Staying connected with your team, parents, and staff is crucial for effective communication in any childcare setting. With the Parent system's messaging feature, sending quick, clear, and organized messages has never been easier. Whether you need to send a reminder, share an update, or get quick feedback, this system is here to help you communicate seamlessly and effortlessly.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about sending messages, ensuring you stay organized and connected wherever you are.

On the Portal:
The messaging feature on the Parent portal offers a full view of your messages, making it easy to manage communications, especially for bulk messages.

On the App:
The messaging tool is also available on the mobile app, allowing you to send and receive messages while on the go, keeping you connected anytime, anywhere.

Both platforms sync seamlessly, ensuring your messages are always up-to-date

On Both Platforms:
To access the messaging hub on either the Parent portal or mobile app, simply click on the message icon located at the top-right corner of the screen. It’s positioned next to your personal account profile icon and name. This will open your messaging tool, where you can send and receive messages efficiently across both platforms.

Messaging within Parent™ is designed to ensure secure and efficient communication. The ability to send and receive messages depends on user roles and permissions within the system.

Company owners have the highest level of messaging permissions and can send messages to:

✅ All staff members across all locations with activated accounts.
✅ All location admins within the organization.
✅ All parents with activated accounts.

This makes it easy for company owners to share organization-wide updates, announcements, and important communications with all authorized recipients.

✅ All eligible staff, parents, and admins within their designated locations.
✅ All Company owners with activated accounts, regardless of assigned classrooms or locations.

🔹 Company owners are visible to all class members and locations across the organization, ensuring seamless communication at all levels.

This ensures that communication remains focused and relevant to their specific location, making it easy to share updates with the right audience.

Staff members can send and receive messages only if they have the "Send new message" permission enabled.

🔹 If this permission is enabled, staff members can:
✔️ Send messages to authorized recipients, including:
✅ All company owners, regardless of classroom assignment.
✅ All location admins at their assigned location, regardless of classroom assignment.
✅ All Staff and families in their assigned locations
✔️ Communicate with parents/contacts directly through the profiles of their assigned children in their primary or managed classrooms.

🔹 If this permission is disabled, staff members:
❌ Will not see the messaging tool.
❌ Will not appear as visible recipients in the messaging system.

❌ Will not see the messaging button on the profiles of their assigned children.

This setup ensures that only authorized staff with the correct permissions can initiate and manage communications, maintaining a secure and well-structured messaging system.

To ensure secure and efficient communication, only activated staff and parent accounts can receive messages within the system. If an account has not been activated or lacks the necessary access permissions, it will not appear as a recipient in the messaging feature.

This safeguard helps to: ✅ Maintain security by ensuring only authorized users are part of the communication.
✅ Prevent confusion or miscommunication by excluding inactive or unauthorized accounts.
✅ Streamline messaging by keeping the recipient list relevant and up-to-date.

By limiting messages to activated accounts, Parent™ ensures that all communications remain secure, targeted, and accessible only to those who should receive them.

Messaging in Parent™ follows specific rules depending on whether the message is sent through channels (such as classrooms, groups, or entire locations) or to individuals. Below is a breakdown of who receives messages based on different scenarios.

When a message is sent to the entire location channel (named after the center’s location), the following recipients will receive it:

✅ All children/parents across the entire company.
✅ All staff in the entire company will receive it, regardless of whether a classroom is their primary or managed room, as each staff member will be assigned as a guardian of at least one class in the channel.
✅ All location admins in the center.
✅ All company owners will receive it.

Messaging an individual is straightforward:

If a channel and specific individuals are included in the same message, both the individuals and everyone who should receive the message via the channel will interact in the same conversation (if the message was sent as a group message).

This serves as a good alternative to including an admin or company owner in a group-related message, since they do not automatically receive messages sent through the group channel itself.

Similarly, this method allows an owner to receive classroom channel messages, as they do not normally receive classroom-related messages unless the message was shared universally with the entire location channel at once.

A company owner wants to be part of a staff group discussion but does not receive group messages by default. Instead of adding them to the group permanently, they can be manually selected as a recipient in a specific message sent to the group. This allows them to participate in that particular conversation without being a full group member.

There is an option that allows admins, owners, and staff to have view-only access to all messages that involve staff members, even if they are not the intended recipients of the conversation.

More details on this setting are explained below in this section below: Allowing Admins, Owners, and Staff to View All Messages That Involve Staff Members

There is a setting that grants full visibility to admins, owners, and authorized staff, allowing them to have view-only access to all messaging interactions involving staff members, including conversations where they are not direct recipients.

1️⃣ Go to the menu on the far left.
2️⃣ Click "Finance."
3️⃣ On the left, under "Basic Setup," select "General."
4️⃣ Scroll to the bottom of the screen to find the setting:
​"Enable admin and staff to view all staff conversations."
5️⃣ Toggle the setting ON to activate it and save changes at the bottom of the screen.

When enabled, admins, owners, and staff (based on permissions) will be able to view:

This ensures that only recent conversations are affected by the change while maintaining historical message visibility

Whether you are a staff member, location admin, or company owner, there are three main communication channels within Parent™:

If the staff-to-staff messaging option is disabled, no personnel—regardless of their role (owners, admins, or regular staff)—will be able to communicate with other staff or administrator members, either privately or within a channel.

However, staff and other working personnel can still interact with existing messages from past conversations and participate in any new group messages initiated by a parent.

Note: The staff-to-staff messaging setting is an internal option controlled by Parent™ and cannot be configured directly from the center's available messaging settings.

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✅ Communicate with parents or guardians linked to a child's profile.
✅ Messaging is also accessible via the child's profile, allowing for quick and direct updates regarding the child’s care, attendance, or other important matters.

If Staff-to-Parent conversation is disabled, no personnel—regardless of their role (owners, admins, or regular staff)—will be able to initiate a new message with any parent , whether privately or within a channel.

However, if Parent-to-Staff conversation is enabled, staff and administrators can still receive messages initiated by parents and respond accordingly.

Additionally, they will still be able to reply to and engage with existing messages from past conversations.

Note: The staff-to-parent messaging setting is an internal option controlled by Parent™ and cannot be configured directly from the center's available messaging setting

Parent™ provides structured group communication channels based on classrooms , groups and locations:

📌 Classroom channels are automatically created for each classroom, allowing messages to be sent to all staff and parents within that specific class.

📌 Entire Location Channel – Named after the location itself, this channel allows admins and company owners to send announcements to all staff and parents within the location.

As mentioned above, if Staff-to-Staff and Staff-to-Parent messaging are switched off, you will not be able to initiate a channel message with staff or parents, respectively. However, you can still interact with existing conversations and respond to new messages sent by families.

If a channel has no active members, whether staff or child contacts, it will not appear in the list.

For example, if the Bright Angels classroom has five children, but none of their parents have activated their accounts, the "Bright Angels - Children Only" channel will not be visible. However, if some staff members have activated accounts, the "Bright Angels - Staff" channel may still be available, but Bright Angels (Children and Staff) will not

Notes:

In the recipient list, message groups are separated by category:
✔ Staff (Admins, Owners, and Staff members)
✔ Children’s Contacts (Parents/Guardians linked to a child’s profile)
✔ Classroom and Location Channels

✅ Easy Navigation – Users can quickly find the right recipients without confusion.
✅ Secure & Targeted Communication – Messages go only to relevant individuals, reducing unnecessary notifications.
✅ Organized & Efficient – Separating categories ensures clear communication paths and prevents mix-ups between staff, parents, and location-wide announcements.

This structured approach ensures smooth and effective communication, allowing staff, admins, and company owners to connect with the right people effortlessly

The Messaging Tool in the Parent™ portal allows you to communicate easily with parents, staff, and other educators. Follow these steps to send a message quickly and efficiently.

✅ Sending a group message to all parents in a classroom means everyone can see and reply in the same thread.
✅ Sending an individual message means each parent gets a private message, and their responses are seen only by you.

Click the three-dot menu next to the purple "Send" button to select a sending option:

🔹 Press Enter to Send – Sends the message instantly when you press Enter.
(For a new line, use Ctrl/Alt + Enter or Option + Enter (Mac)).

🔹 Clicking "Send" – Requires you to click the Send button, preventing accidental sends.

✅ Press Enter to Send is great for quick replies but can lead to accidental messages.
✅ Clicking "Send" gives you more control, ensuring your message is polished before sending.

You can choose recipients under the following categories:

1️⃣ Channels – Send messages to groups, such as classrooms or specific groups within the center.
2️⃣ Staff – Communicate with teachers, assistants, and administrative staff.
3️⃣ Children – Reach out to parents or guardians linked to specific children.

🔍 You can also search for a recipient's name directly to quickly find them.

Enhance your message with attachments:

To access group or individual message details, follow these steps based on your platform:

1️⃣ Locate the message in your Messages list.
2️⃣ Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) next to the message.
3️⃣ Select from the following options:

1️⃣ Locate the message in your Messages list.
2️⃣ Press and hold the message.
3️⃣ Scroll to the left to reveal available options.
4️⃣ Choose from:

You can access the Message Settings screen to manage conversation details:

1️⃣ Open the message on either the app or portal.
2️⃣ In the header, tap on the group name (for group chats) or the participant’s name (for individual chats).

This will take you to the Message Settings screen, where you can view and adjust various conversation settings.

In a group chat, all participants have access to the Group Message Info Review Screen, where they can view key details and adjust personal settings.

However, only admins of the group can make changes that affect the group settings and impact all participants:

1️⃣ Tap the pen (edit) icon next to the group name.
2️⃣ Enter a new group name and update the group description.
3️⃣ Click "Save" to apply the changes.

Personalize your group by adding an image:
1️⃣ In the Group Info screen, tap the current group image (or placeholder if no image exists).
2️⃣ Select "Upload Image."
3️⃣ Choose an image from your device.
4️⃣ Confirm and save the new group image.

If you want to silence notifications from a group or a specific conversation without leaving the group or deleting the message, you can mute it.

This allows you to stay in the conversation and access messages at your convenience without receiving notifications for new messages

Note: On the app, swipe all the way to the end to access options for muting, archiving, and exiting the group.

You can mute a conversation to stop receiving notifications while still having access to it.

1️⃣ Open the Group Info screen.
2️⃣ Tap "Mute" to silence notifications for the group.

1️⃣ Locate the conversation in your Messages list.
2️⃣ Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) next to the message.
3️⃣ Select "Mute" to disable notifications for the conversation

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🗑️ Deleting a Message:

📂 Archiving a Message:

Archiving is a personal action that does not remove the message for others, while deleting permanently removes it for all participants. 🚀

Archiving a conversation removes it from your active chat list without deleting the conversation. You can still access it later if needed.

1️⃣ Open the Message Info screen.
2️⃣ Select "Archive."

1️⃣ Locate the group/message you want to archive.
2️⃣ On the Portal: Click the three-dot menu (⋮) next to the message.
3️⃣ On the App: Hold the message and swipe left to reveal options.
4️⃣ Select "Archive."

Archiving a group does not delete the messages—you can always access the conversation in the archive, which is only available on the application, not the portal.

📢 If a new message is sent in an archived conversation, it will automatically reappear in your active chat list.

1️⃣ Go to the Messages section.
2️⃣ At the top of the message list, tap on "Inbox" to open a drop-down menu.

3️⃣ Select "Archived" to view your archived conversations.

This allows you to quickly retrieve past conversations whenever needed

Unlike groups, solo conversations can be permanently deleted from your messages. Once deleted, the conversation cannot be recovered.

1️⃣ Go to the Messages section.
2️⃣ Locate the conversation you want to delete.
3️⃣ Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) next to the conversation.
4️⃣ Select "Delete."
5️⃣ Confirm the deletion when prompted.

1️⃣ Open the conversation you want to delete.
2️⃣ Tap the header (participant name) to access the Conversation Settings screen, or click the three-dot menu (⋮) next to the message and select "Contact Info."
3️⃣ Scroll down and select "Delete."
4️⃣ Confirm the deletion to remove it permanently from your messages.

📝 Note: Deleting a conversation only removes it from your messages; the other participant will still have access to the chat and can message you at any time.

If you no longer wish to be part of a group, you can exit it. However, if you are the only admin, you cannot leave until you assign a new moderator.

🔔 In this case, the system will notify you and prompt you to assign a new moderator before you can exit. This ensures that the group remains managed and active.

Every group needs at least one admin to manage it. If there are no other moderators, you must assign a new admin before leaving to ensure group communication continues smoothly.

Leaving a group does not delete the chat; all previous messages and content remain accessible. However, you will no longer receive new messages or be able to send any within the group. If you see a notification stating, "You can’t send a message to this group because you are no longer a participant," it clearly indicates that you have either exited or been removed from the group.

1️⃣ locate the group chat.
2️⃣ Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top right corner.
3️⃣ Select "Exit Group."
4️⃣ If you are the only admin, you will be prompted to assign a new moderator before leaving.

You can easily access, download, and manage media and documents shared in a conversations.

1️⃣ Open the message Info screen.
2️⃣ Look for the section labeled "Media and Docs."
3️⃣ Tap it to navigate to the Media & Docs screen, where media and documents are displayed separately.
4️⃣ Click "Media" to view shared images and videos, or click "Documents" to access attached files.

1️⃣ Open the conversation.
2️⃣ Click the three-dot menu (⋮) at the top right corner of the conversation screen.
3️⃣ Select "Group Media." or "Chat Media"
4️⃣ Choose "Media" or "Documents" to view the files you need.

1️⃣ Open the image or media file.
2️⃣ Right-click on the image.
3️⃣ Select "Save As" to download it to your device.

1️⃣ Click on the media to open it.
2️⃣ Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) at the top right corner.
3️⃣ Choose "Save" to download the file to your phone.

📱 On the app only, when clicking and opening media photos , you can tag children in the image. Doing so will automatically add the media content to their profile under the "Media" section for easy access and reference.

1️⃣ Open the photo in the conversation.
2️⃣ Tap "Tag Children."
3️⃣ Choose one of the following options:

🔍 Search for a child's name – You can tag any child in the center, even if they were not part of the conversation.

📋 Select from the list – Browse the available list and tap on the child's name to tag them.

4️⃣ Once tagged, the photo will be linked to the child's Media section in their profile.

📌 To Un-tag a Child:

This feature makes it simple to track and store memorable moments of each child! 🌟😊

1️⃣ Tap the purple plus (+) button next to "Participants."
2️⃣ You can only select individual parents or staff members (not an entire class).
3️⃣ Search for the person by name or scroll through the list.
4️⃣ Select the member(s) you want to add.
5️⃣ Click "Add" to include them in the conversation.

You can either remove a participant from the group or assign them as a group admin. Both parents and staff members can be assigned these roles.

1️⃣ Open the Group Information screen.
2️⃣ Locate the participant's name under the Participants list.
3️⃣ Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) next to their name.
4️⃣ Choose from the following options:

📝 Note: