---
title: "Check a child in or out"
description: "How the iOS kiosk flow works — what parents see at the tablet, what teachers see from the Dashboard, and when to check a child in manually."
type: guide
updated: 2026-09-15
canonical_url: https://help.nestlicare.com/teachers/attendance/check-a-child-in
roles: ["teacher"]
platforms: [ios, android]
---
Most check-ins flow through **kiosk mode** — a parent walks up to a tablet running the staff app, enters their 4-digit code or scans the QR, and taps **Check in** on each of their kids. Teachers step in only when something needs a manual override.

## The normal path — kiosk-driven

Once a tablet is in kiosk mode (an admin enables it from **Organization → Kiosk Mode** on the web dashboard), parents arrive and:

1. Type their 4-digit code on the numpad, or scan the QR using their phone.
2. The kiosk shows **their family's row** with every enrolled child for check-in.

<ScreenshotWithPointers
  src="/screenshots/teachers/kiosk/kiosk-checkin-confirm.png"
  alt="Kiosk check-in confirmation — Amanda Wilson authenticated, Nora + Leo listed with Check in buttons and a Check in all 2 CTA"
  pointers={[
    { x: 1, y: 8, caption: "Center name — confirms the parent is at the right kiosk" },
    { x: 34.3, y: 33.9, caption: "Authenticated parent — the family member the code belongs to" },
    { x: 1, y: 38.8, caption: "Check in all — one-tap bulk action when every child is arriving together" },
    { x: 1, y: 45.9, caption: "Per-child row — child name + their home room. Parent taps Check in for each" },
    { x: 1, y: 66, caption: "Done — dismiss the kiosk back to the code prompt for the next family" },
  ]}
/>

3. They tap **Check in** next to each child (or **Check in all 2** if the whole family is arriving).
4. The kiosk confirms. They tap **Done** to go back to the code prompt for the next family. If they walk off without tapping it, the kiosk resets on its own after 30 seconds with no taps.

Check-out is the same flow in reverse — same screen, but the per-child buttons read **Check out** in red.

<ScreenshotWithPointers
  src="/screenshots/teachers/kiosk/kiosk-checkout-confirm.png"
  alt="Kiosk check-out confirmation — kids already checked in, Check out buttons in red"
  pointers={[
    { x: 34.3, y: 33.9, caption: "Same authenticated-parent row — this time the kids are already in" },
    { x: 62.9, y: 41.1, caption: "Red Check out buttons — visual cue this is a departure, not an arrival" },
    { x: 1, y: 59.8, caption: "Done — returns to the code prompt" },
  ]}
/>

## When to check a child in from your own Dashboard

If a parent drops off without using the kiosk (running late, tablet is rebooting, walking with a sleeping child in arms), you can check the child in directly from your **Dashboard**:

1. **Dashboard** tab → scroll to the **Children** section.
2. Each child enrolled today shows their check-in status. Un-checked-in children have a **Check In** button on the right.
3. Tap **Check In** → the child is marked checked in at the current time, logged under your name.

<Callout kind="info" title="Prefer the kiosk when the parent is present">
A teacher-initiated check-in is great for exceptions, but the kiosk is the system of record — it captures which parent showed up, not just that a child arrived. When the parent is there, have them use the kiosk.
</Callout>

## Fix a mistake

Checked a child in by accident, or checked them out too early?

1. Tap the child's card on your **Dashboard**.
2. Scroll to **Today's timeline**.
3. Tap the check-in or check-out event → **Edit** or **Undo**.
4. Confirm.

Every edit is logged with your name and a reason. Admins can see the audit trail.

## If someone unknown shows up to pick up

The kiosk only accepts codes belonging to the child's family members — someone who was never added has no code, so the UI never advances to the confirmation step.

If a full-access family member says someone new is coming who isn't in the system yet, they add them as a **family member** in their app. The person gets their own pickup code, and it works at the kiosk right away — your admins are notified whenever a family adds someone.

Don't override by checking out from your own Dashboard unless you've spoken with a full-access family member first, and always follow your center's pickup policy: the child's approved contacts list in their enrollment paperwork still governs who may take them, code or no code.

## Troubleshooting

**"Code not recognized" at the kiosk.** Pickup codes stay the same until reset, so a mistype is the usual cause — have them try again. If it still fails, the code may have been reset since they learned it: have a full-access family member check the current code in their app, or reveal it from the family card on the web dashboard.

**Kiosk is on the wrong center.** An admin needs to exit and re-provision: tap the small **Staff** button in the top corner of the code prompt and sign in with an admin email and password. See the owner-facing [Set up kiosk mode](/owners/centers/set-up-kiosk-mode) article.

**A parent tapped Staff and got an admin sign-in.** That button is for staff leaving kiosk mode. Tap **Cancel** and the code prompt is back. It never shows while a family is mid-check-in, only on the code prompt.

**Teacher-side Check In button is missing on the Dashboard.** The child isn't enrolled today (maybe they're on the withdrawn list or today is marked absent). Check with your admin.

**App is stuck on the check-in screen.** Pull down to refresh. If that fails, sign out and back in — your check-ins are saved locally and will sync when you reconnect.