Add a Child or Family

• Create a Family
• Add a Child to a Family
• View and Add Information to a Child's Profile
• Add a New Child or Member/Guardian
• Add Banking or Payment Information
• Delete a Portal Member
• Admin Approval of Changes to a Family Member or Child

Add a Child or Family

This training guide will demonstrate how to add a child, or family member, to the ChildFriendly system. 

To begin, ensure you are in the Families module. 

NOTE: You can easily upload bulk Families as well, in the Setup module, under Import Data. The purpose of this module is to demonstrate how to individually add a family or child.

Create a Family

1. To start adding a new family to the system, click the plus icon in the top left.  The box expands in order to add more information. 
2. Enter the family details including Last Name and Email of the primary parent or caregiver. 

1. In the Members section, enter the first name and last name of the primary caregiver. 
2. Click the Relationship drop-down arrow and select the best option from here. 
3. Status is used to select if the caregiver is a legal guardian, a non-guardian emergency contact, or other. A parent will generally be the legal guardian. 
4. Under Pickup Authorization, select if the caregiver is allowed Full access, Limited, or None.  Limited is used for a caregiver who may only have access to the child on certain days, such as Fridays. None is used for any caregiver or guardian who has no drop-off or pick-up privileges. In this case, they will not be selectable on the drop-down list when signing children in or out. 
5. Add a Phone number.
6. At this point, you can either click the Create button to add the family member into the system, or you can continue by adding details of any children at the center. You may wish to create the family to simply add them to the system and then go back later to add child details. 

Add a Child to a Family

1. To begin adding a child to the family, click the New symbol beside Students. 
2. The screen expands for you to enter the child’s details. Enter all necessary details.
3. When you have finished entering all the required fields, click the Create button. 

*NOTE: If you have missed adding any necessary fields, you will be prompted to fill these out before the family and child can be added. 

View and Add Additional Information to a Child's Profile

Once a child has been created and saved to the system, you will then be able to access their profile and add or edit details. You will also be able to register the child.

1. Click the family name to view the family details or to add any more children. Click the child's name to open or edit their profile.
2. The Family tab is where you can view all children, parents or guardians.
3. To edit a child's information, click on the child and scroll down.

• The Health section contains multiple areas that parents can fill out in the parent portal.
• The Immunization area is where parents can upload immunization records. Any files added here by parents will displayed. 
• Medication is used to add any regular or emergency that medications the child requires. Parents can easily do this in the parent app. 
• Allergies & Medical Conditions will display anything that has been added by the parents, such as a food allergy or condition like asthma. 
• Special Needs is where parents can add any details related to a need their individual child has. 
• Meal Restrictions added by a parent or guardian will display in the next section. 

*NOTE: Remember to scroll back up and click the Save button any time changes are made on your end. To reverse any changes, click the Undo button.

Add a New Child or Member/Guardian

1. To add additional children, click the Student + (plus sign) at the top.  You can then follow the same steps to enter all necessary information. 
2. If there are any family members or caregivers who will be dropping off or picking up the child, they will need to be added to the family file. To add a new family member or caregiver: Click the Member + (plus sign) at the top.

1. Enter the family member or caregiver’s first name and last name. 
2. Select the Relationship drop-down menu. From here, you can select the relation between the caregiver and the child.
3. The Primary toggle is only used if this caregiver is the primary portal member. This means they have full access to the ChildFriendly app, and can both view and make changes to the child’s file. Only one guardian or caregiver can be the Primary, and this is typically a parent. 
4. The Portal Member toggle can be selected if you want the caregiver to have access to ChildFriendly. Once enabled, the selected member will only be able to view basic profile information for other members. They will not have access to any financial or payment details other than their own.  

To have portal access, an email address for the guardian or caregiver must be provided. 

5. The Authorized Sponsor toggle is to be enabled for any member who is responsible for paying all or part of the child's fees. The center can only accept payments from individuals who have been designated as authorized sponsors. If you are adding a parent or other member who will be paying for any of the child’s fees, this toggle must be on.
6. The Authorization section is an important section that confirms the caregiver’s pickup authorization. Select the Status drop-down menu. You have three options here: 1. Legal Guardian – this is used for parents or any other legal guardians that are a primary caregiver for the child; 2. Non-Guardian Emergency Contact – this is generally used for other family members such as grandparents, aunts or uncles, or anyone who is listed as an emergency contact on your child’s file; 3. Other – for anyone who does not fall into either of the above two categories. This may be a babysitter, for instance. 
7. Next, select the Pickup Access drop-down menu. This is where you can determine what access the guardian or portal member has. You have three options here: 1. Full – the person can pick up the child at any time; 2. Limited – the person has specific days they are allowed to pick up the child. An example is a parent who has limited access to the child, such as every Friday only; 3. None – this is when the member has no access to pick up the child. They may still be listed as a guardian but they are not allowed to sign the child out at any time.

1. The Flagged toggle is used in an instance when a parent has limited or no access to the child. Select this toggle if you need to flag the member. This means the member will then appear in red – as seen below – and staff will see this in the Attendance module as well if at any time the member arrives to sign the child out. 

1. Select the Authorized to Volunteer toggle only if you have parent volunteers and have confirmed the member has submitted all required documents such as a police check. Having volunteers is very center or organization-specific. 
2. Enter any Pickup Notes, if required.
3. Finally, enter the member’s personal address details.  A phone number and email address are required.  You can also add work details, if desired.  

This is also something the parent can go back in to add themself at a later date. 

4. Click the Create button to add the new member and to ensure all information is saved in the family file. If you need to edit a member’s information or access any time, you can do so here, or have the portal member change this from their end. 

Add Banking or Payment Information

The parent or portal member is responsible for adding payment information to their profile to set up pre-authorized debit or credit card. Ensure you have already connected PAD on your end.

1. To view payment information a member’s profile: Click their name. 
2. Click the Payment Info tab. The member will need to have been authorized as a Sponsor before they can add their payment information.
3. Enabling PAD allows the center to debit your account when an invoice is due, so you don't have to worry about late payments.  If the member prefers to pay by pre-authorized credit card, this can also be set up.  For PAD payments, the member will need the following: 

• Bank Name 
• Institution Number 
• Transit Number, and  
• Account number. 

Please refer to the parent guide or video for more details on adding payment information.

Delete a Portal Member

If you need to delete a member at any point: 

1. Click on their profile. 
2. Click the three dots in the top left. 
3. Select Delete. 

Admin Approval of Changes to a Family Member or Child

If a portal member makes any changes to their own profile or adds or edits any of their child’s information, these changes will first need to be “acknowledged” by an admin. These changes include items such as new medication added, an address or name change, or updating payment information. You can find any pending changes in the Dashboard module. 

1. In the Dashboard module, select the Info Changes tab. 
2. Member Info Changes includes items such as an address or new change. Member Payment Changes shows any changes a portal member has made to their payment method, such as adding or updating banking or credit card information. Student Info Changes shows any time a student’s profile has been updated with items such as name or address changes, when a new medication has been added, or any medical conditions.
3. Click the Acknowledge button to confirm any changes.

Updated on: 04/09/2025