Brightwheel is an app/website that helps us with many aspects of our childcare center.  We use it for checking students in and out, communicating with parents via messages, and sharing the highlights of the students’ day on a running “feed”.

Since our implementation of this system, we have already noticed the first of many benefits - SAFETY!  Parents are assigned a 4-digit code which is used at the tablet kiosk to check their child in to the program.  The same code is used to check them out at the end of the day.  This way, we can look back to see when the child was present and who took them from the site very easily.  Emergency contact information as well as a list of adults approved to pick up the student is available to all staff members using the tablet assigned to each classroom.  No child is allowed to leave with anyone not listed as an “approved pick up”.  Medical safety is also improved, as teachers can see allergy and other significant notes regarding the child in his/her profile by using the same tablets. 

Staff are encouraged to add photos or notes regarding crafts, activities, or incidents during the day on each child’s feed, which is accessible to the parents on the brightwheel app.  We can also record developmental milestones that a teacher has observed in the classroom.  The goal is to help each parent be more connected with what their child is experiencing on a daily basis!

Brightwheel also allows us to communicate with parents easily with the use of the app’s messaging system.  Messages can be sent from a parent to our staff, or vice versa.  When a message comes in, all staff can view it, preventing miscommunication or messages not being given to the right caregiver.  Teachers can also send messages directly to an individual parent or a classroom as a whole, making quick responses possible even if parents are unavailable to take a phone call!

We are still discovering the many features which brightwheel has to offer.