Brightwheel's Messaging features lets Admins, Managers, and Staff send messages and attachments via the mobile app or web. You can use different message types to highlight urgency or key reminders when communicating with parents—individually, by room, or program-wide.
Message
By default, you will be able to send general messages to parents, similar to text messaging or any other instant messaging platform.
It’s the go-to for quick communication between parents, teachers, and admins.
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Reminder
Reminders let staff add a bolded date and time to messages for emphasis, such as for upcoming deadlines, events, etc. These messages will show with a bell icon.
Note: Reminders will be sent immediately and can’t be scheduled for a later date and time. |  |
Alert
Message alerts let staff send a SMS text message in addition to an in-app message, for urgent updates. These messages will display a megaphone icon in brightwheel.
Please note, SMS texts are sent only if the parent has a authenticated mobile number (U.S. & Canada only) and are limited to 300 characters.
Admin Point of View | Parent Point of View |
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Announcement
Announcements allow administrators and managers to message entire room(s) at once. This feature is not available to Lead Staff or Staff. The message types will be the same as the ones listed above but with a greater reach. This feature is located in the messaging platform on the web or by choosing Message Rooms on the mobile app within the Administrator Dashboard.
Newsletters
Newsletters are a great way to engage and communicate with parents in a long-form manner with text and pictures. They can be created by any teacher or administrator on the web.
Parent Messages
Parent contacts are able to view, respond to, share attachments (media/files), and initiate messages to staff or admins/managers directly. Parents messaging staff assigned to their child's room(s) will have the option to choose from various message types, such as General, late drop off, Late pick up, Early pick up, and Absent to streamline communication. Choosing any option other than General will bold the subject line to indicate the type of message being received.
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Learn more about parent messaging in our Messaging the Childcare Provider resource.