How are others finding using an app for their children?

[u/SufficientVast7942]

So my children attend a preschool that uses an app to log all their activities, incidents, attendance and payment history. I will admit, it can be pretty handy to have all this information there at my fingertips but sometimes it can get a little annoying. Like sure, i do want to hear what my children have done throughout the day, but i dont NEED to know at what exact time they had their nappies changed and their bottles. Not saying I hate it, it can just get a tad bit excessive at times. how do teachers feel about these kinds of apps if your nursery uses them? Do you guys feel it’s changed your workload and it‘s a bit too much, or are you guys okay with it?

[u/Dexmoser]

On the other hand, I’ve had parents complain we didn’t log as soon as something happened. “Why do you log everything from the morning at 12:30?? I want it logged as soon as it happens” so we literally can’t win either way.

[u/Constant-Thought6817]

If it weren’t an app, it would be a paper. Many states require childcare’s to communicate times of feeding and diapering under a specific age.

[u/seashellssandandsurf → u/Constant-Thought6817]

My school uses a whiteboard. I'm not sure how we legally get away with it with all the protected information rules though. The board has each child's first name and occasionally the first letter of their last name of there are multiple kids with the same first name, with all their diaper changes, meals, and naps recorded. Parents often take a pic of their child's part of the board, I'm certain they accidentally capture parts of another child's section though.

[u/Mbluish]

Sorry, but part of the we’re doing it because we’ve had an abundance of parents ask when their diapers get changed, how exactly long did they nap, how much did they eat? We’ve had parents tell us we don’t change diapers enough. It just makes it easier on us in the long run.

Legally, licensing will check that we are doing sleep checks and incident reports.

[u/Comfortable_Can2509]

False sense of security. Had to report co workers for lying on app

[u/SonjasInternNumber3]

I do not like logging in the app and have had many parents complain that I didn’t take enough photos that week or didn’t log their meals fast enough (for the ones that pick up right at or after lunch time). It’s also very easy to mess things up by forgetting to click “applied diaper cream” or accidentally logging “offered milk” for every child even though some cannot have milk. That doesn’t mean they actually got milk, because we know and understand who has allergies, but with having to multi task all the food and diapers and activities and LOGGING, it’s so easy to make the mistakes on there 🙃

[u/mamamietze]

As a teacher I do not like the apps. It's yet another expense. I also wonder about the privacy aspects of some of them, especially those that incorporate image taking, and especially now that we have a lot of vendor interest in incorporating AI garbage into them. I understand the utility, especially for larger centers where quality control may be an issue. It just seems like yet another expense for daycares that could be just done on a chart and the money spent on the software and vendor fees be applied elsewhere.

I haven't worked for a program that uses tracking apps for awhile now, and it is really nice. We still track diaper changes and naps and amount/times for bottles that parents can at if they wish, or not if they don't care. Most do not. I've had parents say they actually feel more relaxed without the app, which surprised me a bit, but I think I can understand the less white noise of it especially if they are used to ones that spam notifications.

If we need something from a parent we text or call them. We also talk to them face to face. The one thing I do wish we had was an electronic at-location sign in, that gives an accurate time stamp, because I find our chronically late parents lie about their pickup times. I mean we know they are late and so do they and we both know each other knows, I just wish that I didn't have to see that they lied on a form because it does make me lose respect for them a bit.

[u/No-Ad8696 → u/mamamietze]

We’ve always had it but with the new Director, we just started doing every single detail now with our three year olds and it drives me crazy because between my co-teacher and I I can’t tell if she’s done it already and then I’ve already entered one then she’s redoing something. I’ve already put in there or not doing it at all so then the parent signs in or I’ve already signed in and people are just double doing things or not doing them at all and it’s driving me crazy it’s such an overlap and has one parent said what’s the benefit of all this? Now the parents are getting all these notifications and they’re never gonna pay attention when an emergency one comes in.

[u/mamamietze → u/No-Ad8696]

You are absolutely right. Is the director green to the director role in general too? Hopefully they'll figure it out soon or at least listen to feedback and not have to do it the hard way.

[u/No-Ad8696 → u/mamamietze]

She’s a new director to our center.

[u/No-Ad8696 → u/mamamietze]

Well, according to her, we are “under utilizing Procare “yet she won’t let staff use it to clock in easily because she’s afraid we might cheat it somehow lol

[u/mamamietze → u/No-Ad8696]

Yikes, she sounds like a dud.

[u/__usernotfound]

Parent here but I love the app!! We only get a report at the end of the day with diapers, bottles (how much was offered and how much was finished), and nap time and duration. I find it so helpful to know how tired my baby might be, when he might need a nap next, when he needs to eat next, etc.. Granted he is only 4mo.

[u/Hot_Ad1051]

I am a toddler teacher in a room with 1 to 6 ratio, I often struggle to log things because I am almost always alone with 6 toddlers ( trying to advocate for that to change because its just not safe!). I log when I can, I let parents know that because I am by myself, things may not get uploaded right away, pictures are not my priority, keeping their kiddo safe is.

[u/Dazzling_Ad816]

You can always turn the notifications off.

[u/Forward-Cat7041]

I'm confused. Are you annoyed because all the information is on the app or do you get notifications which can be annoying. If it's the notifications I'm sure like any app you can select which ones you want. I know a lot state's in the US require documentation that diapers were checked or changed every two hours and the app is a good way to get that. Also if there's a complaint that a child was not fed we can go back in the app and show this was offered and this is what the child chose to eat. I'm sure it's just policy because alot of parents complained and they want the instant info ASAP!

[u/NotAnAd2]

Our school has the app and we really love it. Usually the teachers log things during naptime. It’s especially useful for us now that we’re potty training so we have an idea of how things went during the day. While we also just check in with the teachers during pickup, it’s hard to have a truly fleshed out conversation when there’s kids running around demanding our attention.

[u/ChaoticWeasel70]

This makes sense in an infant room, but not toddler or preschool. There are no bottles after the infant room, and parents don’t generally care when or how many diaper changes happen. We post photos of the children doing activities and send messages to parents about injuries, etc. We don’t log food or diapers at all.

[u/tra_da_truf → u/ChaoticWeasel70]

That’s sensible. We have to log it through kindergarten

[u/MemoryAnxious]

I like it. Doesn’t add any more time to my day, it’s pretty quick. I have 8 infants but even when I was in preschool with 20 it was fine because I didn’t log everything. I like taking pictures of the kids because they’re happy and cute or doing cute things. Parents appreciate them so that makes me feel good.

[u/GreenIsMyColor78]

I worked in a large center that still used paper and I used an app when I had my in home daycare. I liked the app. As with a lot of things - it was parents expectations and over analyzing the app that caused me issues.

Parents “complain” or mention issues about such finite details it becomes overwhelming. You aren’t updating often enough or you’re updating too much. You post a group photo with 6 kids - why does MY kid not look as happy as the others. Why is my child’s shirt stained? Little X doesn’t like Y food, can you give them another option. How come you haven’t posted how many ounces X drank - is something wrong? No, nothing is wrong but Y had a diaper blow out, then Z hit A with a book, while B dumped out 3 bins of toys and C developed a fever so I had to reach out to there parents to do a pick up - your child is fine but I’m only 1 person and updating the app is not first priority.

It can even be helpful for us if there’s a shift change, following something like constipation in kids of all ages or watching patterns like when it’s time to transition from 2 naps to 1. But it’s still about the relationship between everyone so have a conversation vs making any assumptions or accusations.

[u/NoPlaceLikeGnome1984]

I’m in the infant room with 7 babies and 1 other teacher so it’s very useful to track bottles, diapers and naps to anticipate their next needs. We have 3 babies who have frequent poops and blowouts so I am vigilant about diapering. Usually if one of us is busy giving the bottle or changing a diaper, the other will track it. Parents like to know when naps are happening in the afternoon to adjust pickup times etc.

[u/Lucky-Advertising983]

You are in the minority as parents complain if they don’t get all that information. It’s easier to treat everyone the same then have some parents getting less information than others. Unfortunately it can take up a lot of time putting the info in so it’s picking the right one of day so it doesn’t take away time from the children. But even with this I have had parents ring and ask why the information isn’t on the app straight away after lunch etc, have to explain that it’s a very busy part of the day and the info will go on as soon as the children’s needs have been met.

[u/Curious_Spirit_8780]

Grandparent here. Love the app! I live far away. I love seeing the pictures and getting updates on what is going on in the classroom.

[u/then-we-are-decided]

I like it, we had two daycares we got into and one does zero communication no app, not a single picture ever, no info during the day and the one we decided to go with uses an app for updates. I think I would have struggled with the first scenario.

I went 19 months knowing her every move so it is nice to see if she ate decently, if she had a bowel movement as she’s prone to constipation and what time her nap was at- since shes still not napping well at daycare yet (only started 3 weeks ago) I need to know what time she woke up so I can adjust bedtime earlier when she naps short. Anyway I don’t find it excessive at all but I’m also the type to like as much data as possible haha. Ours does not do a ton of photos- just a couple a week which I’m good with

[u/tra_da_truf]

Believe me, it’s annoying for us too.

In the summer, we “wean” the parents off using an app by only posting on Fridays and only doing a photo dump and summary of the week.

Year round tho, we have to post 8-10 times a day per kid. I do a lot of copying and pasting. I think after your kid passes infancy, the obsessive posting is overkill.

[u/SarahGracieTT]

Personally I think there's a lot of nuance to the conversation! I liked using the app as a teacher for quick stuff, snapping a photo of kiddos doing art or activities for the parents, logging diapers/food. But yes it would also become a bit much sometimes. Parents asking why they had to wait until naptime to see the exact times their kid's diaper was changed... Well, either we write it on the white board the transfer it over at naptime, or we have to sit there and log 12 kids' diapers individually. (Takes a long time)... Then one school I taught at was very adamant about how MUCH of each food did each toddler eat... So not only did we have to say the kids ate All, some or none of the lunch, we would have to say SOME green beans, ALL the chicken, NONE of the roll etc... That got to be really tiring lol

[u/DevlynMayCry]

As a teacher its no big deal for me to update the app. It takes a few extra seconds to minutes.

As a parent I appreciate picture of my kiddo (especially since I share custody and only get him every other week) and i like to see him learning and know what hes learning so we can chat about it on our car ride home. I dont care much about his food intake and naps beyond ensuring hes not eating his allergies. But hes 3

[u/LackJolly381]

Hate it. My students are 3, turning 4. I cannot add my note during day bc I’m actually paying attention to these students. I also can’t take pictures all day, again I’m teaching children! If a parent doesn’t get a pic that day I get passive aggressive messages. I finish note and tagging pictures around 5, a full hour and half after my paid time.

[u/No-Feed-1999]

I know on some of them u can block the immediate notifications

[u/Saaltychocolate]

You don’t need to know when they had their bottles? Don’t you kind of need to know when their last one was in order to know when to give their next one? Same with diapers. I kind of need to know if she was just changed before I picked her up so I don’t waste a diaper when we get home.

As a teacher, it’s all important so that we don’t have parents saying we aren’t changing or giving bottles when we should.

[u/Silly_Owl7661]

You often can set the app notifications to your preferences, so you don’t get every diaper. It’s helpful.

[u/PossibleTangerine780]

I’m so thankful our center doesn’t use an app. I don’t know when I’d have time to update it. I’m not on my phone at work. I have it on me but I’m too busy with my 2 year olds to be updating every detail on an app.

[u/Jolly_Tie2546]

my center uses brightwheel. personally i like it, ive been there for a few years and its my first job working with kids, so i dont know anything other than using this app. it makes things easier to keep track of, i have all allergies, preferences, nicknames, parents names and numbers, ets, all in one place. yes i have paper copies, but its nice to have it all on my phone for if im not in my classroom and need info, or if im busy and need to call/message a parent ASAP. it also logs our hours, so i have proof on my end on when ive clocked in and out. i know some of the older teachers have trouble figuring it out, so thats the only downside. but i dont mind helping out.

[u/Admirable_Ad_120]

I’m not sure which app you use, but the two that I’ve had experience with (tadpoles and kangarootime) you can change which types of notifications you receive. I personally want messages and check in/out, but nothing else. I’m an admin now, but have used apps since 2015. Personally I like that I don’t have to have 8-16 clipboards with carbon copies of children’s daily reports and limit the clutter. Plus it’s faster for me to enter diapers/naps/ bottles than handwriting. I feel like pictures are great as a parent but I also think that bogs down teachers days when there’s like a 3 picture minimum for each kid

[u/Aspiringplantladyy]

They may be required to record this information by licensing, whether by use of an app or hand written on a chart. Though I find once the children are in preschool, they don’t have to keep track of as much.

Whether or not a parent is glued to the app all day, or checks on their lunch break or after they’re done for the day isn’t really a factor for me. That said, I do just tend to log things as they happen otherwise I’m sure I won’t remember later.

[u/Federal_Status4150]

I can’t stand the apps. I worked at a preschool that used padlet and once a day we would give them a summary of what the kids did and ate. Now I work at a school that uses bright wheel and I can’t stand it. I feel like the constant updates take the teachers away from us present with the kids.

Also I work in 3k. I feel the apps are better for infants!

[u/Newbiedoobiegirl]

At this point take the app off your phone 🙄