ParentSquare is committed to better connecting schools and families in order to improve student outcomes and school achievement. To that aim, we are always inventing and considering how we may apply innovation from other fields to school-home connection, resulting in new ways to communicate and establish relationships.
The Origins of ParentSquare
Anu, a computer engineer who had recently taken a sabbatical from work to be with her early school-age children, had seen a difference in how involved she was with her kids’ lives at school as a stay-at-home mom in 2011. ParentSquare was founded to provide the same sense of community to all families at the school. The program was developed with the assistance of other founders from four different local schools and was picked up by word-of-mouth by 20 other local public, charter, private, cooperative, and Jewish preK-12 schools over the course of two years. ParentSquare was made available to the rest of the world in the fall of 2014.
What is ParentSquare?
ParentSquare is a one-stop shop for school events, enhancing communication, collaboration, and participation between home and school. It is predicated on school-wide adoption, as opposed to certain other school-to-home communication platforms. There are numerous ways to participate, including event planning, photo and file downloads, health exams, cost payments, sign-ups, volunteer hour monitoring, and more.
Polls and two-way chat via the web, email, and text messages are available to school administrators and teachers. Smart Alert users can send voice messages to parents, communicate urgent alarms, and have messages instantly translated (at an additional cost). The administrator dashboard displays user interaction data and allows school officials to request products, solicit volunteers, fill out forms, collect fees, transmit secure documents, get RSVPs, and even fundraise.
Events are linked into the school calendar, making it simple to see what is going on at school at a glance. If authorized, parents can even download images from the site and leave comments; additionally, schools can allow parents to submit photos into albums for others to view. Schools can provide a directory of employees and families, allowing parents and guardians to communicate instructors and administrators directly through the website.
ParentSquare is mobile thanks to iOS and Android apps, and schools can enable additional add-ons such as fund campaigns, archives, a registration app, volunteer hours, and an alumni database.
Who makes use of ParentSquare?
A communication system aimed to assist public and charter schools in the United States in better communicating, connecting, and engaging their parents, families, and students.
How Can Parentsquare Be Used to Teach?
The success of ParentSquare is dependent on users’ active participation, which includes establishing beneficial dialogue with families, adding events to the integrated school calendar, providing information for children, and exchanging photographs and files from student and school activities. Use interactive polls to engage stakeholders and allow them to RSVP for events or sign up to bring items to the classroom. Use the secure Payments function to invite caregivers to join in fundraisers, fill out forms, sign up for events, and pay costs for supplies, field excursions, and more.
Keep in touch by sending reminders, links, or even personalized positive comments to individuals or groups of students using StudentSquare. At the administrative level, shape future communications based on the usage dashboard, where you can see how many users you have, how many users are engaging on the site, and assess the reach of emails, text messages, and the app. Reach out to caregivers who may not feel safe or able to visit the school, and communicate with everyone in their preferred language.
Administrators should monitor messages closely and communicate clear parameters to avoid negative or excessive parent interaction. Furthermore, school employees should be cautious about sharing information via numerous modes of communication, as inconsistent information, repetitive messages, or too many notifications may lead to disengagement.
Is Parentsquare Beneficial for Learning?
ParentSquare has a plethora of helpful tools for encouraging consistent, simplified communication. The site places an emphasis on social connection and community, fostering reciprocal interaction between school officials and families in order to build partnerships and joint projects. It also provides administrators with critical information about how users interact with the content, allowing them to improve outreach and develop more productive, active school communities.
The extensive feature set provides a much-needed shift away from traditional newsletters and ineffective paper-based or even digital communication techniques, providing more options for engagement than pure messaging apps.
Because teachers may communicate with students directly through the website or the StudentSquare app, there is a chance to teach organizing and communication skills that will create a sense of responsibility in kids from an early age. Even though ParentSquare is not intended to be a full learning management system (LMS), it does an excellent job of encouraging student accountability while also offering flexible, regular communication between school and home. Despite the requirement for school-wide acceptance, the unavailability of a free edition, and the relatively complicated interface, it is a really comprehensive platform.
ParentSquare Login
As a family member, you have three options for registering with ParentSquare. To activate your account, use the email or text message issued to you by the school. To activate a new account, go to the ParentSquare website and enter the email address or phone number you have on file with your school. Download the ParentSquare app for iOS or Android and make a request for activation.
Families that have not yet enrolled for ParentSquare will be invited to do so before the start of the school year. Activate your account using the email or text message that your school issued you. Your school will send you an email or text message inviting you to join ParentSquare. Users can activate their accounts by clicking the link.
Activate your account on the ParentSquare website by entering the email address or phone number you have on file with your school. Parentsquare login mobile app and activate your account: Launch the ParentSquare App. Enter your email address or mobile phone number. The email address and/or cell phone number must correspond to what is in your school’s information system or database.
Note: If ParentSquare does not recognize your email or phone number, you can ‘Request Access’ or call your school administration and ask them to update your contact information.
After that, create and confirm your password. Continue by clicking the button.
You will be emailed or texted a registration code. Enter your registration code and press the ‘Verify’ button. This will take you to your home feed on ParentSquare! Please keep in mind that if your registration link has expired, you will need to request a new one. Please contact your school’s administration and request that a new link be issued to you.
Top ParentSquare Substitutes
Remind
Remind software is a platform that enables communication to be transformed into connection at school, at home, and everywhere in between. To stay safe and documented, the software provides resources such as one-on-one chats with kids and family members. Mobile notifications ensure that students and families never miss important messages.
Piazza
Answer questions, manage course materials, and measure student activity with Piazza. It will save you time, and your students will appreciate it. It’s completely free and simple to get started.
Sdui
Sdui is a cloud-based communication system for all types and sizes of schools. The concept is GDPR-compliant and features a variety of functionalities designed to improve communication in schools. Sdui is intended not only at teachers and students, but also at their parents. Chats are used for communication, and there are other features such as push notifications, news sharing, and personal timetables.
