Carers Handbook
Welcome to Parent App: An Introductory Guide for Carers/Educators
It’s time for Parent!
Getting Started with Parent
How Do I Start with Parent?
Getting started is quick and easy:
Check your inbox for an invitation email from Parent.
Click the link in the email to set your password.
Log in using your email and new password.
You’re all set! Start exploring, connecting, and staying in the loop.
Tip: Don’t see the email? Check your spam or promotions folder, just in case!
You can access your account anytime, anywhere, through:
Web Browser: portal.parent.cloud
Mobile App
App Store (iOS): Parent: Child Care App
Google Play (Android): Parent: Child Care App
HUAWEI AppGallery: Parent: Child Care App
Tip: Download the mobile app to stay updated and connected with families, and access the app wherever you are.
Main Features You’ll Use
The Parent platform gives carers and educators all the tools they need to stay connected, document learning, and manage daily routines.
You can:
Create and share daily reports and observations.
Communicate with families and team members.
Collaborate with your colleagues.
Track attendance, meals, and routines.
Log health details, incidents, and permissions.
Organize activities and events.
Access documents, surveys, and development tools.
Holding Account
If you work across multiple centres, Parent makes it easy to switch between them using your Holding Account. This feature allows you to either view all your centres at once or focus on a single centre’s data.
How to Access:
Click on your profile picture in the top-right corner of the portal or app.
A dropdown menu will appear.
Select your Holding Account to see combined data across all centres.
Or, choose an individual centre from the list to view data specific to that location.
When to Use Each:
Holding Account: Best for company owners or managers who want an overview of all centres at once (attendance, reports, updates, etc.).
Individual Centre: Best for staff and admins who need to manage the day-to-day activities of one specific centre.
Tip: Switching between centres is instant, so you can move seamlessly from a big-picture view to detailed classroom data without logging out.
Navigating the Side Menu
All features are now accessible through the side navigation bar on the left-hand side of your screen. The main sections are:
Home (Newsfeed, Dashboard)
Children (Attendance, Consents, Food plan, Waitlist, Occupancy)
Learning (Lesson plans, Activities, Homework)
Staff Schedule (Staff, Schedule & Attendance, Working hours)
Finance
Reports & Forms
Help & Support
Account Settings
What is the Newsfeed?
The Newsfeed is where you can keep parents informed by sharing updates, posts, and important moments from their child’s day.
It’s also a powerful internal communication tool, you can post to specific rooms, branches, staff only, or even just for children’s records, depending on your audience and needs.
How to Create a Post:
At the top of the page, tap on “Write your post here.”
To: Select the recipients (individuals or groups).
From: Choose the sender (e.g., classroom or staff member).
Upload files (photos, videos, or documents). You can upload up to 40 high-quality photos in a single post!
To add a Zoom link, paste the Zoom link directly or click on the tab “Live video” which is integrated with Zoom to sync meetings.
Want to continue later? Simply click on the arrow down, next to “post” and click on “Save as Draft” , revisit it later, and pick up where you left off.
Once everything is ready, click “Post” to share it.
Tip: Posting regularly helps strengthen the home-centre connection and builds trust with families.
Parent Pilot:
Use Parents AI Tool to:
Summarize, expand, or polish your text.
Adjust tone (happy, formal, excited, etc.).
Add emojis.
For observations, use Make It Observant to highlight development milestones.
Overview
Go to Home → Overview from the side menu.
The Overview gives you real-time visibility of children’s status, attendance, and activity and anything else you’d like to see.
Adding Widgets
You can customize your Overview by adding widgets that display the information you need most.
How to Add a Widget:
On the Overview, click the “Add Widget” button.
A list of available widgets will appear.
Select the widgets you’d like to add, such as:
Pending Observations (awaiting approval)
Invoices
Ouch Reports
Staff Attendance
The selected widget will appear on your Overview instantly.
Tip: You can add multiple widgets and arrange them to suit your workflow, creating a personalized dashboard that surfaces the information you use most often.
Reporting Child Status
You can quickly update and share important details about children, such as moods, meals, sickness, or bus status, directly from the Dashboard.
How to Report a Status:
Go to Home → Dashboard.
Select the room with the child/children.
Click on one or multiple child profiles.
Click Status.
Choose the type of status you want to record:
Mood: Happy, Content, Fussy, or Sleepy (with optional comments).
Meal: Select the meal (Breakfast, Lunch, Snack) and record consumption (None, Some, Half, Most, All, All+).
Sick: Record sick leave by selecting start/end dates and optional comments.
Bus: Mark On Bus or Off Bus, set the time (now or edit with the Pencil icon), and add notes if needed.
Many others as well!
Once complete, click Submit to save and share the update.
Tip: Regularly updating statuses keeps families informed about their child’s day and ensures administrators have accurate records for reporting and planning.
Messages
Why Messaging Matters
Staying connected with your team, parents, and staff is crucial for smooth communication in any childcare setting. With Parent’s secure messaging system, you can send reminders, share updates, and request feedback quickly and easily, all within one place.
Accessing Messages
On the Portal (Web): Full view, best for managing larger communications.
On the App: Quick access on the go.
Both sync instantly.
How to Open Messages:
Click the message icon (top-right, next to your profile picture) to open your inbox.
Who Can You Message?
Parents/Guardians of children in your assigned rooms.
Staff in your location (if your role has permission).
Admins at your center.
Note: Only parents and staff with activated accounts appear as recipients.
Sending a Message
Open Messages and click the + icon (new message).
Select recipients (individual parents, staff, or an entire classroom channel).
Type your message.
(Optional) Attach a picture or file.
Click Send.
Tip:
Group Message: Everyone replies in the same thread.
Individual Message: Each person receives it privately.
Managing Conversations
Mute notifications if a chat is busy.
Archive messages to tidy your inbox (still retrievable).
Delete your own messages
Organize your Daily Activities & Events
How to Access:
Go to Home > Calendar in the side menu.
Create Events
Owners and Admins: can create events for all rooms/groups.
Staff (with permission): can create events for their assigned rooms.
Steps:
Click Create Event.
Add title, description, and optional image.
Choose audience (parents, children, both).
Set date, time, RSVP, and notifications.
Add attachments (permission slips, agendas).
Save or Cancel.
Tip: RSVP responses appear in both Calendar and Newsfeed for easy tracking.
Documents
Click on “Parent Drive” in the navigation bar under the Home section.
Upload, organize, and share important documents securely within your center.
Click on the three dots next to an uploaded document, and share it with staff or families
Learning
Child Development
How to Access: Children → Child Development
Track progress using:
Observations
Assessments
Two-Year Check
Up-to-Speed
Attach media, link to goals, and export reports.
Activities
Learning → Activities
These activities act as inspiration to your lesson planning and in class activities.
Homework
Learning → Homework
Creative an activity to assign to a child, add a deadline, description or picture to bridge home-centre learning.
Observations
Click on Newsfeed, and then “Add Observation”
Capture and track meaningful moments in a child’s learning journey with ease.
Write observations manually or use your centre’s custom curriculum directly in the platform
Attach photos, videos, or documents to support your notes
Choose from individual or group observations
Use ParentPilot (AI Assistant) to help you:
• Draft observations faster
• Suggest developmentally appropriate next steps
• Polish your writing and check grammarSave as draft if you need to revisit later
Observations can be easily linked to learning goals, helping teams stay aligned and parents stay informed.
Tip: If your centre’s settings allow you to view other educators’ observations, take the opportunity to read, reflect, and even leave comments, collaborating to strengthen and refine each other’s practice.
Parental Permissions
Click on “Consent” in the navigation bar under “Children”.
Request and track parent approvals for specific activities, quickly and securely.
Maintain transparency and proper documentation
Keep everything stored in one place
Zoom Integration
Click on “Zoom” under Tools → Integration in the navigation bar.
Set up and manage virtual meetings for staff or classroom use with full Zoom integration.
To add a Zoom link in a post:
Click on “Newsfeed” → “Create Post” → “Parent Live (Video Live)”.
To add a Zoom link in an event:
Click on “Calendar” → “Create Event” → “Add Zoom Meeting.”
Reports & Forms
Lists
Click on “Smart Lists” in the navigation bar under Reports & Forms.
Create dynamic lists that update automatically based on child profile data.
Track allergies, attendance, special needs, and more
Stay organized with real-time filtering
Download these lists as reports by clicking on “Reports” under Reports & Forms
Surveys
Click on “Surveys” in the navigation bar under Reports & Forms.
Build and manage custom surveys for families and staff.
Flexible question and answer formats
Set surveys as mandatory or time-limited
Store results for internal or official use
Surveys are displayed under active and inactive headers to better organize your surveys.
Tip: Surveys can also be used to assign Risk Assessments to staff members and room, or health checks!
Staff & Scheduling
How to Access: Side menu → Staff Scheduling
Staff List
View all staff profiles.
Create accounts with email/phone login.
Assign roles, classrooms, and permissions.
Edit details like sick leave, vacation, child sick leave, and more.
Working Hours & Attendance
Track staff working hours (weekly or monthly view).
Add, edit, or delete shifts.
Record absences (sick, vacation, child sick, absent).
Export detailed reports.
Tip: Only available on the portal (web), not the mobile app.
Account Settings
How to Access: Click your profile icon → Account Settings.
Update:
Personal details
Notification preferences
Language (19+ options)
Password changes
Your Success Is Our Goal
The Parent Support Team is always here to help you succeed.
Need Support?
Click on your profile picture and select “Help & Support” from the menu.
Our team is ready to assist you anytime you need us.
Visit our Help Center for guides, tutorials, and answers to frequently asked questions.
It’s the best place to learn more about Parent’s features at your own pace.
We’re just a click away, whenever you need us.