Making The Most of the ParentZone App

ParentZone is the digital app that we use at all Tommies Childcare nurseries. Our staff use the app every day to report, share and celebrate your child’s progress at their nursery.

ParentZone provides parents with an easy way to get a detailed insight during a day at nursery. Our staff will share everything from learning assessments to nappy changes, sleep, and much more. Then, at the end of your child’s nursery journey, you can download a complete log of all of your child’s entries to keep forever. 

Parents who become more involved with the app and interact with it tend to realise the benefits more. That’s why we’ve put this guide together to help parents make the most of ParentZone.

Downloading ParentZone

The best place to start is from the beginning. So, if you haven’t already, we recommend that you download ParentZone to your devices. ParentZone is available on smartphones and tablets via the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. 

You can also access ParentZone via a web browser by visiting www.parentzone.me.

To log in, you’ll need to ask your Nursery Manager to send a registration link to your email address. You can then create a password and finish setting up your account.

Please try to remember your password. Your account will be locked after multiple failed login attempts. If that happens, you will need to ask your Nursery Manager to send you a reset password link to your email address. To avoid this, we recommend using your device or browser’s password manager to save your login details. If your device supports facial recognition, it may be a good idea to enable this functionality.

Feedback

After each day at nursery, you should expect to receive feedback. Depending on your child’s age, you will receive different types of feedback. Below are 3 of the most commonly used forms of feedback. Please note that older children won’t receive some of these, but staff will share other types of feedback.

• Nappy Changes: All nappy changes are recorded through ParentZone. The feedback will include information such as if your child’s nappy is wet, soiled or if any cream has been applied. You may also find comments linked to this feedback, such as staff requesting more nappies or wipes.
• Sleep Times: Your child’s sleep times will be recorded through ParentZone. The feedback will include the time they fell asleep and woke up.
• Meal Times: All meals are recorded through ParentZone, including breakfast, lunch, tea and snacks. There should also be notes to say what the meal was and how much your child ate.

• Daily Feedback: At the end of the day, you will receive general feedback and photos of activities and updates from your child’s age group. If you have not granted permission for your child’s images to be uploaded to ParentZone, these posts won’t include your child. Please speak to your Nursery Manager if you would like to update your permissions. 

Observations

From time to time, as part of our “In The Moment Planning” approach, you will receive an Observation post to advise that your child will be a “Focus Child” for the coming week. 

At the end of a Focus Week, you will receive a post that outlines what your child has done during that week at nursery and how it links to their ongoing development. You should see a combination of photographs and written observations. You should also expect to see some suggestions of areas for future focus and how you can support your child’s development at home.

Assessments

Assessments for children are completed every 3 months. You can learn more about the assessments here:

Whenever we publish an assessment, you will be asked to acknowledge that you have read these. Please ensure that you acknowledge receipt of the assessments, as it helps our staff know which parents may need a gentle reminder.

Adding Your Posts to ParentZone

One of the best features of ParentZone is that parents can also post observations of their child’s life outside of the nursery. 

Practitioners always say that the more content (photos, videos & comments) that parents share via ParentZone, the more they understand the children and plan for activities based on their likes and interests. Ultimately, this leads to children gaining a much richer early years experience. 

To add posts to ParentZone, you need to tap the blue ‘+’ symbol in the bottom right-hand corner. 

You’ll then have the option to select the child(ren) that you wish to upload content of. In the notes, please feel free to add any comments that you may have about the experience or moment you are sharing. You’ll also notice an icon in the bottom right corner that will allow you to upload photos from your device. 

 

When you post the content, it will be sent to the nursery team, who will then publish it for you to show on your child’s timeline. 

Other Features of ParentZone

Although the main features of ParentZone are observations and moments, there are also some other features that you should explore.

If you click the icon with three lines at the top of the app, this will open a menu.

Next, you’ll notice some other app features that you can explore. For example, parents tell us that they regularly use the Gallery to look at all the photos uploaded to your ParentZone account since your child first started at nursery. Another feature is the Finance area, which provides you with copies of your monthly invoices and an account statement to help you keep on top of your nursery fees.

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We hope you found this helpful guide, but if you have any questions or want to know even more about ParentZone, please get in touch with your child’s Key Worker.