Teachers and small schools
A teacher or a small school shares lessons and keeps parents informed.
Childcare providers and after-school clubs
A shift that needs paediatric first aid goes only to someone who holds it. The day's checks, the fees and the parents' newsletter are in one place.
The setting's staff work in one Magpie team. Families use the forms, invoices and newsletter you send.
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This combination of six Magpie areas fits a childcare provider or an after-school club.
- Staff Scheduling
- Staff Scheduling plans the rota, and checks each shift's qualifications.
- Daily Operations
- Daily Operations gives the day its safety checks and fridge readings.
- Forms
- Forms registers each child, with their days, allergies and who collects them.
- Contacts
- Contacts keeps each family, with notes and follow-ups.
- Invoicing
- Invoicing bills each family's fees on the same day every month.
- Newsletter
- Newsletter keeps parents up to date.
A shift that needs a qualification goes only to someone who holds it.
Staff Scheduling plans the rota, with positions such as room lead and practitioner. A position can require a qualification, such as paediatric first aid.
A shift for someone without it, or whose certificate has expired, is blocked or flagged. Each person you invite sees their own shifts.
The day's safety checks are done on time, and a problem is followed up.
Daily Operations gives the setting its routines, such as an opening check and a garden check. A milk fridge reading outside its range opens an incident.
Notes for the next shift stay on the day's page, such as a child's new allergy. A broken gate latch is reported with what to do.
Families register each child on one form.
Forms builds a registration form with your questions, such as the days wanted and allergies. Every registration comes into one list.
You get an email for each one. A File question takes a document, such as a care plan, as a PDF or photo.
Each family's details and invoices are on one page.
Contacts keeps each family, with tags such as Waiting list, and notes. Each family's page lists their invoices.
A follow-up becomes a To-do, such as calling about a place in January.
Each family's fees are invoiced on the same day every month.
Invoicing bills each family's fees. A recurring invoice is issued and emailed with the same lines each month. Extras, such as a late pick-up, go on an invoice of their own.
Families pay by card from the email, into your Stripe account. Magpie adds no fee to invoice payments.
Parents hear what is coming up in one newsletter.
Newsletter keeps the parents' mailing list, with double opt-in on its sign-up page. A list can be brought in from a CSV file.
You write each issue, send yourself a test and schedule it. Each issue's page counts the copies delivered.
Six more areas cover closures, hiring, staff notices, email, the website and the books.
- Calendar
- Calendar holds closure days, trips and the parents' evening.
- Hiring
- Hiring gives each job its own page, with every applicant in one list.
- Message Boards
- Message Boards gives the staff a private board for notices.
- Mail gives the office a shared mailbox at your own domain.
- Websites
- Websites builds the setting's site, with your hours and how to register.
- Accounting
- Accounting keeps the books, with fee payments posted automatically.
A child's place goes from registration to the monthly invoice.
Registration
The family fills in the form, with allergies and the days wanted.
The place
A note and a follow-up go on the family's contact.
The rota
Each room's shifts go to staff with the right qualifications.
The day
The opening check, readings and closing are ticked off.
The fees
The month's invoice goes out on the same day.
Setting up takes four steps.
Add qualifications
You add paediatric first aid and the rest, and which positions need them. Help: Set up positions, locations and qualifications.
Set up Daily Operations
You keep the routines you want, and add your own. Help: Routines and checklists.
Build the registration form
You choose its questions. Help: Build, publish, and share a form.
Connect Stripe
Families can then pay by card. Help: Connect Stripe to receive money.
Plans
A setting fits the Team plan, with each member of staff who works shifts a member. Families are not added to it.
Magpie adds no fee to invoice payments. Stripe's processing fee is taken from each card payment. Prices are on the Pricing page.
Other people who look after and teach children have pages of their own.
Music, dance and art schools (several teachers)
A music or dance school runs classes, terms and recitals.
Small nonprofits and charities
A nonprofit takes monthly support and runs its programmes.
Questions childcare providers ask
Can the rota stop someone working a shift without first aid?
Yes. A position can require a qualification, such as paediatric first aid. A shift for someone without it can be blocked, or flagged as a warning.
Can I see when a certificate expires?
Yes. A qualification recorded on someone's profile can have an expiry date. A shift that ends after it is flagged.
Can parents register their child online?
Yes. A registration form asks your questions, such as the days wanted and allergies. You get an email for each registration.
Can I invoice families every month?
Yes. A recurring invoice is issued and emailed on the same day each month. Families pay by card from the email.
Can we record fridge temperatures?
Yes. Temperature checks can be turned on in Daily Operations. Each reading keeps who took it, and one out of range opens an incident.
Can staff leave notes for the next shift?
Yes. A note can stay until each person has read it, or stand as an instruction. Notes show on the day's page.
Can staff swap shifts?
Yes. Someone proposes a swap, and the colleague accepts or declines. You choose whether a swap also needs your approval.
Can we send a newsletter to parents?
Yes. Newsletter keeps the parents' list, with double opt-in. You write each issue, send yourself a test and schedule it.
Can I advertise a job?
Yes. Hiring gives each job its own page and application form. Every applicant comes into one list, with stages and scorecards.
Set up your setting in Magpie.
Create a Magpie account and make a team for the setting.