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One advantage of using a digital software for your childcare center, is that it allows you to work more easily and at your convenience.
Having access to all the information you need on a computer, mobile device, or tablet means that you don’t have to carry bundles of paper around with you just for when you do get that quiet minute. Or if you're playing with the littles ones outdoors, and want to update your staff and connect with families and parents - digital options like software let you do that from wherever you are.
Remember that feeling when you finally get time to work on that journal or paperwork you’ve been putting off for days, and you realize you’ve left the crucial piece of paper somewhere else? Not a problem. Running a nursery is chaotic at the best of times - this way you can get things done when you need to and when you are able to.
Whether we like it or not, everyone is connected to technology nowadays. As a nursery, this gives you options to improve communication and collaboration more than ever before.
There are a variety of sites that make sending newsletters to both potential parents and existing ones incredibly simple, or sites to easily share and collaborate on documents with your staff.
Or better yet - you can share messages, learning journals, calendars, photographs, and videos with parents right from your childcare management software. Taking it digital, particularly if you can access it right from your phone, is something paper just can’t compete with.
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One big concern with choosing to take your center digital is a fear over security.
If you're uploading email addresses to send newsletters, or inputting children's information into your software - is it safe? Can you trust the early childhood platform or digital software you're using? While there’s no doubt that there’s a sense of reassurance in keeping important documents offline, many of the concerns over security in the digital age are unfounded.
Many digital solutions now work using The Cloud, and the software and the people that host it are subject to increasingly tight security measures. Of course, before you use any software, make sure you thoroughly check the security policies if you’ll be sharing sensitive information. A good yardstick to look for is whether they comply with the General Data Protection Regulation.
If you're thinking about software, have a look at what they're doing with GDPR, where their servers are, and if they make sure data security is a priority. They should absolutely have this on their website.
We can’t promise every piece of digital software is going to shave hours off your day, but there are some common ways that choosing to go digital will help you get some time back.
In general, digital software will help remove some of the manual processes that are taking up time you just don’t need to spend. For instance, data entry and report generation could be done automatically, or signing children and staff in and out in seconds, or sending parents direct messages instead of spending time calling and emailing. Either way, one of the main draws of going digital is that it is intended to help you do your job more quickly, efficiently and accurately.
What else? Well, quicker access to information for one!
Everything you need is at your fingertips. You save loads of time when a digital system can gather and show all the information into one place. Take a calendar function where others can RSVP on their side, or a feature to let parents request extra sessions and days right from their own phones. This will save you having to chase up everyone you need to hear from, and minimze those admin headaches.
Another great benefit of using some modern softwares is how well they integrate across different devices. So when you update some information on your computer, it automatically does so on your phone, and all of your teacher’s phones and computers, too. No need to make sure you update it umpteen times. No more making sure everyone has the absolute latest copy of everything.
As things tend to autosave too, all you need to do is head on in, make the change, and exit knowing that the change will be there next time anybody logs in. And the less time you spend worrying if you've remembered to photocopy the latest cleaning policy or lunch menu, the better.
We know there are a lot of options out there, but the main thing to note is how much a digital solution can save you time, and make your day-to-day a lot easier. You shouldn't have to do everything single-handedly, so software and digital solutions can just be the little helping hand you need. The less time you spend on admin, the more time you have to spend with the little ones.
Guidance from the Danish Health Ministry, translated in full to English.
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The full recommendations from a working group of over 70 nursery chains in the UK.
Please note: here at Famly we love sharing creative activities for you to try with the children at your setting, but you know them best. Take the time to consider adaptions you might need to make so these activities are accessible and developmentally appropriate for the children you work with. Just as you ordinarily would, conduct risk assessments for your children and your setting before undertaking new activities, and ensure you and your staff are following your own health and safety guidelines.
Get top tips from a setting just like yours. Hear from Alphabet House on why and how they use Famly - and why they’ve never looked back.
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