Best Practices: Using Procare Desktop with Engagement

  • Updated on Sep 19, 2024
  • Published on Dec 12, 2023
  • 2 minute(s) read
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Using Procare Desktop with Engagement

What are the best practices for using Procare Desktop with Engagement functionality? What are the do’s/don’ts and considerations for what to do in which system? Since all data does not sync, this is a guide as to where you want to keep certain items.

Best Practice by Topic:

Immunizations

  • Continue to use immunizations within Procare Desktop.

Allergies/Tracking

  • In Procare Desktop they are set up as a Child Tracking items. They do not sync.

  • Engagement uses a general field for allergies on the Child Profile entered as text, not a tracking item). Engagement doesn’t produce a report of all children who have a specific allergy, like all kids w/dairy. Tags could be used, but not ideal because of mistyping the same allergy many ways.

  • If teachers need to know the allergies: Choose either recording them in Engagement and having an allergy icon on Engagement mobile devices, or using Procare Desktop and giving teachers a printed allergy report by classroom.

  • If you want both, you would need to double enter the data in both systems.

Tags in Engagement are used for:

  • Schedule info: M, W, F vs. Full time, part time. These do not provide scheduling for Roll Call and Check-In like Desktop does.
  • Before, After School, a specific activity.
  • Bus routes. AM Bus, PM Bus, Lincoln School, Westside Elementary, etc.
  • Anything you want to use for filtering, especially for daily activities or room transfers.

Child Check In

  • You may use QR codes, Geo Fencing, or Check In from the Procare child care mobile app.

  • If you use the door controller: Use Web Apps or Receptionist in Procare Desktop.

  • Rounding in Procare Desktop: Set the minute interval to “none” on Procare Desktop if using Engagement for attendance.

  • Procare Desktop’s “deny entry” feature is not supported in Engagement.

  • Procare Desktop max hours should be set to default of 16. If it is set lower, say to 8… then auto sign out from Engagement won’t succeed.

  • Timecard edits will not sync. Each will retain the original time recorded for that day.

  • Authorized pickup people must be added as ‘payers’ in Procare Desktop to use the Engagement website. This gives that person more access than desired (account info).

  • Schedule exceptions in Procare Desktop, such as “absent” days, do not sync with Engagement’s absent day notation.

Split Families

  • All emergency contacts are blended together in Engagement.
  • If you are seeing issues with this, contact support.

Staff sign-in

  • Doesn’t sync either direction.
  • Use Procare Desktop If you are issuing paychecks from Procare Desktop.
  • Use Engagement if you only need timecard data, or are using Gusto’s integration for payroll.
  • Use Engagement if you need the live room ratios (Procare Desktop has live display of numbers in Dashboard).

Employee Data

  • Vacation, sick, PTO are tracked in Procare Desktop. If using Gusto for payroll, this could be tracked in Gusto.
  • Schedules are tracked in Procare Desktop.

Procare users

  • All “active” Procare users in Procare Desktop sync to Engagement. System supervisors are automatically designated as administrators in Engagement and automatically invited to download the child care mobile app.