Licensing & recordkeeping
Daycare Attendance Sheet and Sign-In Sheet Templates
Attendance records serve three masters: licensing, subsidy reimbursement, and emergency evacuation. Each expects something slightly different, and a record that satisfies all three is not much harder to keep than one that satisfies none.
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Short answer
Attendance records commonly need to show each child's name, the actual arrival and departure times, who dropped off and picked up, a signature or authenticated electronic equivalent, and explicitly marked absences. Records are commonly expected to be contemporaneous, retrievable on request during an inspection, and portable enough to leave the building during an evacuation. Requirements vary by state.
Free printable attendance and sign-in sheets
Daily sign-in and sign-out sheet
| Child's name | Time in | Dropped off by (signature) | Time out | Picked up by (signature) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
This is a sample form. States differ on what must be recorded and how long records are kept. Check your state's licensing rules before using it.
Weekly attendance sheet
Mark P (present) or A (absent).
| Child's name | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This is a sample form. States differ on what must be recorded and how long records are kept. Check your state's licensing rules before using it.
What records commonly contain
Blank cells are the problem. An empty box is indistinguishable from an unrecorded child during an evacuation and reads as a missing record during an audit. Mark absences explicitly.
Requirements differ by state. Some states do not require a parent signature, and some limit which electronic systems count as the official record.
- Child's full name and date of attendance.
- Actual arrival time and actual departure time — not scheduled hours.
- Identity of the adult dropping off and picking up.
- A signature or verified electronic equivalent from that adult.
- Absences, marked as such rather than left blank.
- The staff member who recorded or verified the entry.
Subsidy audits raise the bar
Programs that reimburse per child-day commonly expect contemporaneous records — recorded at the time of arrival and departure, not filled in later — with a parent or guardian signature or an authenticated electronic check-in. Attendance records reconstructed after the fact are a common source of findings during subsidy reviews and can contribute to repayment or clawback demands.
Electronic check-in typically satisfies signature requirements when it authenticates the adult (PIN, badge, or account login) and stores an immutable timestamp. Confirm your state's electronic-record language before dropping paper entirely, and keep exportable backups.
Retention and access
Periods vary by state — verify yours. Whatever the period, records often must be produced on request; check your state's rules. In practice that means same-day retrieval rather than a storage unit across town.
| Record | Common retention period |
|---|---|
| Daily attendance | 1–3 years |
| Incident and injury reports | 3+ years, sometimes to age of majority |
| Enrollment and health files | Duration of enrollment plus 1–3 years |
| Staff files and training logs | Duration of employment plus 1–3 years |
Common citations and how to avoid them
- Times written in even blocks (all 8:00 and 5:00) — a clear sign of after-the-fact entry.
- Missing signatures for a subset of days.
- Ratio counts that do not reconcile to the attendance record for the same hour.
- No record of who released the child at pickup.
- Attendance kept only in a room binder that leaves the building during an evacuation.
Frequently asked questions
Can daycare attendance be kept electronically?
How long must a daycare keep attendance records?
Do we need attendance records for evacuation?
Sources and further reading
- National Database of Child Care Licensing Regulations — Administration for Children and Families
- Office of Child Care programs and CCDF policy — U.S. Administration for Children and Families
- Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards — American Academy of Pediatrics, APHA & National Resource Center
How Caredence supports this
- Childcare attendance software — Timestamped check-in/out, rosters, and attendance history.
Run your daycare on one platform
Caredence brings attendance, billing, messaging, and reporting into one place — so you spend less time on paperwork and more time with kids.
Keep reading
Daycare Recordkeeping Requirements: Files, Retention, and Privacy
A complete daycare recordkeeping guide: child files, staff files, operational logs, retention periods, privacy and access rules, and how to pass a records review.
Read guideDaycare Licensing Requirements by State: How to Find Yours
How daycare licensing works state by state: what states commonly regulate, how to find your state's childcare licensing agency, and what inspectors check at initial licensure.
Read guideDaycare Daily Checklist (Free Template)
A free daycare daily checklist covering opening, classroom, midday, and closing tasks — ratio checks, attendance, meals, sanitation, and end-of-day records.
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