Recording absences and medication

Mark a child absent with a reason, and log a dose of medicine from their diary.

Written byDaniel Broadhurst (Founder)|Published: 18 June 2026|
Ofsted Aligned

ℹ️Who this is for

Childminders and assistants recording a child's absence, or a dose of medicine, during the day. Needs the Standard plan or a free trial. Each takes under a minute.

Video Walkthrough

Both are recorded from the child's diary. Open the Tools tab, tap Daily Diary, and tap the child.

1. Mark a child absent

Tap Attendance, then MARK AS ABSENT.

2. Choose the reason

Tap the reason, such as Illness or Holiday, and add a note, like what the parent told you and when. Tap Save Absence.

The register shows the child as absent, and invoices take it into account.

ℹ️Why the reason matters

The reason is kept with the absence and shown on the child's invoice, so parents can see why a day was missed.

3. Log a dose of medicine

In the child's diary, tap Medication, then + Log Medication. Enter the medicine and the dose. Add a Reason given if you like, such as a high temperature or a prescribed course, and fill in the other details on the form. Tap Save Medication Form.

4. Check the medication log

Tap Medication Logs to see every dose recorded for the child.

⚠️This is your medication record

The form is your record of the dose, so there's nothing else to fill in. Make sure you have the parent's written permission before giving any medicine, and log each dose at the time.

Why KinderStart does it this way

Recording absences and doses in the child's diary keeps everything about their day in one place, with the time it was recorded.

What to do next

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Don't get lost in the paperwork. Use our free interactive checklist to tick off each step as you complete it.

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KinderStart strives for accuracy. Competitor features and pricing comparisons are based on publicly available information as of May 2026. Details are subject to change by respective providers.

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