For a parent, the daily report is the product. They can't see your circle time — the report is their window into half their child's waking hours. Centres with great reports keep families longer and get more referrals. Here's the formula.
The non-negotiables
- Meals — what was served and roughly how much was eaten ("ate most of lunch, skipped the peas").
- Sleep — nap start/end. Parents plan their whole evening around this.
- Toileting/diapers — for the under-3s, it matters medically and practically.
- One specific moment — the difference between "had a great day!" and "spent 20 minutes building a zoo and named every animal." Specificity is everything; it proves you see their child.
- Needs — diapers running low, extra clothes, sunscreen.
Timing: log as you go
The 4pm batch-write produces generic reports and eats your educators' best hour. Tap-as-it-happens logging (right after lunch, as kids settle for nap) takes seconds per entry and produces accurate, specific reports — this alone justifies going digital.
Paper vs digital
| Paper sheets | Digital reports | |
|---|---|---|
| Educator time | 20–40 min/day batch writing | Seconds per entry, as it happens |
| Photos | None | Attached to the moment |
| Parent experience | Crumpled sheet at pickup | Live feed during the day |
| Records for licensing | Boxes of paper | Searchable history |
And if writing the note is the bottleneck: Mitten's educators tap an activity and AI drafts the warm parent-ready sentence for them — included free. Parents even get an AI "day in a glance" recap. That's the report writing itself.
Run your daycare on Mitten — free to start
Mitten does everything in this guide — daily reports, photos, messaging, billing, even payroll prep — free for your first 5 children, then just $20/mo + $2 per child.
Start free — no card needed → See the live demoFrequently asked questions
- What should a daycare daily report include?
- Meals (what and how much), nap times, diapering/toileting where relevant, the day’s activities with a specific moment about the child, any incidents, and supply requests — plus a photo when you can.
- How long should daily reports take?
- With a digital tool, 2–4 minutes per child spread through the day (tap-as-you-go). Batch-writing paper sheets at 4pm is where reports go to die.