The Quick Messages module works like an internal email service between families and the school, and between staff members. You don't need to know the parents' email addresses or phone numbers. Unlike Live Chat, where conversations are one-to-one or in groups, Quick Messages connect the family with the school.
When you send a message to a family, you select the child, not the parent. The message automatically reaches all family members who have an active Kinderpedia account and are linked to the child. Each recipient gets a notification for every new message.
Note! Each recipient sees only their own name among the recipients, like the BCC field of an email. If you send the same message to several families, keep it general, without details about a specific child.
By default, the module sends general messages to one or more classes or families. These messages can later become one-to-one conversations between the family and the school.
We recommend following the steps in order: first the setup (sections 2–6), then sending messages.
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1. How do I open Quick Messages?
In the left menu, click Quick Messages.
On the left of the module you find the Compose button and the folders:
Inbox: the messages you received.
Sent: the messages you sent.
Scheduled: messages scheduled to be sent later.
Trash: the received messages you deleted.
The Configuration button at the top right opens the module settings.
2. How do I set up the predefined messages sent by parents?
Quick Messages › Configuration › Predefined Messages from Parents
Parents don't choose the recipients when they send a predefined message. With this setting, you decide who receives each type of message.
Open Quick Messages and click the Configuration button at the top right.
Open the Predefined Messages from Parents tab. On the left are the message types parents can send: General Message, Absent, I'm here, Late Drop Off, Late Pick Up, Early Pick Up, Early Drop Off and I am on my way!.
For the selected message type, choose:
Include the child's teachers by default: the child's teachers or educators receive the message automatically.
Add/Select additional users: parents can add other recipients too.
Allow remove predefined recipients: parents can remove the recipients you set.
If you want certain staff members to always receive this type of message, click in the Select predefined users for this type of message field and choose them from the list.
Each message type has its own settings. Click another type in the list, for example Absent, and set it up the same way. The ON switch on the right turns the type on or off for parents. General Message cannot be turned off.
When you have finished with all message types, click Save.
Predefined messages help parents quickly let you know when the child arrives or leaves, and educators can organise their activities more easily. The steps a parent follows to report an absence are in section 3.
3. How does a parent report a child's absence?
Parents can report from Kinderpedia that the student will be absent, with the predefined Absent message. The student is automatically marked absent for the period the parent chooses, if the school has turned this option on (see section 4).
From the web platform
In the parent account, the parent opens Quick Messages from the left menu and clicks Compose. In Message type they choose the absence message, then the reason (for example sick or holiday) and the absence period in the calendar.
If the school set predefined recipients for the absence message (see section 2), they appear automatically under Recipients. Otherwise, the parent adds the recipients from teachers or staff members. Then they write the message and click Send. The button becomes active after the reason, period, recipients and text are filled in.
From the mobile app
The parent opens the app menu, with the three-line button at the top left, and chooses Quick Messages. They tap the green + button, choose Absent as the message type, then fill in the reason, the start date, the end date and the text. For a single day, the start and end date are the same. The message cannot be sent until all fields are filled in.
Tip: absences reported this way can be approved automatically. See section 4.
4. How do I approve absences reported by parents automatically?
Center Management › Kinderpedia Modules › Daily Reports and Timeline › Settings
By default, absences reported by parents through Quick Messages are not approved (motivated). You can have them approved automatically, if the parent reports them by a certain deadline.
In the left menu, open Center Management › Kinderpedia Modules. Find the Daily Reports and Timeline module and click Settings.
In the Settings tab, check that Activates absences through the module: Quick Messages is on. If you turn it off, absence messages sent by parents no longer register the absence automatically.
Under Mark absences as approved if there are reported absences, open the list.
Choose by when the absence must be reported to be approved automatically, for example current day until 7:00, a time on the day before, or a number of days before the absence. Do not automatically approve absences reported by parents turns automatic approval off. Finally, click Save.
Note! Automatic approval applies only to absences reported by parents with the absence message in Quick Messages.
Tip: with Controlled reporting of absences, in the same window, you can limit until when parents can report an absence, for example only until 17:00 for the next day. The default is No restrictions (can be reported even the current day).
5. How do I create a custom recipient list?
Quick Messages › Configuration › Custom Recipient Lists
A recipient list groups several staff members, for example the finance department. When you send a message, you add all of them in one click.
In Configuration, open the Custom Recipient Lists tab and click Add new list.
Fill in the List Name, choose the users in Select users and set a Color. Then click Save.
To delete a list, click the bin icon next to it.
6. How do I create a custom group list?
Quick Messages › Configuration › Custom Group Lists
A group list brings together several classes or groups, for example primary school. When you send a message, you select the list and the message reaches all families in those classes.
In Configuration, open the Custom Group Lists tab and click Add new list.
Fill in the List Name, choose the classes in Select Groups and set a Color. Then click Save.
7. How do I send a quick message?
Quick Messages › Compose
Click Compose.
In Message type, choose one of:
General message: the default type, for any announcement.
Alert: for urgent and important situations. The message is marked with an alert sign, so it stands out in the recipients' list.
Reminder: the message is sent automatically at the date and time you choose.
In the message list, alerts appear with the Alert label in red and a bell icon.
If you choose Reminder, fill in the Date field with the day and time the message should be sent. Until then, the message stays in the Scheduled folder.
Tip: use Reminder to remind parents of a request or an event. For example, if you are going on a trip on Saturday, you can write the message during the week and schedule it for Saturday at 7:00. Parents receive it exactly then.
Fill in the Subject and the text of the message. With the paperclip icon in the bottom bar you can add an attachment. Then choose the recipients with Add children (families and students) or Add staff members. The steps are described in the next sections.
Above the text, the AI buttons help you write: Correct with AI fixes the text, Generate with AI drafts a message, and Summarize with AI shortens it.
The Send button becomes active only after you have chosen the message type, at least one recipient and written the text.
8. How do I choose the families and students who receive the message?
Quick Messages › Compose › Add children
Click Add children. First choose who should receive the message:
Only the parents: only the parents with a mother/father role.
Only the students: only the children who have student accounts.
Student and family: both the students and their family members, including other relatives, for example grandparents.
Students, parents and teachers: the selected students, all their family members, all their teachers and the staff members.
Then select the children with a click on their name. To find a child, filter by group or use the search. With Select all and Deselect all you tick or untick all the children shown.
Note! Children shown in grey cannot be selected. Their families have not activated their Kinderpedia account yet. Parents must first activate their account to receive messages.
To send the message to a whole class, open Main groups or Optional groups and click the class.
If you created group lists (see section 6), you find them under Lists. Tick the list and all its classes are selected.
To write to all families in the school, tick Select all parents, under Entire school. The message reaches all parents with an active account.
Finally, click Update.
9. How do I add teachers and staff members as recipients?
Quick Messages › Compose › Add staff members
In the compose window, click Add staff members. To add the whole team, tick All teachers within the institution or All staff members within this institution.
You can also choose individual people. Open Teachers or Staff members and click the names you want. Use the group filter or the search to find a person more easily.
The recipient lists you created (see section 5) appear under Lists. Tick the list to add the whole team. Then click Update.
Before sending, you see a summary of the recipients. To change them, click the pencil icon next to them.
Tip: the summary may include people you didn't choose. The school may have settings that automatically include certain teachers or staff members in all messages.
10. Can I delete or edit a message I already sent?
Quick Messages › Sent
A sent message cannot be deleted. Open the Sent folder and click the message.
Click the three dots at the top right. With Copy message you can reuse the text for a new message. Where editing is available, the same menu has Edit message: you can change the subject, the text or the attached files (not the message type or the recipients), and the change is visible to all recipients.
Note! Changes are published immediately. Recipients see only the new version of the message. If you sent a message by mistake, delete the text and attachments, write that the message was sent in error, and save.
11. How do I reply to all or in a thread?
Open the message. To send a reply to all recipients, click Reply to all. To reply only to the sender, click Private reply.
If you want to continue the conversation only with a certain person, click Reply in thread, under their reply.
Above the text field, the green bar shows who will see your reply. Check it before you click Send.
When you open a reply from the message list, a green bar at the top tells you whose reply it is. Jump to reply takes you to it, and Delete this reply deletes it.
12. How do I search and filter messages?
The folders on the left (Inbox, Sent, Scheduled, Trash) are the first way to sort your messages.
To find a message, type a word in the Search message content field. For advanced search, click the filters button to the right of the search field.
In the Inbox folder you can filter by:
Period: a date range.
Message type: General message, Alert or Reminder.
Read or unread messages, with the eye buttons on the right.
Inbox from staff members and Inbox from family (the family of a certain child).
Has attachments: only messages with attachments.
Click Filter messages. Clear filters brings back the full list.
The filters differ slightly from one folder to another. In Sent you can also search by recipient: Sent to users, Sent by users or Sent to child.
In Scheduled you have the text search, Period, Has attachments, the message type and the read/unread buttons.
Trash has the same filters as Scheduled.
13. How do I see who read a message?
Quick Messages › Sent
Open the sent message. At the top right you see how many people read it, for example Seen by 1 people. Click the eye icon next to it.
The list of people who saw the message is split into tabs: Children, Parents, Teachers and Staff members. For each person you see the date and time of the first and the last view.
14. How do I delete a received message?
Quick Messages › Inbox
You have two options:
From the list: tick one or more messages and click the red Delete button at the top. From here, Mark as read marks the selected messages as read.
From the message: open the message, click the three dots at the top right and choose Delete.
The message is not deleted permanently. You find it in the Trash folder.
15. How do I use Quick Messages in the mobile app?
In the Kinderpedia app, tap Quick Messages in the bottom bar, or open the ☰ menu and choose Quick Messages. At the top you have the search field and the folder tabs (in the parent app: Inbox, Sent and Trashed). The search works in the selected tab.
For filters, tap the button to the left of All messages. You can show read or unread messages, sort them by type (Alert, Reminder, General message) and turn on Only with attachments or a date range. Finally, tap Done.
For a new message, tap the green + button. Choose the recipients with Add children or Add staff members, then the message type. Fill in the subject and the text and, if needed, tap + Add attachment. Parents can choose a predefined message type here, for example Absent, Late Drop Off or I am on my way.
In the recipient list you have the Children, Teachers and Staff tabs. To send the message to a whole class, tap the round symbol at the top right, choose the class and tap Continue.
When adding a file you can attach a photo from the gallery, a photo taken with the camera, a video, another type of file or a voice recording. Finally, tap the send arrow at the top right. A Reminder message is shown as not sent yet, scheduled for the chosen date.
To reply to all on a received message, use the arrow at the top right. To reply to only one person, tap Reply next to their name. In the corner of the screen you also see how many recipients read the message.
Note! Check which option you choose before replying. Otherwise you may send your reply to all recipients by mistake.
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