Check a child in or out

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.

Screenshot pendingKiosk check-in confirmation — Amanda Wilson authenticated, Nora + Leo listed with Check in buttons and a Check in all 2 CTA

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1. 1Center name — confirms the parent is at the right kiosk
2. 2Authenticated parent — the family member the code belongs to
3. 3Check in all — one-tap bulk action when every child is arriving together
4. 4Per-child row — child name + their home room. Parent taps Check in for each
5. 5Done — 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.

Screenshot pendingKiosk check-out confirmation — kids already checked in, Check out buttons in red

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1. 1Same authenticated-parent row — this time the kids are already in
2. 2Red Check out buttons — visual cue this is a departure, not an arrival
3. 3Done — 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.

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 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.