16 Sandbox Tips From a Preschool Director

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What I love most about Sandbox Software is that it is so easy to use. I always tell customers and friends that if you can use Facebook, you can use Sandbox, and yes it’s true! What customers don’t always do, however, is spend the time to learn all of the small details included in the software. The basics are very easy, I don’t even know if you really need to be trained to use them, but there are areas that can be easily missed if proper attention isn’t given.

Today, I am going to share with you all of my tips about using Sandbox Software. All of these tips are ones that I have used at the center I led using Sandbox. You may be aware of some of these items, and others might be new to you. Keep in mind that every center will use Sandbox differently. It is my desire to teach you new ways to use the software so that you can choose what way works best for you! Take a look below and see what you can learn today.

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Enrollment

1. If your center runs on a school year program, when adding in an enrollment ALWAYS add end date. In this case, the end date will be the last day of the school year, or the last day of the month, depending on your billing cycle. This will save your administration team so much work in the end.

2. Always double check the calendar section. After adding in an enrollment, I usually go to the top of the profile, to the calendar on the top right corner, and check the scheduled days. I usually catch a mistake. The calendar can show you mistakes you may have made in the enrollment section or in your class set up in Settings. It is best practice to always double check.

3. Don’t always trust the enrollment number on the home screen. I am not saying this number is wrong, what I am saying is that it may not count exactly what you are looking to count. If you need to check enrollment numbers go to the families tab and filter your list. This is a great way to check pending and active enrollments.

4. If there is any child information you would like to show up in the child profiles, add them as Child Requirements. This gives parents access to enter the information during the Online Registration process and/or the Parent Portal. Once it is entered in, you will have access to the information on the child profiles.

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Timeclock

5. Timeclock notes will save you time and energy. If you ever need to remind your parents or staff about an event coming up, policy change or administrative items then post a note on the timeclock. This is such a great function for communication.

6. Open/Print the Staff Hours Report or the Staff Timesheet before payroll and have your team review their hours. This is a great way to prevent any mistakes or missed days.

7. Save the Timeclock link to the homepage of your computer or the device you are using for check in and check outs. This will not save any private information, just the Timeclock link and it will be easy for your team to access each day.

8. When a staff member takes a PAID DAY off, make sure to mark the hours they are getting paid for, so that it will show up in the payroll report.

9. Use the Timeclock Notes for staff and child birthday announcements. Never miss a birthday again! This is a great way to post a birthday announcement and you can set it up in advance so that you won’t forget.

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Management/Staffing

10. Use the Staff Requirements to track all of your staff trainings and certifications. First you add the items you want to track and then you add in the completion and due dates. This section is way too easy not to use and it is a huge time saver.

11. A great way to check, at broad view on your billing team, is to keep an eye on the number in the Billing section on the Home Screen. If you know each month what these numbers should look like, you will be able to tell your team they are off and have them do a quick billing audit to make sure no payments have been missed.

12. I often get questions about how to make sure staff don’t go over their hours. Here is my advice, tell them it is their job to track their own hours! A staff member can do this by finding someone on the team who has access to the Staffing section in Sandbox. Have them pull up their hours for the upcoming pay period. If they are going to go over their allocated hours for the week they will still have time to cut back.

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Other

13. Daily logs are a great tool to use for activity logging, incident or injury reports. If you aren’t using daily logs for your center, don’t let this option go to waste. Begin to use them for reporting because once you create the form you have access to using it when you need it.

14. If you require immunization forms filled out by the doctor, have your families upload their child’s immunization form through the Parent Portal. This is a great way to keep it on file and you will have easy access to printing it off for your child record as well.

15. Anytime you want to send an email or make an action to your whole group from the Families tab, make sure to select SHOW ALL. This will update your list so that all of your families are listed on one page and you will have access to select all families at once by clicking the circle on the blue bar.

16. Google Chrome works best. If Sandbox ever looks funny or you think something is off, check your web browser. Sandbox works best when accessed in Google Chrome.

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