Go digital, stay safe!

The benefits of using paperless systems, like Kinderly Together, during the Coronavirus pandemic and beyond

Over the past few months, we have all had to adapt and adjust to new ways of doing things.

The childcare sector has embraced virtual methods of communicating wholeheartedly when faced with the barriers and challenges presented by Covid-19. For those less technologically skilled this has been a massive learning curve, and even those who are proficient in the digital world have found it challenging at times.

Although many settings are now open and schools are expected to fully open from the beginning of the new term in September, there are still restrictions in place:

• Parents are not permitted to enter childcare premises except in exceptional circumstances.
• Parents are expected to social distance from staff at drop off and collection times, with staggered arrival and departure times.
• Practitioners are expected to minimise the transfer of items between home and setting, including paperwork, such as contracts, policies, diaries and accident forms, to reduce the potential for cross contamination.

Such restrictions are hardly conducive to effective communication between parents and a child’s key person and it is hardly surprising that digital systems like Kinderly Together are coming into their own right now.

Going digital affords many benefits, not least the fact that digital methods are Covid-secure as they reduce the need for prolonged, close contact with parents. The other key benefit is that recording things digitally is generally quicker than paper methods, enabling practitioners to reduce time spent on administration tasks and have more time to spend directly interacting with the children in their care. This is incredibly important as we know from studies like the EPPE project that children’s outcomes, particularly intellectual and social development, are improved when they spend time engaging in high quality interactions with adults.

Covid-specific benefits of using Kinderly Together:

Ofsted want less paperwork too!

Ofsted have stated their intention to resume inspections from January 2021. With the implementation of the Education Inspection Framework earlier this year they made it clear that when inspecting they will not want to look at reams of paperwork, only that which is statutory. What they will expect however is that settings are observing children, know them well, know what progress they are making, and how settings are using what they know to plan experiences for each individual child to support their development. Kinderly Together is designed to help with such expectations.

Go digital, #gokinderly!

The restrictions imposed as a result of Coronavirus are likely to be a feature of our lives for some time and will have a continuing impact on childcare settings, so we need to focus on finding positive ways to move forward.

We already know that using a digital system has many benefits, but these have increased and become even more important in this new digital ‘Covid-era’. Change is never easy, but we can embrace it and make it work for us, rather than fight it. Let’s go digital, let’s #GoKinderly!