Check-In / Check-Out

Check-in and check-out is the daily process of documenting each child's arrival and departure times at a childcare facility. This process serves multiple purposes: it creates an accurate attendance record for licensing, provides real-time headcounts for ratio compliance, supports billing calculations based on hours attended, and ensures child safety by verifying who drops off and picks up each child.

Traditional check-in methods include paper sign-in sheets where parents write their name, child's name, and time. Modern childcare software replaces this with digital solutions such as QR code scanning, PIN entry on a tablet kiosk, or parent app check-in. Digital check-in automatically timestamps arrivals and departures, verifies the identity of the person picking up, and alerts staff to any unauthorized pickup attempts.

For programs participating in CACFP, check-in/check-out records must align with meal claims, as children can only be claimed for meals served during the time they were present. Accurate digital records simplify audit preparation and reduce the risk of disallowed claims. Many programs also use check-in data to track late pickups and automatically apply late fees.