Childminding paperwork software

[Donnadoobie]

Has anyone used any of the companies offering online paperwork etc? I am thinking of using it but would like to know if anyone has used them and what experiences they have had. I have downloaded 2 free trials from 2 companies. Can anyone suggest any?

[sarah707]

You might find this thread helpful -

http://www.childmindinghelp.co.uk/forum/learning-journals-scrapbooks-diaries/113543-online-observation-logbook-system.html

Also a number of our members have told us recently that Ofsted inspectors do not want to look online for information and expect everything printed out - so check printing / ink costs first.

Hth :D

[Rick]

I use Orbit and I find it a God send. I don't spend all night writing up obs, you take a photo which gets attached to your obs sheet. Drop down menus mean you don't have to flick through development matters. You add your own comment and next steps and it's done. All the obs are stored on the website in one PDf and you can print at your leisure. No scraps of paper and photos lying around. You can also connect to parents who can see your photos and obs as soon as you save each one.

Although it's an online system, I print out and stick in learning journals along with any other photos and artwork so parents have a complete record of their child's progress and also it is easy for Ofsted to check during inspections.

As for printing costs, I would have printed out the photos and obs sheets anyway, just the text on the obs sheets is extra!

HTH :D

[Beaka]

I use one and find it great, the inspector looked at it online, loved it and didn't expect anything to be printed off. She said that as the gov and ofsted are working towards being paperless they couldn't really be anything other than positive about it. I suppose it can depend on your inspector although it does seem unfair. Unfortunately there is no point telling you which one I use as it will be starred out on here but it is very good and my parents like it. It's definitely not orbit, although you may think that is the most popular because that is the one allowed to be mentioned on here, the others don't get a very fair hearing imo! xx

[phoenix2010]

I use Orbit , its great for learning journeys and evaluations , and the parents like the fact they can access their childrens pics as soon as I upload them

everything else I do on paper

[MrsP2C]

I use Orbit and I find it a God send. I don't spend all night writing up obs, you take a photo which gets attached to your obs sheet. Drop down menus mean you don't have to flick through development matters. You add your own comment and next steps and it's done. All the obs are stored on the website in one PDf and you can print at your leisure. No scraps of paper and photos lying around. You can also connect to parents who can see your photos and obs as soon as you save each one.

Although it's an online system, I print out and stick in learning journals along with any other photos and artwork so parents have a complete record of their child's progress and also it is easy for Ofsted to check during inspections.

As for printing costs, I would have printed out the photos and obs sheets anyway, just the text on the obs sheets is extra!

HTH :D

Pretty much this :)

[shortstuff]

i use the internet based one, not orbit. I had a grumpy Mrs O last week who didn't like it but I will still stand by my opinion of the system and say i love it. The part she didn't like was not being able to see policies and permissions signed as individual items, as they are signed as one. Her opinion was that in a medical emergency doctors would want to see a signed piece of paper from the parents. I have since read on here that the requirement for this was removed last September.

[Donnadoobie]

Thanks for your input everyone. I think i've made up my mind to go with one of them and mix and match. My policies are all printed and signed when they start and I would always want hard copies of any permissions and risk assessments but if it cuts down time spent with observations, assessments and next steps etc then I'll give it a go. Tried it out today and put a observation in the diary page and it automatically notes and dates it in a progress page and next steps work in the same way, no need to look things up, just pick the area of learning and it comes with a drop down menu to cover which aspect you need, seems easy. May work it in tandem with current diary system to start and see where I go

[ZoeM]

Hello everyone.
I am getting to the point where I am fed up with cutting out, gluing and sticking observations into learning journeys. I am from a teaching background so have used trackers at school.
I see that Orbit is used by a lot of people but I found it quite time consuming and main bug bare was when creating an observation I couldn't tick all the areas of learning it covered, I had to add each one individually.
I know that the childminding forum keeps blanking out the other names for the other online trackers, but I would love someone to let me know ones that are trusted. I have seen one called EYFS Pupil Tracker and another called Target Tracker , (if those names haven't come up or have been blocked they were: child tracker (change child for Pupil) and Larget Tracker (change the L for a T).

Before I go spending my hard earned money on some software I wanted to have your opinions. I have played with orbit and am not that keen, are the others more professional and informative?

Thank you everyone :)

[sarah707]

Hello everyone.
I am getting to the point where I am fed up with cutting out, gluing and sticking observations into learning journeys. I am from a teaching background so have used trackers at school.
I see that Orbit is used by a lot of people but I found it quite time consuming and main bug bare was when creating an observation I couldn't tick all the areas of learning it covered, I had to add each one individually.
I know that the childminding forum keeps blanking out the other names for the other online trackers, but I would love someone to let me know ones that are trusted. I have seen one called EYFS Pupil Tracker and another called Target Tracker , (if those names haven't come up or have been blocked they were: child tracker (change child for Pupil) and Larget Tracker (change the L for a T).

Before I go spending my hard earned money on some software I wanted to have your opinions. I have played with orbit and am not that keen, are the others more professional and informative?

Thank you everyone :)



Ofsted are not keen on trackers - they say they are too prescriptive and Development Matters is not meant to be used as a tick list.

However, if you find them helpful for noting how much progress a child is making and you use them appropriately as a guide rather than a child development checklist they can be helpful.

I think QED ones are quite popular with childminders :D

[Rubybubbles]

I use online now for my lj but none of the ones mentioned (or not haha) it's through another early years forum and used in lots of reception years at school.

I print them out in bulk, but easier as I can do the on on my phone and the closest system to how I was doing my hand written just saves so much time!

[vix84]

can everyone who uses a free online system pm me the name of it please, tried orbit last night but keen to try others too - agree about orbit and not being able to select several areas of learning at once

[Daisy1956]

Could you pm it to me as well.I want to look at a few and see which suits my needs best . Thanks

[jackie 7]

Please add me to the pm list. I think I will have to do it online and add the photos every day.

[Kirstylob]

Please add me to. I'd like to cut down on time without compromising on detail and would like to see what's on offer.
Thanks x

[cupcakencookie]

Please could you add me too! Have been thinking of going online for a while but they all seem so expensive:panic:

[shortstuff]

I pay for mine but personally think it is worth every penny. At only £11.99 a month i love the one which will be starred out so not worth typing. Its two words made into one. Including babys.

[nikkiv]

Well reading through this I've been thinking about going online for a while can people pm me with the ones that they use! I like most looked at Orbit and started to use it bug if there's others out there would like to see if there is one that suits me better :)

[leanne1983]

Hi I've just started back up and have downloaded Orbit but reading this it would seem this isn't a recommend route could you please pm me too ...I'm trying to find out the name of the software they use at my daughter's nursery xxx

[shortstuff]

Sorry leanne and nikki i have tried to message you but you are at your limit on pm's?

[shortstuff]

Uyou are mire than welcome to pm me and i will do my best to be quick with my replies x

[nikkiv]

Sorry leanne and nikki i have tried to message you but you are at your limit on pm's?

I will get on my laptop over the weekend and delete messages but there's only three in there :(