Overview

This guide focuses on the Journals section of the Communicate module. The Communication Journals are used for a variety of purposes:

To document happenings throughout the child’s day
Share updates and activities
Report any incidents.
Keep track of medication forms and other important information

Digital journals help speed up the documentation process and eliminate paperwork. Room staff will regularly be using Journals. Additional journal types, such as Food, Potty, Healthy & Incident, and Medication journals, will be covered in separate guides.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Open the Child’s Profile
Create a Learning Journal
Activity, Achievement and Observation Journals

Open the Child’s Profile

Click the Communicate icon on the left hand side to access this module.



Select the Journal tab.



Find the child you would like to add the journal to in the list on the left-hand side. You can also search by entering the child’s name in the Search field.


Select the child’s name and click the plus ( +) symbol to the right, beside the date. The plus sign appears once a child’s name has been selected.

NOTE: You can also create a journal for multiple children at once. Find detailed information for adding multiple children in the guide Communicate - Filter and Multiple Children.


There are various types of journals that can now be created from the New Journal dialog box. Click on the Type drop down arrow to view the journal options.

Create a Learning Journal

Learning is the first journal option. This relates to any type of learning activity the child is doing, such as a preschool activity.

To continue adding the journal, select Learning as the Type.

Click the Upload Photos button to add any accompanying images. Try to limit photos to three per journal to
avoiding slowing down the system.


Ensure that neither the Staff/Admin View Only or Admin View Only boxes are selected, as this means that only staff/administrators or management can see this journal. Since a Learning journal is one we’d want the parents to see, leave these both unchecked.


In the Description box, add any information for the parents or caregivers to see. For instance, if the children are working on learning about colours, write a brief description.

Click the Submit button once you are finished adding your description and photos. The journal will appear instantly in the parent portal app once it is submitted. It will also appear on the main screen for the child.

Activity, Achievement and Observation Journals

The next journal option is Activity. This journal type is similar to Learning but relates more to an activity, such as a game in the gym, or an art activity.
The Achievement journal is something the child has accomplished, such as using the toilet or zipping up their coat for the first time all by themself.
The Observations journal replaces any notes generally written in a binder, between staff and admin. This journal can also be used by Admin to add notes from a meeting they had with the parents.

IMPORTANT: Remember to select either Staff/Admin View Only or Admin View Only when creating Observations journals. However, you should also ensure that you are writing the observation in such a way that if the parents or caregivers were to see the note, it would still be appropriate.

Updated on: 20/05/2025