Overview
The tiney guardian app helps guardians stay connected to their child’s day, manage their childcare contract, access key information and communicate easily with their childminder.
This guide walks you through the full guardian journey - from joining a setting to navigating the main features of the app.
How guardians join a tiney setting?
When a childminder creates a childcare contract, the guardian receives a secure mobile and desktop-friendly link to complete onboarding.
What do guardians add and complete during onboarding?
Guardians can enter all the information needed before care begins, including:
Child information — General details about the child.
Key contacts — Emergency contacts.
Health information — Medical needs, allergies and relevant conditions.
Consents — Permissions for things like images used in the Journal.
Signing the contract
Both the childminder and the guardian sign the contract digitally.
When applicable, Guardians will need to pay the tiney enrolment/joining fee to accept their contract and secure their place.
Once completed, guardians receive an SMS link to download and log into the tiney app, ready for care to commence.
Adding a second guardian
Guardians can also invite an additional guardian to join the tiney app once they are logged in.
What do guardians see when they open the app?
Guardians land on the Home tab by default. Here they’ll find quick access to the register history and helpful information about their setting and the tiney app.
Home tab overview
Register overview — Shows when their child was signed in and out.
Helpful guides & resources — Tips on getting the most out of the tiney app.
Quick access to the child profile.
How does the Journal work for guardians?
The Journal is where guardians see all updates about their child’s day. Posts appear in a scrollable timeline and can include photos, observations, personal care notes, meals and more.
Journal timeline
Guardians can:
View all post types (observations, personal care, meals, medicine, accidents and more).
Filter posts — by tapping the filter icon Guardians can adjust the timeline e.g., show only learning observations if they want to focus on development-linked updates.
Comment on posts where permitted.
Summary tab
Guardians can tap Summary to view essential child-specific information in one place.
Downloading / exporting the learning journal
Guardians can request a full Journal download using the download icon in the top right.
Messaging childminders through the Inbox
The Inbox tab gives guardians a direct way to message their childminder.
Inbox overview
There are two communication channels:
Direct messages — A private chat where guardians and childminders can send messages, photos and replies.
Notice board — A one-way broadcast channel for setting-wide updates.
Guardians cannot reply to notice board posts.
How do guardians explore tiney Tips?
The Tips tab gives guardians access to the same activity ideas and collections that childminders see, allowing learning to continue at home.
What they’ll find
Book club stories
EYFS tagged learning activities
Themed collections and seasonal activities
How do Payments work for Guardians?
The Payments tab shows guardians their invoices and payment options.
What guardians can do
View all due and paid invoices.
Pay invoices, depending on the childcare contract and mix of funded/private hours.
Manage payment settings via the settings icon in the top right.
Access guardian rewards, including services like the GP Family Helpline and partner discounts.
Access may vary depending on whether the guardian fee has been paid.
What notifications and daily updates do Guardians receive?
Guardians receive helpful updates to keep them informed.
Push notifications
Guardians with the app installed receive a notification every time a child is signed in or out via the tiney register.
Daily Journal roundup email
All guardians receive a regular Journal roundup email summarising the day’s observations and Journal posts.
How do guardians update child details?
Guardians can update their child’s information at any time directly from the app.
Update child details from the Summary tab
To edit a child’s information:
Tap into the child profile from the Register.
(This opens the child view that includes both the Journal and Summary tabs.)Select the Summary tab at the top of the screen.
Scroll to the bottom and tap Update child passport.
Edit the relevant information as needed and confirm your changes.
Note: Updates made to the child passport are saved instantly and help ensure the childminder always has the most up-to-date information about your child.
FAQs
Can guardians change their child’s information after onboarding?
Yes - guardians can update child details in the app (see above) or by contacting their childminder.
Can multiple guardians access the same child profile?
Yes - additional guardians can be added after the primary guardian onboarding is complete and the contract is accepted.
Do guardians get notified about every Journal entry?
No. Guardians receive a regular Journal roundup email, except for sensitive posts like accidents or medicine, which trigger immediate notifications.
Are register updates notified instantly?
Yes - guardians receive a push notification each time their child is signed in or out.