Preparing for family-teacher conferences can be time-consuming and challenging, requiring detailed child development narratives and supporting evidence. Brightwheel's student Portfolios streamline this process, allowing easy creation of visually appealing summaries on student progress using Photos, Videos, Observations, and Notes.
ℹ️ ALL staff roles (Admins, Managers, Lead, and Staff) can view and create portfolios and templates.
Digitally access and include evidence of children's growth with ease in the Portfolio builder
Create different sections and add images, videos, observations and notes to those sections to really make the student story shine
Create portfolio templates to save time and to make it even easier to keep all the portfolios consistent across the center
Share portfolios with parents so they can view their child’s developmental story anytime from within Brightwheel
Learn more below!
Create a Portfolio Template
Creating templates can help speed up the process of building portfolios and ensure consistency across your program. All staff can easily access and use the templates created when starting a new portfolio.
Log in on the web
Click to open the Learning page on the purple sidebar menu
Jump to the Portfolios tab
Click the Create new drop-down and select Template
Input a Template name
Add a date range, if applicable
Click + Add section to create new sections and input a section Title for each
When finished, click Save
For ideas on how to best set up your template(s), check out the Portfolio Template Suggestions at the bottom of this article.
Create a New Portfolio
💡 Portfolios auto-save as a draft so you won’t lose progress if you close out the page!
Log in on the web
Click to open the Learning page on the purple sidebar menu
Jump to the Portfolios tab
Click the Create new drop-down and select Portfolio
Select Start from scratch
Click Next
Use the Student, Status, and Room filters to narrow down the student list
Once the student is located, click Create on their row
Use the Portfolio builder to add in all applicable details:
Click Add a date range if desired
Click + Add Section to add as many sections as needed and add a Title and optional Description in each
Add Photos, Videos, Observations, and Notes previously logged for the student from the right side-bar
Hover over any logged activities to select the section they're added to and click Add
Click Preview to see the guardian view and Return to builder when finished
When ready, click Publish and then Yes, Publish
Create a Portfolio from a Template
💡 Portfolios auto-save as a draft so you won’t lose progress if you close out the page!
Log in on the web
Click to open the Learning page on the purple sidebar menu
Jump to the Portfolios tab
Click the Create new drop-down and select Portfolio
Select Start from a template
Use the drop-down menu to Choose a template
Click Next
Use the Student, Status, and Room filters to narrow down the student list
Once the student is located, click Create on their row
Fill out the optional Description and add Photos, Videos, Observations, and Notes previously logged for the student from the right side-bar
Hover over any logged activities to select the section they're added to and click Add
Click Preview to see the guardian view and Return to builder when finished
When ready, click Publish and then Yes, Publish
Preview a Published Portfolio
All staff can easily view a preview of a published portfolio to see what the guardian sees.
Log in on the web
Click to open the Learning page on the purple sidebar menu
Jump to the Portfolios tab
Use the available filters & Order by drop-down to locate the portfolio needed (Student, Room, Date range)
Click the Actions drop-down on the appropriate portfolio's row and select Preview
Publish a Drafted Portfolio
If a portfolio has been saved as a draft, you can publish it at anytime.
Log in on the web
Click to open the Learning page on the purple sidebar menu
Jump to the Portfolios tab
On the applicable portfolio's row, click the Actions drop-down
Select Edit
In the upper right corner, click Publish
Manage a Draft Portfolio
ℹ️ Once a portfolio is published, it cannot be edited or deleted. The only option will be to preview the shared copy.
Log in on the web
Click to open the Learning page on the purple sidebar menu
Jump to the Portfolios tab
Use the Student, Room, and Date range filters to locate the applicable portfolio
On the applicable portfolio's row, click the Actions drop-down
Select Preview, Edit, or Delete
Print a Portfolio
All staff have the option to print a student's portfolio in case they want to have a physical copy for their records or during a parent-teacher conference.
Log into brightwheel on the web
Go to the Learning tab from the purple left sidebar
Toggle at the top of the page to Portfolios
Use the Student, Room, and Date range filters to locate the applicable portfolio
On the applicable portfolio's row, click the Actions drop-down
Select Print
ℹ️ Staff can also print the portfolio from the Preview page by clicking Print in the upper right corner.
Parent Access to Portfolios
Once a portfolio has been published, Parent contacts will receive an email advising this has been shared and can be viewed within their brightwheel account on the web or the app. Family contacts can view Portfolios as well, but will not receive an email.
Guardians can check out our View Student Portfolios resource to learn more!
Portfolio Template Suggestions
Portfolio Template Suggestions
Below we’ve included template section suggestions as a springboard to ignite your creativity. You have the freedom to mix and match these ideas or infuse your own, making each portfolio a personalized testament to the growth journey of your students.
Suggestion #1:
✨ Glows
🪴Grows
Keep it simple - highlight the positives and areas of growth
Suggestion #2:
✅ Daily Routines Checklist
🪴 Areas to work on
Share how the student does with their daily routine at the program (academics, behavior, naps, etc.) and areas of growth
Suggestion #3:
✨ Strengths
🪴 We will work on
🏡 Encourage your child to
Share the student's strengths, areas you will be working on in the classroom with them, and suggestions for the parent to work on at home
Suggestion #4:
⭐️ I am great at...
🪴 I need some help with...
🏡 Things to practice at home
Share what the student is excelling at, what they need help with in the classroom, and suggestions for the parents on things to practice at home