How to Securely Share Photos with Parents at Your Child Care Center

Whether you are part of a corporate child care company or running an in-home service, parents want photo updates of their kiddos.

That said, each parent has a different opinion when it comes to how they would like to share and receive their children’s photos. We all know the parent who is constantly posting about their child on social media and also the ones that do not want their children in group photos at all. Things can definitely get complicated to keep track of.

Internet security is a topic of debate for many of us living in this digital age. As millennials approach parenthood, the use of technology in the preschool classroom will only increase, so why not get educated?

To ensure that everyone’s privacy is respected, understanding their security preferences is key. Let’s get into the different ways to share photos with parents.

Different Photo Sharing Platforms

Social Media

Security Level: Low

Social media is a popular platform for sharing photos because it’s so easy.  Nowadays, most centers have a Facebook or Instagram profile. However, the ease of posting comes at the cost of personal privacy. Everything that is set to “Public” on social media is available for anyone to download onto their devices.

Due to this, social media might not be the most appropriate platform for sharing personalized updates for parents. This is not to say that social media is bad. A lot of photos get shared publicly every day and it is an amazing tool for marketing.

Being mindful of this and sharing appropriately is key in this case.

Direct Messaging

Security Level: Moderate

An alternative to social media that is more secure is using text, email, newsletters, or private messaging groups to connect with parents. While this has better security than social media, it can get tedious to manually send pictures to every single parent in your program.

This might be fine if you have a handful of kiddos. However, if you have multiple classes and locations, organizing things can get challenging.  

One thing that direct messaging doesn’t account for is custom privacy requirements from parents. This is problematic for th occasional parent that does not want their child in group photos. When things get busy in the classroom, this might cause an awkward situation if a child is accidentally included in a photo that they aren’t supposed to be in.

Child Care Apps

Security level: High

Child care apps like HiMama are designed with licensing and parent requirements in mind. Due to this, privacy is accounted for when using an app to send information to parents.   

With regards to photos, apps are built with specific features like integrating the photos with daily reports and aligning them with activities. Each child has their own unique profile and parents are guaranteed to receive personalized information.

Instead of making sure to text or email the right people for each child, there are settings that make communication and sending photos as simple as clicking a button. Not only is security guaranteed,  but educators can now focus on tasks that are more meaningful in their daily routine.

How to Share Photos Securely Using a Child Care App

It’s clear that child care apps are built with internet security in mind. Now, let’s walk you through the different ways to share photos and how it complements the work that you do on the floor.

Photos and Documentation

Photos are very helpful to show parents the learning that’s happening every day. Parents also love getting pictures of their children as it makes them feel more connected with what’s going on at the center.  

HiMama helps you group photos into different categories. The camera symbol indicates that a photo can be attached to the entry: Activities, Food, Mood, Notes.

HiMama also allows teachers to plan lessons ahead of time. Teachers can attach a photo to the activity for the day. This makes it easier for parents to have context when looking at the photos. Parents can also better communicate with their children by using the photos as reference for activities at home!

The app gives teachers the flexibility to either include one photo with the activity or present up to four photos as a collage. Sending home a collage comes in handy to show the step-by-step progression within an activity.

To do this, simply tap the “Activity” icon, select “Collage” and pick the photos that you want to be included from your device’s Photo Library.

Then, it’s a matter of creating the entry and now you have photos to support the learnings, complete with your notes and the developmental domains! How easy is that?

Custom Photo Permissions for Parents

We all know that parents love sharing photos of their kiddos with friends and family. HiMama allows parents to do just that through the Crew feature. This way, grandparents, aunts, uncles, godparents and family friends can all be on the same page.

HiMama even accounts for parents who prefer that their children be excluded from group photos. When setting up the child’s profile, administrators can check off a box to indicate whether a child is allowed to be in group photos. This is a great way to prevent human error in a busy classroom!

Engaging Parents

HiMama is built for teachers and parents. Each photo is funneled into a beautiful, chronological portfolio that parents can securely access on their devices.

Think of the old school binders that teachers make for each child to showcase their work. HiMama reinvents that binder into a digital timeline

Now, parents can scroll through all the work that their kiddo has done in the classroom, complete with your notes. No more tracking pieces of paper, or scrolling through email threads. Everything is organized and accessible as it should be!  

Conclusion

Photo sharing is a huge part of communicating with parents. It is a great tool for keeping track of progress. More importantly, the memories and moments captured in photos are also priceless for family and friends.

As our society becomes more digital, considering internet security is a key best practice to have at a child care center.

Fill out the form below to learn more about how HiMama can help you share your photos!