tap
Points are deducted only after approval

Data Export

Export all learner data:

CSV format for spreadsheets
JSON format for backups
Sync to external database for redundancy

Next Steps

Configuration

Customize AI providers, feature flags, and system settings

First Steps

Learn how to navigate the interface and manage learners

Self-Hosting

Install Sunschool on your own infrastructure

API Reference

Integrate with the Sunschool API programmatically

Troubleshooting

I don't see the dashboard after signing up

Make sure you selected PARENT as your role during registration. Learner accounts automatically redirect to /learner.

Lesson generation is taking too long

Lessons typically generate in 10-20 seconds. If it’s taking longer:

Check your OPENROUTER_API_KEY is valid
Verify the AI provider is not rate-limiting requests
Check server logs for errors: npm run deploy

Child's grade level is wrong

From the Parent Dashboard:

Go to Learners Management (/learners)
Click on the child’s profile
Update the grade level and save

I can't switch to learner mode

Only PARENT and ADMIN users can switch modes. Learner accounts are locked to learner mode for safety.

Introduction

Setup

Quickstart

Quickstart

What You’ll Do

Registration Form

Age Confirmation

What Happens Next

2. Add Your First Child

Child Information

Under the Hood

Username Generation

3. Start the First Lesson

Switch to Learner Mode

Request a Lesson

Lesson Generation

Reading the Lesson

4. Take the Quiz

Quiz Features

Earning Points

After the Quiz

5. Explore the Parent Dashboard

Dashboard Overview

Child Cards

Reports

Rewards Shop

Learner Management

Key Features

Real-Time Progress

Redemption Approvals

Data Export

Next Steps

Configuration

First Steps

Self-Hosting

API Reference

Troubleshooting

Introduction

Setup

​Quickstart

​What You’ll Do

​1. Sign Up

​Registration Form

​Age Confirmation

​What Happens Next

​2. Add Your First Child

​Child Information

​Under the Hood

​Username Generation

​3. Start the First Lesson

​Switch to Learner Mode

​Request a Lesson

​Lesson Generation

​Reading the Lesson

​4. Take the Quiz

​Quiz Features

​Earning Points

​After the Quiz

​5. Explore the Parent Dashboard

​Dashboard Overview

Child Cards

Reports

Rewards Shop

Learner Management

​Key Features

​Real-Time Progress

​Redemption Approvals

​Data Export

​Next Steps

Configuration

First Steps

Self-Hosting

API Reference

​Troubleshooting

Quickstart

What You’ll Do

1. Sign Up

Registration Form

Age Confirmation

What Happens Next

2. Add Your First Child

Child Information

Under the Hood

Username Generation

3. Start the First Lesson

Switch to Learner Mode

Request a Lesson

Lesson Generation

Reading the Lesson

4. Take the Quiz

Quiz Features

Earning Points

After the Quiz

5. Explore the Parent Dashboard

Dashboard Overview

Key Features

Real-Time Progress

Redemption Approvals

Data Export

Next Steps

Troubleshooting