The practice of using a daily notes app at your daycare can not only be a huge timesaver but also a great way of communicating with parents every day. Check out 10 ways I’ve found to use my daily notes app.
Before I started my childcare years ago, I had the opportunity to do an internship at a childcare. It was a great experience. The program was corporate-funded and seem to have the resources needed to run a quality program. One of the practices I especially liked was that they offered Daily Notes. Through these notes, parents were given a glimpse into their child’s day in care. I liked the practice so much that I decided to do the same when I started my business. Daily Notes App
Do parents even read them?
My clients loved getting daily notes, at least initially. When a child would start, the parent would read and even retain the daily notes as keepsakes. But as time went on I could tell parents would pretty much ignore them. I would find notes crumpled up in the diaper bag the following day. This really irritated me. Didn’t the parents realize how much work it took to write down all that information? Oh and by the way I had to pay to get the forms printed!
So eventually, I abandoned the practice of putting all the effort into preparing the daily notes. Some years later a former parent referred a friend to my business stating how much she had enjoyed receiving the Daily Notes. So I reluctantly began to offer them again.
This is my favorite notes app now.
Hey, there’s an App for that!
A few years ago I noticed that parents were using apps to track their baby’s daily routine. I thought well maybe I could find an app to use for the Daily Notes. Guess what? I found one. The best thing about the app was it cost me less per month than what I had been paying to copy the paper notes.
Since the app is paid for, I was determined to get as many uses out of it as possible. Now I use the app for so many functions than just the Daily Notes. Here are 10 Ways I Use an App for Daily Notes.
10 Ways I Use an App for Daily Notes
But wait! There’s More
Here are 5 more ways I use the app –
Reach Parents Fast
The app keeps parents’ information under a child’s profile, making it easier to reach a parent in case of an emergency.
Adds Siblings Easily
Adding siblings is easy because if the app recognizes a familiar last name it will inquire if that is a sibling.
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Send Invoices & Receipts
Since the app will send PDFs, providers can send invoices and receipts through the app. This is great because you will have a record of what was sent.
Costs less than paper!
As I said before, the app is paid for. But you know what, the app actually costs less monthly than having paper notes printed.
Helps to Seal the Deal
When I show parents the app during a tour they are very impressed. I am almost certain it has helped me gain many clients over the years. I think of it as my secret weapon.
CLICK HERE for an All-In-One Daycare Daily App
Should you get a Notes App?
Just in case you can’t tell, I definitely think having a Daily Notes App is worth the cost. I say this because I have found so many more uses than even just the daily note. At this point, it is a tool that I am not sure I would want to be without.
If you would like to know which App I currently use at my childcare, I have included this in my Childcare Provider Resources. Find it here.
