Keep your children and staff safe by going digital
When it comes to the number of nurseries embracing technology to help with the management of their nursery, the sector is extremely varied. While some have migrated their daily operations over to a more digitised approach, others are still pursuing the traditional way of doing things.
Following the spread of COVID-19, we’ve seen more and more nurseries stepping up their game and switching to digital, to help keep them safe and improve their efficiencies.
In the most recent NMT magazine, Ruth Bolton, Connect Childcare’s head of implementation, wrote all about the benefits of digital solutions and how tech can help nursery staff unlock more time in their day. You can catch up on that here.
In this blog, we’ve highlighted 3 top features which you can start using today to keep your children and staff safe, plus a sneak peek into a brand new feature coming soon to ParentZone over the next few weeks.
Collect contactless payments
Another way to minimise the spread of germs is to replace pen and paper processes with digital solutions. Collecting payments online allows your nursery to avoid exchanging cash or using hand terminals — plus saves you trips to the bank.
Connect Cashflow gives you the flexibility to accommodate different types of payments such as direct debit or via the app, helping you to get paid faster and on time.
Accepting Payments via ParentZone also makes it easier for your families, as they can quickly add credit card details and pay it as soon as it’s due.
Replace paper with digital daily reports
Through iConnect staff can log activities and reports for each child and share them with their families throughout the day. This means the staff won’t need to carry pens and paper around; instead, they can leave their files on their shelf and log activities and send daily reports straight from their own devices. Through iConnect you can log your observations and assessments but you can also log events such as:
- Meals
- Nappy Changes
- Nap times
- Accidents
- Moments
Manage room ratios with ease
The DfE recommends staggering your schedules, such as pick-up/drop-off, lunch, and playtime, to minimise the risk of spreading germs among other children and staff.
With Connect Childcare’s new staffplan tool, you can Intelligently assign staff based on ratios which will allow you to manage your schedule and determine your staffing levels and maintain compliance for your room ratios.
For multi-site settings, you’ll be able to see all of your staff, set their preferred locations and assess who is most suitable.
At a glance, you’ll be able to manage your return efficiently and effectively and best manage your ratios, with safety and more peace of mind.
Coming soon: Enable contactless sign-in
Drop-off and pick up are among the most susceptible times for germs to spread between families and staff. Rather than continuously disinfecting your equipment, such as communal devices or pens and paper after each use, you can help minimise the spread of germs while ensuring lines move quickly by using ParentZones contactless sign in/out feature.
You can allow families to check their child in or out from their own mobile app without entering your nursery. This will collect the signature and send straight to iConnect for your staff to approve.
Take your nursery online post lockdown,
Get ready for September.
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About the Author
Marketing Lead at Connect Childcare
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