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Messaging Dashboard for Administrators

The Messaging Dashboard is an administrator-focused way to view and manage all communication in your center. It uses your existing Kindertales messaging, but organizes everything by child and keeps all key actions on a single page, with minimal page reloads or screen changes.

What's In This Article?

  1. What Is the Messaging Dashboard?
  2. Accessing the Messaging Dashboard
  3. Understanding the Child List View
  4. Filtering and Searching Messages
  5. Using Stealth Mode (Eye Icon)
  6. Viewing a Child’s Conversation
  7. The “From” Tab (Messages From Families)
  8. The “To” Tab (Messages To Families)
  9. Internal Messages
  10. Replying to Messages: Quick Reply vs. Reply
  11. Tips and Best Practices

What Is the Messaging Dashboard?

The Messaging Dashboard is an administrator-focused view of message activity in your center, organized by child.

It is designed to:

  • Give you a high-level overview of all messages going in and out of your center.
  • Keep inbox, outbox, and internal messages available in one place, so you don’t have to click between multiple messaging views or wait for frequent page reloads.
  • Allow you to monitor communication (including in Stealth Mode) without disrupting classroom message visibility or notifications.

The dashboard does not change how messages are delivered; it reorganizes your existing messaging into a faster, more efficient admin view.

Accessing the Messaging Dashboard

To open the Messaging Dashboard:

  1. Click Messages in the main navigation.
  2. Within Messages, select the Dashboard tab.

This will open the child-based dashboard view described below.

Understanding the Child List View

When you open the Messaging Dashboard, you first see a list of children. This is your starting point for navigating messages.

For each child, you’ll see:

  • Child Name – The child associated with the messages.
  • Unread Message Count – The number of messages related to this child that you have not read (based on your view).
  • Homeroom – The room the child is currently assigned to.
  • Most Recent Message Preview – A snippet of the latest message for quick scanning.
  • Message Type – Indicates whether the most recent message is:
    • Family – A family-facing message (to or from a parent/guardian).
    • Internal – An internal staff-only message. These are for staff communication and may or may not be directly tied to that child’s family conversation.

Use this list to identify which children have new activity and to quickly open the relevant conversation without moving between separate inbox/outbox views.

Filtering and Searching Messages

The dashboard includes filters to help you focus on the messages that matter most:

  • Room Filter Show only children assigned to a specific homeroom.

  • Child Name / Contact Filter Search by child name to quickly find a specific child’s conversations.

  • Date Range Filter Limit visible activity to a specific time period (e.g., today, this week, custom range).

  • Unread Filter Show only children with unread messages.

You can combine filters (for example, Room + Unread) to narrow down your view for reviews or follow-ups.

Using Stealth Mode (Eye Icon)

Stealth Mode lets administrators view messages without marking them as read.

  • Toggle Stealth Mode by clicking the eye icon.
  • While Stealth Mode is enabled:
    • Messages you open remain unread.
    • Classroom and room staff still see accurate unread counts and notifications.

Use Stealth Mode when you want visibility into conversations—such as for quality checks or incident review—without interrupting how teachers track their messages.

Viewing a Child’s Conversation

To see all messages related to a specific child:

  1. Click the child’s name in the child list.
  2. You’ll see a conversation view organized into tabs, typically including:
    • From – Messages from the family.
    • To – Messages to the family.
    • Internal – Internal staff-only messages (if enabled for your center).

This view lets you follow all communication connected to that child from a single screen.

The “From” Tab (Messages From Families)

The From tab shows all messages sent by family members regarding that child.

In this tab:

  • A left sidebar displays:
    • The name of the family member who sent each message.
    • Their profile picture (where available) for quick identification.

Use the From tab to:

  • Review questions, updates, or concerns from parents/guardians.
  • See which specific family member is communicating.

You can respond directly from this tab using Quick Reply or Reply.

The “To” Tab (Messages To Families)

The To tab shows messages that were sent to the family, typically:

  • From a homeroom (teachers sending updates).
  • From an administrator (center-wide communications).

This is often used to:

  • Review what has already been sent to a family.
  • “Jump into” an existing parent-facing conversation as an administrator.

Important behavior when replying from the To tab:

  • Any reply you send from the To tab will always go to the parent/family.
  • Replies from this tab are meant to continue the family-facing conversation.

If you need to communicate internally with staff (without contacting the family), use the Internal tab instead.

Internal Messages

Internal messages are staff-only communication.

Key points:

  • Messages here are not visible to families.
  • Use this space to coordinate between administrators and staff about a child, follow-up steps, or incidents.

When replying to an internal message:

  • You will need to choose at least one staff recipient (e.g., a teacher, room, or admin).
  • Internal messages do not go to parents/guardians and will not appear in the family’s conversation.

Replying to Messages: Quick Reply vs. Reply

You have two primary ways to respond within a conversation:

Quick Reply

  • Ideal for short, straightforward responses.
  • Automatically replies to the original sender (for messages in the From tab) or continues the existing family thread (in the To tab).
  • Minimal options—fast and simple.

Reply (Full Reply Options)

  • Opens the full messaging interface with more control.
  • Lets you:
    • Add or remove recipients (where applicable).
    • Attach files (documents, images, etc.).
    • Adjust the message details before sending.

Use the full Reply option when:

  • You need to send attachments.
  • You need to adjust who receives the message.
  • The topic is more complex or sensitive.

Remember:

  • From tab replies: go back to the family member who sent the message (or the family thread).
  • To tab replies: always go to the parent/family.
  • Internal messages: stay internal to staff, and you must choose internal recipients.

Tips and Best Practices

  • Start with the Unread filter to make sure no family messages are missed.
  • Use Stealth Mode when monitoring communication so you don’t alter staff read/unread status.
  • Check the message type (Family vs. Internal) in the child list to quickly understand the nature of recent activity.
  • Filter by Room to support specific classrooms during busy times.

If you need help or don’t see the Dashboard tab under Messages, contact your center administrator or Kindertales support.