Administrator Handbook

Welcome to Parent App: An Introductory Guide for Administrators

It’s time for Parent!

✅ Getting Started with Parent

How Do I Start with Parent?

Getting started is quick and easy:

Tip: Don’t see the email? Check your spam or promotions folder, just in case!

You can access your account anytime, anywhere, through:

Tip: All our features are accessible through the web portal while some features are accessible through the mobile app. Having access to both ensures you get the most of our services.

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:

To get started, head to “Settings” on the bottom left in your navigation bar. Here you’ll be able to manage all core setup features for your childcare centre

✅ Childcare Details

Click on “Settings” → “Center > General” to view and update your centre’s information.

Make sure to complete all the required fields especially those marked with a * to ensure smooth setup and visibility for families.

Click on “Settings” → “Center > Operations attendance” to input staff attendance metrics.

Click on “Settings” → “Opening Hours”

Enter your centre’s working hours to help families and staff stay aligned with drop-off, pick-up, and scheduling.

Click on “Settings” → “Staff breaks”

Add the “rule” metric by which Parent will use to take into consideration a staff member's break.

✅ Closing Days

Schedule closure dates with a start and end period, including the reason for closure. All closures are automatically integrated with Parent’s Calendar.

Click on “Settings” → “Closing days”

To list Days of closure on which the setting is not open for business. You can list and schedule days on which your business is closed, holidays or training days for parents, staff and contacts to consider.

Specific “age groups” by clicking on Children → Age Group and inputting mandated ratios per age range to ensure compliance.

Add Rooms

The first step to setting up your centre is to create your Rooms (or Classrooms).

Click on “Rooms” → then “Add Room”.

Once rooms are created, you’ll be able to assign both children and staff. You can always edit room details or delete rooms that are no longer in use.

Tip: To delete rooms that are no longer in use, you must first ensure they’re empty and contain no children or staff.

Add your team and define their roles in just a few steps.

Now that your rooms and staff are set up, it’s time to add children to their classrooms.

Click on “Children” in the navigation bar on the far left hand side of your screen → then “Add Child”.

You’ll be able to add family contacts as well, and parents will be automatically notified to activate their accounts, via an email that is sent to their inbox.

Tip: If you need to make changes later, at any time, entries can be edited from the main dashboard or navigation panel.

Click on “Newsfeed” under “Home” in the navigation bar on the left hand side of your screen.

Tip: Posting regularly is one of the best ways to keep families engaged and updated.

At the top of the Newsfeed, tap the “Write your post here” box, then:

Don’t forget: Approve staff posts if required before publishing.

Click on “Calendar” under “Home” in the navigation bar on the left hand side of your screen.

Set up unlimited events, from meetings and workshops to celebrations and trips.

Use RSVP to confirm attendance before deadlines, and let automatic notifications and reminders handle the follow-ups.

Plan room-specific activities for each week.

Only parents of selected children will see the relevant schedule.

View who has responded, who hasn’t, and any parent comments.

Automatic reminders help reduce follow-up, saving your team valuable time.

Click on “Overview” in the navigation bar under “Home” on the left hand side of your screen.

Get a real-time snapshot of all classes, see who’s attending, who’s out sick, on vacation, or absent.

Track naps, meals, check-ins, and more at a glance.

The system predicts daily attendance and automatically projects staff–child ratios.

Identify shortages or overstaffing in real time and adjust as needed.

Use projected attendance to plan and allocate staff per session, helping you manage your resources more efficiently.

Customize your View with Widgets

The Overview gives you real-time visibility of children’s status, attendance, and activity and anything else you’d like to see.

You can customize your Overview by adding widgets that display the information you need most.

How to Add a Widget:

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.

Click on “Messages” in the navigation bar at the top right of the page.

Use Parent’s built-in messaging feature to chat instantly with teachers, parents, and staff, all within one secure platform.

All messages are encrypted and protected by Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to ensure full data privacy.

Send updates, photos, videos, or documents to a specific group of parents or staff, perfect for class announcements or team coordination.

Engage parents and staff with images, documents, and multimedia directly in your messages, keeping communication clear and dynamic.

Click on “Home” on the navigation bar on the left hand side of your screen and then “Parent drive”

To manage documents with Parent’s Document Management module.

Authorized users can upload, organize, and share important files securely across your childcare centre.

Documents can be shared with both staff and families.

Click on Settings on the bottom left hand side of your screen to manage schedules, attendance, and holiday planning, designed to help your centre run smoothly and efficiently.

Click on “Rooms” under the Settings section.

Get a clear overview of planned attendance in each room and assign staff accordingly.

Planning is based on children's expected attendance and their actual presence during working hours.

Staff

Click on “Staff Schedule” on your navigation bar on the left hand side of your screen.

Save time with customizable, repeatable schedules for each staff member.

Include room assignments, shift timings, and working hours, all in one place.

Add Staff

Add new staff members from here by clicking on “Staff” under “Staff Schedule” on the left hand side of your screen and then “+ Add Staff”

Working Hours

Click on “Working hours under “Staff Schedule” on the left hand side of your screen to track your employees' working hours. This is a complete paperless trail of all your employees' check-in time, check-out time, sick days, and vacation days.

✅ Child Attendance

Click on “Child” on your navigation bar on the left hand side of your screen section and then “Attendance”.

View expected vs. actual attendance daily.

Track children who are present, sick, on vacation, or those who missed check-in/out on specific days.

Click on “Holiday Feedback” under “Children” on the navigation on the left hand side of your screen.

Plan holidays across the year by day or date range.

Send automated feedback requests so parents can confirm their child’s attendance during upcoming breaks.

Click on “Food Plan” under “Children” on the navigation bar, on the left hand side of your screen.

Plan meals for the week, month, or term.

Duplicate favorite food plans to save time and ensure consistency across your centre’s meal schedule.

Click on “Consents” under “Children” on the navigation bar on the left hand side of your screen.

Easily request and track parent consent for specific activities involving their children.

Keep permissions centralized, accessible, and securely recorded.

Click on “Child Development” under the “Learning” on the navigation bar, on the left hand side of your screen.

Support each child’s learning journey with a full set of tools:

Tip: You can also access child development features via the Newsfeed or Child Profile.

Click on “Surveys” under “Reports & Forms” on the navigation bar, on left hand side of your screen.

Create and manage custom surveys based on your centre’s needs.

Adjust question types, response formats, and timeframes.

Surveys can be set as mandatory (e.g., during check-in) and stored for internal or official review.

Tip: You can use surveys to create safety checks like risk assessments or health checks, and set them to mandatory to ensure they’re done at required times. Data is stored for follow up or review as well.

Click on “Smart lists” under “Reports & Forms” on the navigation bar, on the left hand side of your screen.

Create dynamic, auto-updating lists such as allergies, attendance flags, or room groupings.

Lists instantly reflect changes made to any child’s profile.

Click on “Waitlist” under “Children” on the navigation bar, on the left hand side of your screen.

Manage new enquiries through a structured waitlist.

Track interest, follow-ups, and plan enrolments accurately and efficiently.

Stay connected with prospective families using upcoming integrations with WhatsApp, Office 365, and Gmail:

Click on “Settings” on the bottom left of your navigation bar and then “Billing.”

Manage all your centre’s billing needs, flexibly, accurately, and in one place.

Create your:

Admins can also create specific rules for special payment scenarios or centre policies.

Set up your Parent Pay Integration by clicking on “Settings” and then “Billing” > “Parent Pay”

Streamline tuition collection with ParentPay:

Tip: Using Parent Pay ensures you spend less time following up on payments, cashing in cheques etc.

Click on “Transactions” under “Finance” on the navigation bar, on the left hand side of your screen.

Create daily, weekly, monthly, or annual billing cycles to suit your centre.

Automate charges for tuition, extended hours (early drop-off or late pick-up), and other services.

Send bulk invoices and schedule regular, automated payment reminders, in-app or via email.

Click on “Invoices” under “Transactions” and click on a specific child to review their assigned plans. If no plans are issued for the child, it will indicate that next to child's name.

Support complex family needs by creating multiple schedules per child.

Manage different locations, classrooms, or alternating care days.

Assign multiple payers, split billing, or apply day-specific subsidies to fit real-world parenting arrangements.

Click on “Transactions” or access through Reports.

Track and report on applied subsidies per payer, day, or schedule.

Export data for financial reporting or compliance with local authority guidelines.

Easily review how much of each invoice is covered by subsidies and what remains for families.

Click on your profile icon in the navigation bar at the top of the page.

Customize your experience by updating:

Click on “Account Settings” from your profile menu.

✅ Check-In Application

The Check-in App is a standalone tool used by parents and staff to sign in and out of the centre.

It can be installed on a tablet or iPad and placed at reception or drop-off points, even outside classrooms.

Tip: encourage children to check themselves in and out of the app to build autonomy and a sense of belonging.

Visit your device’s app store and search for Parent Check-in App to download.

Sign into the Check-In Application

The app has its own login credentials, unique username and password provided to the admin only.

To retrieve your login details:

Go to: Tools → Check-In App

You can allow both staff and parents to use the app.

For added security, enable PIN-only check-in/out, requiring users to enter their unique 4-digit code.

✅ Your Success Is Our Goal

The Parent Support Team is always here to help you succeed.

We’re just a click away, whenever you need us.