Daycare sign in and out sheets are daily attendance logs that childcare programs use to track when children arrive and depart. These records are essential for ensuring child safety, maintaining compliance with state licensing regulations, and streamlining billing processes. While many programs use traditional paper forms, others are adopting digital solutions to save time and improve accuracy.
This guide examines the pros and cons of traditional printable sign-in sheets and explores the benefits of transitioning to a modern, digital solution for child check-in and attendance tracking.
Free Sign-In Sheet Template
A free, printable template for sign-in sheets by child.
Traditional printable preschool sign-in sheets
Printable childcare sign-in sheets typically follow one of two structures:
- Sign-in sheets by child: Each child has a dedicated check-in sheet that records their attendance throughout the week.
- Sign-in sheets by week: You note the attendance of all children in your program on a single sheet every week.
Both formats have benefits and drawbacks to consider before choosing the most suitable method for your program. Regardless of the format you choose, a compliant sign-in sheet generally requires the child's name, date, arrival time, departure time, and the signature of the authorized adult dropping off or picking up the child.
Daycare sign-in sheets by child
Pros:
This method stores all of a child's attendance information in one place. You avoid cross-referencing an entire class roster to calculate which days or how many sessions a child attended.
If you bill families based on how many days a child comes to your childcare program, or if you have a surcharge for certain activities, attendance sheets by child can make calculating invoices easy.
A child's sign-in sheet also gives families a concise overview of their attendance and drop-off times, and the information remains relatively confidential.
Cons:
Customized daycare sign in and out sheets can make drop-off and pick-up more hectic for families, who must find the right paper to sign. You will also have more sheets to track, store, and file.
This method also makes calculating total attendance more difficult, as you must consult each child's attendance record to reach a group total. In addition, this can make adding up business income and expenses more time-consuming.
Daycare sign-in sheets by week
Pros:
Having one sign-in sheet per week creates much less paper for staff and families to manage at drop-off. In addition, it can simplify your preschool or childcare program's morning procedures and reduce some of the sign-in chaos.
It is also easier on your bottom line to print one sign-in sheet per week rather than printing separate sheets for each child. Using one sheet per week will also take up much less storage space at your location.
Tracking children's attendance by week makes it easy to work with your weekly or monthly attendance numbers. You can also see who participated in which activities, which is convenient for calculating weekly or monthly costs and expenses.
Cons:
If you split attendance at your childcare program by days of the week, such as a Monday/Wednesday/Friday group and a Tuesday/Thursday group, you will need to print more than one attendance sheet every Monday morning. If you have a more flexible daily schedule, a weekly sheet may not accommodate this.
Additionally, identifying the attendance of one child at a glance is harder, and you will still need a separate sign-out sheet.
Paper sign-in sheets are not a one-size-fits-all solution. Your choice depends on how your childcare program runs, how many children you have, and your scheduling and billing practices.
Digital sign-in sheets: The best of both worlds
Using digital sign-in and sign-out sheets at your program offers many benefits to your staff and families. An efficient, digital drop-off means that families and teachers can improve the quality of their connections in the morning with a simple way to record attendance. A digital check-in system can also save you time on administrative tasks, giving you the ability to run reports quickly and integrate attendance data with billing.
Easy to use and access
Digital sign-in and sign-out solutions allow families to sign in quickly and securely. You and your staff can view sign-in information by child, classroom, or length of time. And the best news? Digital sign-in sheets are more manageable for families to use than paper forms.
With digital daycare sign in and out sheets, you avoid worrying about physical storage because the cloud stores all your check-in data. This provides easy access when you need it and saves you administrative costs on paper and ink.
Simplified process for staff and families
With a tool like brightwheel's attendance tracking feature, families can use an app to sign their children into child care. Every enrolled child will be in your digital system, and families can select their child's picture on your digital device. Then, they can digitally sign their name or use a unique four-digit passcode to securely mark their child as dropped off or picked up.
Families can also use their devices to scan a QR code at your program to quickly and securely sign their child in, add notes, and even sign in multiple children at once.
I would say that if you are a new program that you should definitely jump on brightwheel and just experience it. It’s tools that help make your life easier as the owner and director. There’s no reason not to, with the cost and the effectiveness, it’s 100% a yes for me.” Crystal D., Owner & Director at Lil’ Ranch Hands Family Childcare Home in Minco, OK
As I build my new program, the billing features are a game changer. I can easily invoice parents, and everything is automatically tracked—especially helpful come tax season.” Emily K., Owner of Emily Finzen Childcare in Lake Benton, MN
Experience Curriculum allows you to lean into creativity while following the curriculum. It’s all right there, it’s all prepared for you, and then you can lean into it.” Leinani G., Owner of Creative Minds Learning Academy in Bothell, WA
Brightwheel helps us in every way possible. From their onboarding and support team to the features that keep us organized, on track with planning, and communicating smoothly as a team to parents and each other. I couldn't imagine a better management system for our program." Harida H., Administrator at Play Pals Daycare in Maumee, OH
Accurate reporting
When you’re ready to look at your attendance data to calculate bills or check tardiness or late pick-ups, you can quickly run a check-in report that allows you to sort that data. In addition, the configuration options and automated reporting of electronic sign-in save you and your staff time both at check-in and when it comes time to look at your records for billing, enrollment, or preparing for a meeting with a child’s guardian.
Using digital sign-in and sign-out is just as secure as paper sign-in because each family has a unique code to verify their identity. Families can quickly get in and out during drop-off without waiting for staff to oversee the check-in process.
With brightwheel's childcare records, you can accurately track check-in and check-out records and easily delete or adjust the dates and times of an attendance action. This can save you time, eliminate paper files, and reduce errors as you pull attendance reports.
Integrated attendance data with billing
Integrating the monthly attendance sheet with your childcare billing system is one of the most convenient features of a digital sign-in and sign-out system. Rather than tallying the number of sessions a child attended or which days they attended manually, you can automatically generate an invoice based on what you logged in your digital sign-in system.
Childcare software that includes a billing system can also generate payment logs that record each family’s payments and gives you a centralized view of your finances.
Frequently asked questions about attendance sheets
Why are sign-in and sign-out sheets important for daycare?
Sign-in sheets are critical for verifying the physical presence of children in your care, which ensures safety during emergencies. They also serve as legal documentation for licensing compliance and provide the necessary data for accurate billing and invoicing.
What information must be on a childcare sign-in sheet?
While requirements vary by state, a standard sheet should include the date, the child's full name, the time of arrival, the time of departure, and the signature or initials of the authorized adult dropping off or picking up the child.
How long should I keep sign-in sheets?
Most state licensing agencies require childcare programs to retain attendance records for a specific period, often ranging from one to three years. You should check your local licensing regulations to ensure compliance.
Simplify your sign-in process
Digital sign-in sheets minimize your check-in efforts and maximize your control over your daily attendance data. They also simplify your administrative work regarding billing, maintaining attendance records, and calculating costs. Using a digital sign-in system at your childcare program can help you reduce friction during hectic times while maintaining a secure process to manage attendance daily.
