How to Instant Message- Admin to Staff & Families

This document explains how administrators can enable and use instant messaging and announcements within the childcare platform. You will learn how to turn on parent–room staff messaging, view and respond to messages, send new messages to families and staff, apply filters, and create announcements for larger groups.

Last updated About 11 hours ago

Step 1: Enable Parent-to-Room Staff Messaging

To allow room staff to message directly with parents or guardians, you must first enable this setting.

  1. Go to the Setup module.

  2. Click the Centers tab.

  3. Select the appropriate center from the Center drop-down arrow.

  4. Scroll down to locate the Allow Parent to Room Staff Messaging toggle.

  5. Move this toggle to On.

Once this is enabled, room staff will be able to message back and forth with parents.

Step 2: Access the Messages Area

  1. Locate the message icon at the top of the screen.

  2. Whenever a new message is received, a notification badge appears on this icon.

  3. The number displayed reflects the count of unread message threads.

  4. Click the message icon to open the Messages area.

Step 3: Use Expanded View and Alternate Navigation

  1. In the Messages area, click the expand icon to switch to full-screen view.

  2. Alternatively, you can access the expanded Messaging view from the Communicate module.

Step 4: View Messages by Activity and Sender Type

  1. In the Messages area, go to the Activities tab to see recent messages with families. Use this to quickly view any unread messages.

  2. Select the All area to view messages from both staff and families.

  3. To filter by sender type, click Staff to view only staff messages

or click Families to view only family messages.

Step 5: Search for a Contact and Open a Conversation

  1. Use the search bars to find a specific staff member or family.

  2. Click the family member’s name to expand the message area and open the conversation.

  3. View the message history, then type your reply in the text box.

  4. Click the green send icon to send your message.

Step 6: Compose a New Message to a Family

  1. To start a new message, click the Compose tab at the top in the messaging side menu.

  2. If you are not in expanded view, first locate the family member you wish to message, and click their name to open the message box.

  3. In the Families area, you can select or search for an individual recipient.

  4. To message a group of people, click the Select Multiple icon.

For large bulk communications, use the Announcements feature instead of instant messages. This is covered in a later step.

Step 7: Filter Families Before Messaging

  1. Open the filter options to refine your recipient list.

  2. Filter by parameters such as center, groups, and student status.

  3. After applying filters, your search results will include only those matching the selected group and status.

  4. From the filtered list, choose which family members you wish to message.

Important: Staff members without admin access can only view and select groups to which they are permanently or temporarily assigned.

Step 8: Message Staff Members

  1. To message staff, click the Staff tab in Messaging or navigate to the staff side of the platform.

  2. Choose to:

  3. Send messages to staff in a specific room, or

    • Send a direct message to an admin or office staff member.

  4. You can also use the search bar to type and select a staff member’s name.

  5. The Active Groups Only toggle is on by default.

  • With this on, only groups that currently have an active staff member assigned and signed into a room, will appear.

Toggle this off if you wish to see staff from all groups regardless of current activity.

Step 9: Use Announcements for Bulk Messaging

  1. Click the Announcements icon in the top right to send messages about events, important reminders, or other relevant information.

  2. Use this feature instead of instant messaging when contacting larger groups, such as:

  3. Specific spaces or rooms

    • All parents

    • All staff

  4. After clicking the icon, configure the announcement options as described in the next step.

Important: Unlike individual and group messages, staff and families cannot reply to announcements .

Step 10: Configure and Send an Announcement

  1. Under Target roles, select who should receive the announcement (you can choose multiple):

  2. Parents

    • Room staff

    • Office staff

    • Center admin

    • Org admin

  3. Optionally, target specific groups (e.g., only preschool groups).

  4. Confirm or adjust Student status, which defaults to Current students. Include other statuses (such as Future or Pending) if needed.

  5. Turn on the Pin Announcement toggle if you want the announcement to stay pinned for everyone.

  6. Set an expiry date if you want the announcement to disappear after a certain date.

  7. Enter a clear title and add the announcement text.

  8. Send the announcement when you are ready.

Step 11: View Sent Announcements

  1. To review previously sent announcements, click the Sent Announcements tab.

  2. Here you can confirm what was sent, to whom, and when.

Step 12: Understand Notifications for Recipients

Anytime a message or announcement is sent to a parent or staff member, they will receive an instant notification, provided they have enabled notifications on their devices. For instructions on enabling notifications, refer to the separate training guide on notification settings.