Message a teacher

The Messages tab is how you reach your child's teacher without texting their personal number. Messages route through the daycare so there's a record, the right staff see it, and nothing gets lost.

Start a new message

1. Open the app → Messages tab (paper-airplane icon in bottom nav).
2. Tap the compose button (top-right, looks like a square with a pencil).
3. Pick a recipient from the New Conversation list.

Screenshot pendingNew Conversation contact picker in the parent app

123

1. 1Search contacts — type a name
2. 2Support — reach NestliCare support (rare; for app issues, not daycare questions)
3. 3Staff — teachers and admins at your daycare. This is where most parent messages go. Scroll down for Parents: other parents on your child's family, for coordinating with a co-parent

4. Tap the person you want to message. A chat view opens.
5. Type in the Message... box at the bottom.
6. Tap the send button (teal circle, up-arrow).

Reply to a message you got

When a teacher messages you first, it lands in your Messages tab with an unread marker:

1. Tap the conversation.
2. Type your reply at the bottom.
3. Tap Send.

You can also attach a photo (tap 📎) — useful for showing medical info, a rash, or a signed form.

When to use messages vs a phone call

• Messages: non-urgent things, updates, "Sally forgot her water bottle", "can you put extra sunscreen?"
• Phone call: medical emergencies, custody changes, you'll be more than 30 minutes late, anything that needs same-minute attention

Teachers check messages throughout the day but aren't guaranteed to be in their phone every second. A phone call is the right tool when minutes matter.

Looping in your co-parent

The parent app doesn't have a "group chat" composer at the moment — conversations are started 1:1 with a staff member. If both parents need to be in the loop:

• Each parent messages the teacher separately, OR
• Ask the teacher to add you both to a Family conversation (teachers and admins can create those from the dashboard)

Read receipts

A checkmark next to your sent message means the teacher has read it. If there's no checkmark after a few hours, they probably haven't opened the app yet — non-emergency stuff can wait, call for urgent.

Troubleshooting

"No staff to message." Your child isn't assigned to a room yet, or the daycare hasn't added any teachers to that room. Contact the center directly by phone.

Message sent but teacher says they didn't get it. Their notifications might be off, or they're out sick. Check the checkmark — if it's there, they'll see it eventually. If not, call the center.

Can't find a past message. Scroll back in the conversation, or search. Messages are kept indefinitely.

Accidentally messaged the wrong teacher. No problem — just send a follow-up: "Whoops, meant to send that to [other teacher]. Can you pass it along?"

Can't attach a file type. We support photos, PDFs, and common document types. Other file types (zip, exe, etc.) are blocked for safety. Email them to the center instead.