Once a child goes off to school, family routines change dramatically and will continue to change for years to come. The child is away from home for at least a few hours each day, and even at the end of their school day, school-related activities will follow them home.
Schooling becomes a significant part of a child’s life, and a huge chunk of the parents’ life as well. They want updates. They would also want to monitor the school performance and whereabouts of their kids. And the best, most efficient method to stay on top of it all is by using an online parents management platform.
What is an Online Parents Management Platform?
Online parent management platforms supply real-time information to parents. At their convenience, parents can log in through a portal and check their child’s classroom progress, homework status, school timetable, etc.
Parents and school administrators can engage in better, more timely communication. Instead of old-school practices, these portals act as an up-to-the-minute newsletter and bulletin board.
Benefits of Online Parents Management Platforms
Going online certainly has its perks, so let’s discover more about these perks and some additional advantages:
1. Improved Communication
The primary benefit of having an online management platform is improved communication between the school and the parents. Once there is an established relationship based on understanding and cooperation, everyone involved is better served.
The parents can readily understand the child’s workload and how they are progressing in class. And importantly, parents can act with immediacy to address their child’s current struggles and incorporate the teacher’s suggestions for improvement. With online access, parents won’t need to take time off from work to meet with the teacher and gather the same information. These important notices are now just a screen away.
2. Online Payments
Another perk of online management platforms is the ease and accessibility of making online payments. The option of going cashless has grown steadily in popularity in recent years. Online payments are convenient, and security countermeasures addressing online security breaches have become much more effective.
Management platforms present information on how to pay school dues online. Reminders and explanations of these fees are also available on the platform. Moreover, options for automatic deductions on specified due dates are also possible. The entire process has become streamlined and convenient for both parties.
3. Quick Access
Especially amid an ongoing global pandemic and the challenges inherent to newly launched distance learning programs, online platforms serve as quick access portals for timely fixes. Schools can quickly post announcements and changes in school requirements and activities. Scheduling for classes and breaks is also easier to track through this platform.
With everyone’s reliance on gadgets and the need for stable connections, a management platform can document and account for each transaction. Even with sudden power interruptions or dropped signals, parents will not need to worry about losing unsaved notes or changes made online.
Above all, online management platforms make data collection easier. Most processes are transitioning online, including admissions as the most notable. Tracking the progress of the enrollment status or any scholarship application is easier for both parents and students when using this platform.
4. Scheduled Consultations and Meetings
Ordinarily, teachers schedule conferences to meet with parents on either a monthly or quarterly basis. However, with so many meetings scheduled, teachers often end up hurrying through each conference, covering less material than intended. And setting meetings outside these timeframes can be difficult.
Online management platforms make flexibility in appointment setting possible. Through a management platform, teachers can schedule online appointments with parents. Pre-set starting and ending appointment times help teachers better manage their agenda for each meeting.
Besides online meetings, teachers can use the portal to leave real-time comments about the student’s performance. Simultaneously, notification of new comments goes out to the parents. And if the parents have any follow-up questions for the teacher, they can post the questions and get answers immediately.
One perk of an online platform is that scheduled, standard reports will upload in real-time, with instant notifications going out to the parents. Questions and inquiries regarding the current performance of their children are easier to address. Answers are readily available, and support information is accessible on the platform.
5. Location Tracking
Parents always want assurances that their children are safe. To provide these assurances, management platforms double as transport management systems that supply real-time location updates of their children.
This is especially helpful when the students are out on a field trip. Naturally, parents will want to know their itinerary for the day. Or parents can track the current route of the school bus on the way to school and on the way home. In the morning, parents will know just when the bus is due to arrive at their stop. And in the afternoon, they can track the progress of the bus and be in perfect time to greet their child.
It’s a nice hassle-free feature for those parents whose children often forget to keep them updated. Peace of mind is a precious thing for parents!
6. Better Scheduling
Similar to an adult’s need for work-life balance, students need to have a balance between play and academic responsibilities too. In a management platform, the parents have access to the general schedule of the school year. Ideally, the online calendar will have marks for the holidays and expected days off. Full-load days, such as exam days, are also on the timetable.
In this manner, parents know when to schedule days off for their children. Those who want to go all out can plan for vacations over slower periods. And conversely, parents will know when to give time and space for their kids during full-load days.
7. Notification of Disciplinary Action
Some kids find it hard to disclose certain types of information about themselves to their parents—especially when it concerns disciplinary action at school! They might want to keep it under wraps and hope that their parents never hear of it.
However, of course, parents will need to know of any disciplinary action involving their child. Their knowledge of the situation will support the efforts of the school to correct such violations. Fortunately, parents can have access to this type of information through the school’s online management platform.
Even without presenting the full details of the violation, it will serve as a head’s up to contact the school. A management platform will facilitate further communication and resolution between the school administration and the parents.
Key Takeaways
Online platforms have earned a reputation for being beneficial for both parents and faculty. Easier communication and accessibility are just a few of their general advantages. Parents benefit the most, as a school management platform enables them to track, and timely adjust, any factors affecting their child’s academic performance.
Parents want the best for their children. In using this online platform, they will have a more comprehensive understanding of their child’s educational experience. How satisfying for a parent to know how and when to offer support in times of struggle, or acknowledge their child’s achievements!