Attendance tracking at your childcare center is required by law. You may find it one of the most exhausting parts of your day, but it could be the most important thing you do for the success and livelihood of your business.
From the moment they drop their child off at your facility to the moment they walk out with that child on their hip at dayu2019s end, parents entrust the safety and well-being of their little one to you. It is your job to document and prove when a child is and is not under your care and here are the top reasons why.
- Licensing: Your license to run a childcare center dictates that you must have valid records of when a child was signed in and out each day and even if they werenu2019t in attendance for some reason. If these records are incomplete u2013 or worse, nonexistent u2013 you can be fined or lose your license to operate your business.
- Additional caregivers: A parent who is a customer of your facility may have provided permission for another caregiver to pick up or drop off their child. Being able to document that the child was indeed picked up by one of these approved caregivers in the case of a dispute or missing child can be the difference between a large lawsuit putting you out of business and successfully proving your case. Be sure youu2019re documenting who picked up the child and when from your facility.
- Custody battles: Regretfully, childcare centers can get pulled into custody battles between parents. In these situations, often a parent is claiming that they havenu2019t been provided proper time with their child. As evidence of their case, theyu2019ll call you in to show documentation of who checked the child into your care each day. To avoid getting wrapped up in such cases, being able to provide clear and accurate records during these times is crucial.
- Subsidized care: Subsidized care is a great benefit for parents in need but takes added care and attention on behalf of your childcare center. If your records of when a child was signed in or out are not accurate or incomplete, the agency that pays the subsidized care may deny payment, and youu2019ll have no way of recouping those costs without valid proof of the childu2019s attendance. This can be as simple as not having a time next to the parentu2019s signature on your attendance sheet, so watch out for incomplete paperwork.
While the recording keeping for attendance tracking may be the most important part of your day, it can also be the most time-consuming and arduous process your business undergoes. You might also have a filing cabinet solely devoted to those pesky sign-in sheets from years of business. All that can change.
Childcare software makes attendance tracking much easier and records are stored on the secure cloud, so you donu2019t have to buy another filing cabinet. You can track the total hours a child spends in your facility each week with ease for accurate billing too.
Itu2019s a great tool and benefit for your childcare center, and more than likely, parents will love it too. No more juggling their little one and all the gear to try and sign on a clipboard. They can easily verify sign out time on a tablet or even smartphone.
Sign-up for a demo to learn more about the benefits of Attendance Tracking using iCare Software’s childcare software.