Insist on real times
‘8:00’ written at 8:47 is the most common subsidy-audit finding. A kiosk timestamp removes the problem entirely.
Free templateAdministration
Individual Child Sign-In & Out Sheet Template
A simple sign-in and sign-out log with columns for date, student name, time in, time out, total hours and initials — a paper record of each child’s hours for attendance, billing and subsidy paperwork.
- Format
- Printable PDF · US Letter
- Pages
- 2 (the same log sheet twice)
- Best for
- Directors · office staff
- Updated
- Sept 2026
No sign-up required. Print it and share it with your team — it’s free for any child care program to use.
What’s inside
One table: date, name, times, total hours and initials
- Date and Student NameThe first two columns of every row, so one sheet can follow one child across many days.
- Time in and Time OutThe actual arrival and departure times for the day.
- Total HoursA column for the hours in care each day — the figure hourly billing and subsidy claims are built on.
- InitialsA column for the person signing the child in or out to initial the entry.
How to use it
Four steps to put it to work this week
- 1One sheet per child on the sign-in clipboardWrite the child’s name in the Student Name column. Or keep one clipboard per room with sheets in alphabetical order.
- 2Record the real time, then initialWrite the actual time in and time out, not the scheduled one, and initial each row. It matters for subsidy audits.
- 3Reconcile weekly with billingHourly and drop-in charges come straight off the Total Hours column.
- 4Total and file monthlyAdd up the hours for the month, then file the sheet with the child’s record and any subsidy claim.
Tips from operators
What centers that use this well do differently
Learned the hard way across 3,000 child care spaces — and from the directors and educators who join our Lunch & Learns and Learning Labs.
Check pickups against the authorised list
The sheet records initials, not who collected the child. Staff still need to check every pickup against the child’s authorised list.
File monthly by child, not by day
Auditors and subsidy programs ask for a child’s attendance for a period — monthly per-child sheets answer that in seconds.
Do it digitally in ChildFriendly Pro
Kiosk sign-in with exact timestamps and provincial attendance exports
Parents check in with a PIN on the room tablet, staff see live ratios, and ChildFriendly Pro generates the monthly attendance record — including provincial subsidy formats — with no reconstruction.
- Parent PIN kiosk with authorised-pickup photos
- Live ratio board with amber warnings
- Monthly attendance and subsidy exports per child
FAQ
Questions about the Individual Child Sign-In & Out Sheet
Can’t find your answer? Chat with a real person who has run a child care center.
Read more FAQsDoes this sheet collect parent signatures?
It has an Initials column rather than a full signature line. Many regulations require a signed record of when the child was in your care — for ratio compliance, subsidy billing and any dispute about pickup — so check whether initials are enough where you operate.
Do subsidy programs need this exact format?
Some provinces have their own monthly attendance form (Saskatchewan’s Appendix 16, for example). Where they do, use theirs; this sheet still works as your daily record of times and hours.
Can I use a digital sign-in instead?
Yes — a tablet kiosk with parent PINs captures the same data with exact timestamps and no reconstruction. ChildFriendly Pro generates the monthly attendance record, including provincial subsidy formats, from kiosk check-ins automatically.
How long do I keep attendance records?
Follow your record-retention rule — commonly several years — and longer where subsidy claims were made against them.
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Related resources from the Academy
Directors & Admin Workshops · Recording
Regulations Refresher: Start Strong, Stay Compliant
Krystal Churcher covers high-impact child care regulation areas and how to turn requirements into practical systems that keep you inspection-ready.
Watch the recording
Blog · Child Care Software
Child Care Attendance Tracking: Manual vs. Automated
4 min read
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Compliance guide · Saskatchewan
Appendix 16 monthly attendance forms, auto-filled
Regional reporting
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