Based on feedback the Department of Children, Youth, and Families receives from providers, there are changes that will improve how the state electronic attendance system works and how it is used.
Providers and families may notice some differences with each update. DCYF will keep a summary and history of all the state system updates on this page.
March 2022 Update
The updates below are coming to the state's electronic attendance system on March 16, 2022.
What’s New for Providers in KinderConnect?
Maintenance:
- Reporting a Professional Day closure after entering attendance will no longer remove all unsaved attendance records. Instead, the Professional Day will work only if there is no current attendance record entered for that day.
- Improved Spanish language translation on the User Registration and Sponsor Detail pages.
- KinderConnect will now display and retain more than two attendance records on a single day if the “Notes” function on the Attendance Detail screen is used.
- Corrected calculation of attendance days for overnight care in the Detailed Daily Attendance Report.
Enhancement:
- Providers who use a tablet or iPad: when attendance records are submitted monthly, KinderConnect will log both the tablet operating system and the KinderSign mobile app version. This will provide the DCYF support team with more information to diagnose and find solutions for potential mobile device issues.
What do providers and families need to do before March 16, 2022?
- Be ready for the system to be down on March 16, 2022, from 8-10 p.m.. KinderConnect and KinderSign will be unavailable during the planned outage. KinderSign and KinderSmart will not be affected for this system update.
- Per DCYF Policy Pol-0126-2: If you need to check children in and out of care while the system is down, keep paper records and input them into KinderConnect when the system is available again.
What do providers and families need to do on March 16, 2022, or after?
- Providers who supply a tablet or iPad for attendance check-in or check-out should update the KinderSign Washington application through their application store. It may take a few days for the Apple Store or Google Play Store to show available updates. The current applications will continue to work, however, the new updates won’t be available until the applications are updated through your application store.
- Families who use smartphones do not need to update their KinderSmart application.
August 27, 2020 Update
The updates below are coming to the state's electronic attendance system on August 27, 2020.
What’s New for Providers in KinderConnect?
- In KinderConnect, providers may reset your own password by email if locked out of the system after five incorrect password tries.
- Your Attendance Detail Report will be upgraded to run faster than before.
What do providers and families need to do before August 27, 2020?
- Please read the information below to know what changes that are coming. Be ready for the system to be down August 26 starting at 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. KinderConnect only will be unavailable during the planned outage. KinderSign and KinderSmart will not be affected for this system update. If you need to use KinderConnect to check children in and out of care while the system is down, please read Policy 0126-2 Electronic Attendance Records - Internet or System is Unavailable.
What do providers and families need to do on August 27, 2020, or after?
- Providers who use tablets for attendance check in and check out will be able to upgrade KinderSign Washington through their application store. It may take a couple of days for the Apple Store or Google Play Store to show updates are available. The old applications will continue to work. The new updates will not be available until the applications are updated through your application store.
- Families who use smartphones do not need to update their KinderSmart application.
See the step-by-step instructions on using the new changes:
March 24, 2020 Update
The updates below are coming to the state’s electronic attendance system on March 24, 2020.
What’s New for Providers?
- In KinderConnect, a new search bar makes easier to search and sort children’s names.
- In KinderSign, the new “Attendance Summary” option offers providers a view of all the children signed in and signed out for the day.
- Providers can set their set their accounts in KinderSign to display in English or Spanish.
What’s New for Families?
- Families can set their accounts in KinderSign or KinderSmart to display in English or Spanish.
What do providers and families need to do before March 24, 2020?
Please read the information below to know what changes that are coming. Be ready for the system to be down March 23, 2020 starting at 8pm through March 24th, 2020 at 1am. KinderConnect, KinderSign, and KinderSmart will be unavailable during the planned outage. If you need to check children in and out of care while the system is down, please visit the policy on our website.
What do providers and families need to do on March 24, 2020 or after?
On March 24, 2020 or later, providers who supply a tablet for attendance check in or check out can update the KinderSign Washington application through their application store. Families who use smartphones can update the KinderSmart Washington application through their phone’s application store. It may take a few days for the Apple Store or Google Play Store to show updates are available. The old applications will continue to work, however, the new updates won’t be available until the applications are updated through your application store.
March 4, 2019 Update
The first major updates to the state’s electronic attendance system are coming on March 4, 2019!
What do providers need to do prior to March?
Prior to March, review the information below to get familiar with the changes that are coming. Also, be prepared for the state system to be down on March 2, 2019 for up to twelve (12) hours. KinderConnect, KinderSign, and KinderSmart will all be unavailable during the planned outage. If you need to keep attendance records during the time the system is down, please visit the policy on our website, Electronic Attendance Records: Internet or System is Unavailable.
What do providers need to do on March 4, 2019?
On March 4, 2019, providers who supply a tablet for attendance check in and check out will need to download the new “KinderSign Washington” application onto their tablet(s). After the application is downloaded, the provider will need to register the tablet once.
For providers with sponsors using smartphones, instruct families to download the new “KinderSmart Washington” application onto their smartphones. After the application is downloaded, providers will need to help sponsors complete phone registration process.
What changes are coming?
For KinderConnect:
- Home Screen Messaging - Enables messages from DCYF or the system to display on the home screen.
- Multiple Check In/Out Pairs - Allows submitting records when there are more than two check in and out pairs in the same calendar day.
- Social Service Payment System (SSPS) Number Displays in Drop-Down - For Provider Administrators who are linked to more than one site, the SSPS # will be listed in the drop-down.
- Merging Abilities - Allows providers to combine a duplicated child’s account, parent/sponsor accounts, and attendance records when a child is added to the system as a full pay child and the same child is later authorized for Working Connections or Seasonal Child Care.
- Overnight Care - Automatically adds the end time for one day and the start time for the next day when care is provided before and after midnight.
- Detailed Attendance Reports - Adds the ability to include signatures and/or notes when creating attendance record reports.
- Absent Day Drop-Down - Updates the list of absent day reasons to include “Professional Development” days.
- Messages to Sponsors - Allows providers to send messages to sponsors through the system.
For KinderSign:
- Offline Capability - Allows a tablet to store check in and check out activity that is collected while the tablet is not connected to the internet. When the connection to internet is restored, the transactions will be uploaded to KinderConnect.
For KinderSign and KinderSmart:
- Messages from Provider - Allows sponsors to read messages from their provider.