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Set Up Staff Clock In/Out Transfer Options

  • Updated on Oct 2, 2026
  • Published on Sep 30, 2026
  • 10 minute(s) read
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This article covers how to choose and set up a staff clock in/out method, add and manage time card entries from Procare Online and access staff attendance reports.

Procare Online offers a range of solutions to help your center streamline staff clock-in/clock-out. Review the options below and decide which one works best for your center and staff.

Initial Considerations

Consider what your center needs to function efficiently, ensure compliance, and remain aligned with your policies and procedures. Review this checklist before deciding on your staff clock-in/out option.

Checklist

Description

Time Zone

To ensure Procare records the correct clock-in and clock-out times, confirm the time zone is set correctly in your school profile. Go to School Settings > School Profile > Timezone.

Ratio Monitoring

When staff clock in/out and transfer rooms throughout the day, you can track ratios and set up ratio alerts to monitor them.

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Live Room Status and Live Sign-In Feed

Staff timecards are essential for the Live Room Status feature in the Procare Online > Dashboard and the Live Sign-In Feed in the Procare child care mobile app. The Live Room Status and Live Sign-In Feed display which staff members are currently logged into which classrooms, providing real-time visibility into classroom and staffing statuses.

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Learn more about Procare Online Dashboard.

Learn more about Procare child care mobile app Live Sign-In Feed.

Room Visibility and Clock In/Clock Out

Use Room Visibility to control which rooms each staff member can clock in and out of.

  • When a staff member has No Access to Room Visibility, they can only clock in, clock out or transfer within their assigned rooms.

Before using Procare to clock in/out:

  • Make sure staff room assignments and Room Visibility are accurate.

Choose a Staff Clock In/Out Transfer Method

Staff can clock in/out or transfer rooms one of three ways. Use the questions below to decide which fits your center.

How

Method

Staff Instructions

Do you want your staff to clock in/out on their own devices?
No Procare account or Procare child care mobile app is required.

Method 1 - QR code

Send your staff this link for instructions.

Do you want your staff to clock in/out from your center’s device using their PIN?
No Procare account or Procare child care mobile app required.

Method 2 - Sign-In Kiosk from Center’s Device

Send your staff this link for instructions.

Do you want your staff to clock in/out from their mobile phone or use a classroom device?

Procare account and Procare child care mobile app required.

Method 3 - Staff Mobile Phone, Procare Account, Procare Child Care Mobile App

Send your staff this link for instructions.

Staff Assigned Rooms

All clock-in methods default to displaying the staff member's assigned room. The staff member can select a different room based on their room assignment and Room Visibility permission.

Method 1 - QR Code

Staff clock in/out from their own mobile phone by scanning a QR code. No Procare account or Procare child care mobile app required.


Use a QR code (Staff Contactless Check-In). Staff scans a QR code to clock in through Procare Online.

  1. Go to School Settings > Settings.

  2. Enable Contactless QR Scan for Staff. Click tggloffon.png to enable or tgglonoff.png turn off.

  3. Click Launch QR Kiosk.

  1. Click Print QR Code.

    1. Post a paper copy for staff to scan or

    2. Display the QR code on a monitor.

  2. Staff scans the QR code with their mobile device and connects to Procare Online.

  3. Staff enter their PIN.

  4. Click Clock-In/Out.

Transfers can be tracked in real-time. In the clock-in/out process, have staff click Transfer to a different room and select the new room.

Set up a device, for example, a tablet with the Sign-In Kiosk. The window should look similar to this. Follow the instructions based on the window you see.

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Scan the QR Code

  • The staff member locates the QR code to scan, and holds the phone for the camera to read it.

  • They tap the code or

Enter the PIN

  • They enter their PIN.

  1. Select the room (optional).

  2. Tap Clock-In.

Transfers can be tracked in real-time. In the clock-in/out process, have staff click Transfer to a different room and select the new room.

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Send this link to staff to learn how to clock in/out with a QR code.

Method 2 - Sign-In Kiosk from Center Device

Staff clock in/out from the center’s device by using their PIN. No Procare account or Procare child care mobile app required.


Use the Procare child care mobile app Sign-In Kiosk option on a device. The requirements are:

  • the admin first log into the device

  • staff must use their PIN

  1. Using a centrally located device, the admin must log into the Procare child care mobile app.

  2. Select the Sign-In Kiosk.

  3. Tap Lock lockc.png if you want to prevent anyone from navigating away from the Sign-In screen. Any sign-in requires a password.

  4. Staff enter their PIN.

  5. Select the room (optional).

  6. Tap Clock-In.

Transfers can be tracked in real-time. In the clock-in/out process, have staff click Transfer to a different room and select the new room.

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Method 3 - Staff Mobile Phone, Procare Account, Procare Child Care Mobile App

Staff clock in/out using their mobile phone by using their PIN.  Procare account or Procare child care mobile app required.

Use the Procare child care mobile app Sign-In Kiosk option on their personal device. They can sign in using their PIN:

  • on any device

  • regardless of staff access level

  1. Contact Procare Customer Support via Tucker Chat and ask them to enable the Allow Staff to Clock In/Out on Any Device setting.

  2. Invite staff members to Procare.

  3. They will need to:

    1. sign up

    2. create their Procare account

    3. install the Procare child care mobile app on their own device

    4. log into the app

  4. Verify they know where to find their PIN.

  5. Train staff members how to:

    1. use the Sign-In Kiosk in the Procare child care mobile app

    2. enter their PIN to clock in/out or transfer rooms

Staff logs into the Procare child care mobile app.

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  1. Staff enter their PIN.

  2. Select the room (optional).

  3. Tap Clock-In.

Transfers can be tracked in real-time. In the clock-in/out process, have staff click Transfer to a different room and select the new room.

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Optional

For any clock-in/out method  - ask staff questions when clocking in/out


Set up a Staff Kiosk Form to ask staff questions when they clock in or out. You can add up to five questions, each multiple choice with single- or multi-select answers.

After selecting a staff clock-in/out option, complete the staff setup steps below.

Staff Setup

1. Add Staff

To clock in and out, staff must first be added to Procare Online — this generates the PIN linked to their profile.

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Learn more about adding staff to Procare Online.

No Procare Account Needed

Procare Account Needed

  1. Go to  Staff Management > Staff.

  2. Click Add Staff.

  3. Enter Name.

  4. Enter Email Address.

  5. Do not check Invite to Procare.

  6. Select Role.

Note

After adding a staff member and email address, the Invite button is visible on the:

  • Staff Management > Staff dashboard and

  • individual staff member profile

Do not click Invite.

If a staff does need a Procare account in the future you can always invite them to create an account.

To communicate with parents/guardians, send daily activities, log attendance, access lesson plans, etc., staff members must have a Procare account. But first you must invite them to sign up for a Procare account.

  1. Go to  Staff Management > Staff.

  2. Click Add Staff.

  3. Enter Name.

  4. Enter Email Address.

  5. Check Invite to Procare.

  6. Select Role.

  7. After adding a staff member and email address, the Invite button is visible on the Staff Management > Staff dashboard and/or on the individual staff member profile. Click Invite.

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2. Provide a PIN to Staff

Staff require a PIN to clock in/out or to transfer rooms.

Staff Without a  Procare Account

Staff With a Procare Account

Staff can view their own PIN in the Procare child care mobile app if they have a Procare account. See 1. Add Staff - Add Procare Account above.

  1. Open the Procare child care mobile app.

  2. Tap Menu menuappb.png.

  3. Tap Edit Profile.

  4. Locate the PIN in the Clock In-Out PIN field.

If the staff member does not have a Procare account you will need to provide their PIN.  To locate their PIN in Procare Online:

  1. Go to Staff  Management > Staff.

  2. Hover over the staff member's name to view their Kiosk PIN for clocking in/out.

or

  1. Click on their name.

  2. Locate the PIN in the Clock In-Out PIN field.

or

  1. Go to Reports > Reports Library > Management > Staff Detailed Report.

  2. In the report setup window, select Clock In-Out PIN.

  3. Click Generate Report.

  4. The report is generated as an XLS file.

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Learn more about the Staff Detailed Report.

If Procare Online does not automatically generate a PIN for a staff member, you can manually generate one.

Create a PIN Manually or Assign a New PIN for Staff

  1. Go to Staff Management > Staff.

  2. Click the staff member's name.

  3. Hover over the Clock In-Out PIN field.

  4. Click Edit .

  5. Enter a 4-digit PIN. The PIN must be between 0001 and 0999, and cannot be the same as another staff member's PIN.

  6. Click submit icon to save.

3. Set Up Staff Roles, Permissions, and Room Assignment

  • Admin staff can clock in/out and transfer into any room.

  • Non-admin staff member with No Access to Room Visibility can clock in/out and transfer into the room(s) they are assigned to.

Checklist and Review

  • Review your staff members' room assignments to verify they have access to the correct room.

Note

Room assignment also determines which parents/guardians a staff member can message — they can only message parents/guardians whose children are in the same room.

4. Timecard Access Options

Important Note

The Staff Timecard is available in Procare Online > Staff Management > Timecard only. It is not accessible in the Procare child care mobile app.

Staff members do not need access to timecards to clock in/out or transfer rooms. Access to Staff Timecard allows a staff member to view all staff clock-in/out times, including days and hours attended. Depending on the access level granted, a staff member may also be able to edit clock-in/out and transfer records for all staff members. Review permissions carefully before granting this level of access.

  1. To provide individual staff members with their timecard for review, generate the Timecard Per Staff Report.

  2. For staff to view or manage timecards, you must assign the correct role and that role must include the permission for Staff Timecard.

    1. Go to School Settings > Roles & Permissions.

    2. Click on the role.

    3. Locate Staff Timecard.

Role

Definition

No Access

  • Staff cannot view:

    • any information in Staff Management > Timecard

    • clock-in/out times or days/hours attended for any staff member, including themselves

Read

  • Staff can view:

    • all information in Staff Management > Timecard

    • clock-in/out times and days/hours attended for any staff member, including themselves

Full Access

  • Staff can:

    • view all information in Staff Management > Timecard

    • edit clock-in/out times, dates, and rooms for any staff member, including themselves

    • create clock-in/out records for any staff member, including themselves, and add a note to that record

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Next Steps

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Integrate with Gusto

Procare has partnered with Gusto to provide even more features relating to staff and employee management, including payroll, benefits, W-2 forms, and other HR services. See Integrating with Gusto to learn more!

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FAQ - Setup Staff Clock In/Out and Transfer

Why did a staff member get 'Staff Clock In-Out is enabled only for admin devices' when trying to clock in with their PIN on the Sign In Kiosk?

This happens when the device being used is not logged in by an admin. It is a safeguard to prevent staff members from clocking in at any location using their own Procare account on a personal or unauthorized device.

Here are a few ways to resolve this:

  • Use a QR code for staff clock-in/out instead of a PIN

  • Set up a center device in a central location that all staff can use to clock in

  • Contact Procare Customer Support to enable a setting that allows staff to clock in/out from any device

See the Choose a Staff Clock-In Method above for more details on each option and which one fits your center best.

What if I want staff members to clock in from a tablet in the classroom?

If staff share a device or log in and out throughout the day on the same classroom tablet, the best options are:

  • Enable the QR code so staff can scan it with their own device to clock in

  • Contact Procare Customer Support via Tucker Chat and ask them to enable Allow Staff to Clock In/Out on Any Device

See the Choose a Staff Clock-In Method section above for details on each method.

Can staff clock in using the Contactless Curbside (GPS) method?

No. The Contactless Curbside (GPS) method is for parents/guardians only.

Can staff clock in/out and transfer rooms from a web browser?

No. Staff cannot clock in/out or transfer rooms from a web browser. Based on what the center decides, the staff will use the Procare child care mobile app > Sign-In Kiosk or a QR code. See Choose a Staff Clock In/Out Transfer Method above.

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