When creating forms in brightwheel, you have powerful tools to gather information efficiently. You can use pre-made questions that automatically update student profiles and add contacts, or create your own custom questions for specific needs.
This guide will show you all your options for building forms that work best for you.
Types of questions
When you create a form, you have two options for questions:
Preset questions (linked to profiles) | Questions already set up in your account linked to existing profile fields, such as Name, Contacts, Allergies or any custom profile fields you created. Answers automatically update the student's profile and custom profile fields when you approve the form. |
Custom questions (not linked to profiles) | These are standalone questions you can create that do not link to or update student profiles. Responses remain accessible through the form submission. |
Determine how families respond in a field
For each question or field added, you can choose how families will answer. Here are the different ways they can respond:
Text: For short written answers
Yes/No
Number: For numerical responses
Date: Select a specific date
Paragraph: For longer written answers
Single or Multi-select Dropdown: Choose one or multiple options from a list
Checkboxes: (Only for Fillable Documents) Select multiple items from a list
Signature: Sign with a drawn or typed signature
State & Country: Choose a location from a pre-defined list
Fields linked to student profiles
Certain preset fields on a form are designed to update student profiles directly. When you approve and sync a submitted form, you can choose which preset fields will automatically update the child's profile.
Child information | Name, birthday, allergies, doctor's name & phone, gender, ethnicity, medications, notes, |
Custom student profile fields | Link to any Custom fields on student profiles on a form to collect information for that field from families. |
Parent/Guardian information | Name, relationship to child, email, phone number
💡When a "Guardian Information" section is added there is no need to create multiple sections for each guardian as the Parents will be able to add more guardians by selecting the + Add parent/guardian button that is only visible to the person filling out the form. |
Emergency contact information | Name, relationship to child, phone number |
Enrollment information | Desired start date, ask if a sibling is attending & sibling name |
Family mailing address |
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Add linked profile fields in a form
To add sections and fields that link to student profiles, click + Add section on a form to choose the field(s).
To include questions that link to any Custom fields on student profiles you created, you must first add the Child information preset section to the form.
Then click Add field to select from custom fields on student profiles. When the form is approved, the information in these fields added will update the preset or custom fields on student profiles.
Note: To connect any custom student profile fields you created, you'll need to create the field on student profiles first.
FAQs
Can I link form fields to custom student profile fields I created?
Can I link form fields to custom student profile fields I created?
Yes. After creating custom profile fields on student profiles, you can add them to a form as a preset field. This links the form field directly to a student's profile.
However, if you create a custom question on the form, it will not link to a student's profile. The responses will only be accessible through the form submission.
How do I list the same field multiple times?
How do I list the same field multiple times?
Each field must have a unique name. If you need multiple fields for the same type of information, such as parent names, use distinct labels like 'Parent Name 1' and 'Parent Name 2' to prevent duplicates.
How can I tell which fields are linked to a student's profile?
How can I tell which fields are linked to a student's profile?
Fields that update a student's profile are clearly labeled Linked to profile on the form, so you can easily tell which information will populate directly onto the child's profile.
How do I request a drawn signature from families?
How do I request a drawn signature from families?
If you need signatures on a form, you can require guardians include a typed signature (text or cursive) and/or draw their signature.
To require a drawn signature, click the pencil icon next to the signature field, then select the Drawn signature field type.
