App aid to childminding

A cloud-based management platform is bridging the gap between parents and childminders in childcare and development, writes

With the mobile app, parents can now monitor their children’s progress easily .

ON July 3, I woke up to a shocking headline splattered across the and social media: “Journalist’s infant daughter dies under babysitter’s care in Shah Alam.” It was a devastating day for journalist Nurul Riduan Nor Ashaha and his family. He’d sent his 4-month-old daughter to the babysitter’s house in good faith around 9am that fateful day. Hours later, he was informed that the child had become unconscious. By 3pm, his daughter was pronounced dead. The agony and anguish of his family continue as they await a full report from the Chemistry Department on the cause of death.

This isn’t something new, though. Over the past few years, there have been many cases of deaths and abuse in childcare centres, not just in Malaysia but globally. Has daycare turned into day-scare?

The president of the Association of Registered Child Care Providers Malaysia (ARCPM), Norsheila Abdullah, attributes the rise of such incidents to two factors — unlicensed centres and unskilled childminders. Under the Child Care Centre Act 1984, all centres must be registered with the Social Welfare Department and all childminders must be trained and certified.

It also states that both centres and parents are responsible for recording every activity of the children in a logbook. “Unfortunately, there’s no cooperation between parents and centres to keep tabs on the children,” she adds bluntly.

This problem is something the team from Cloud Basha is trying to fix. The boutique IT consultancy company specialises in the development of innovative technologies. Its new app Toddlytic takes record logging to a whole new level. It is a preschool and daycare cloud management platform which enables parents, teachers and schools to focus on the 360-degree care and development of children.

Think Facebook with timeline and photo sharing, but specialised to keep tabs on your children.

Norsheila Abdullah

TIME SAVER

“There’s a need for this app,” begins Rayyan EshaghPour, the CEO of Cloud Basha, when we meet at his office in Bangsar. “We have the technology, so why not use it?”

Cloud Basha was set up a year ago by EshaghPour and business partner, Kana Sabaratnam, software developers with a background in enterprises. The company has come up with Toddlytic at the right time as many schools are now more open to the idea of using IT to manage their schools.

The app actually works like a journal for the children, something like a complete logbook. Or a report card, if you must. Kana explains: “Currently, school management is unstructured. Teachers usually use WhatsApp to communicate with parents. There’s no control or moderation. So, we bring some order to how teachers can manage.”

The team also identified the need for parents to keep tabs on their children. It has been the norm for parents to call the centre or school to check on their kids. The time teachers spend answering calls from parents, explains Kana, can be used to care for the children instead.

With the app (which is available on both Android and iOS), parents can now monitor their children’s progress as the day goes on. “With photos and lesson plans, parents can use this information to engage with their children. It’s a good family bonding activity,” says Kana, smiling.

Chips in EshaghPour, a father of two: “If I log in right now, I can see what my daughter is doing. I don’t have to call the school all the time. When I’m hard at work, it’s a big relief to be able to see my daughter via photos sent by the school.”

SAFETY MEASURES

Cloud Basha’s move to create the app is lauded by Norsheila who says: “We have to follow the times. It’s good that there is such an app. It’s going to make life easier for both parents and the centres.”

She stresses on the importance of having a record for the smallest things, such as how many diapers were used and the timing of their potty breaks. Most importantly, parents and centres must record any injury, regardless how minor. “The logbook will serve as proof when you make a police report if anything happens,” she explains, before showing me a sample of the log in the comprehensive module provided for childminders.

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