I run a home daycare, with 5 full time children. I send home daily reports to the parents each day detailing how each child ate, documented diaper changes or toileting (if potty training/trained), what time they have their naps, what they enjoyed, their mood, and any other notes and reminders. I'm wondering if I should be doing a progress report for parents every so often. Do any of you guys do a progress report? and if so, how often do you do it? and how do you do it? (do you make one up or do you have one made up from someone/somewhere else).

Reply

I don't bother with reports of any kind. Parents who want to know...ask. I post important general announcements on the door. If I need to say something to an individual parent, I do it face to face.

I used to do reports and I would find them left in cubbies, or screwed up in the driveway, or if I went out to a car for any reason...littered all over the floor of the car.

A total waste of my time and paper.

Reply

I use Tadpoles. It's a great program for tracking attendance and I send out daily reports for my 12 dcks each day. My parents very much request reports and they have the ability to look back on every single report I've ever sent, and they can print them out to share with family. Tadpoles also let's me send out emails to all families at once if I need to remind them that wipes are due or permission slips are due.

I would definitely recommend that you learn about the program and try it. I use the free app on my iPhone and it couldn't be more simple.

www.tadpoles.com

I no longer feel so bad about wasting so much paper every day.

Reply

I'm with meeko. Same would happen here, no respect for the time I took to write them out.

Reply

I looked at the website very quickly (as daycare kids will be up any minute) and I have a few questions. Will this work well for a home daycare? Do the parents have to pay a fee? Can they check in using iphone or website? How hard is it to use? (i don't even have an iphone yet, lol)
I tried to google more info on this and couldn't find much so any other info or help would be great!

Reply

I use Baby Connect (www.baby-connect.com). I learned about it here on the forum. I'm enjoying it!

Reply

I don't anymore, no one reads it, and I usually talk to the parents at pick up time. I prefer telling the parents face to face than writing it down.

Reply

I have a home daycare and it works very well. There is no fee to use this program at all, but there are two different apps - one for providers to use on their smartphones to update during the day. The other app is for parents to use on their smartphones to check up on their child and that app is $10. All but one parent have smartphones so I just bought the app for each of my parents (two each week so I didn't have a drastic pay cut one week).

It's super easy to fill out each day. The options to add onto reports are meals, diaper changes/potty breaks, naps and additional notes. It's as simple as clicking on each section, adding times, choosing different option......I fill out most of the reports during nap, and just add a note each day for each child, and I send out the report as soon as each kid gets picked up.

Reply

I'm with Meeko too.

If a parent wants to know something, they ask
If I want them to know something, I tell them.
If I NEED them to know something, I post it for all to see and verbally tell them too.

If it is super important and private, I tell them face to face.

Reply